A novel
dispersed particle gel-strengthened polymer–surfactant
(DPS) combination flooding system was proposed and demonstrated for
enhanced oil recovery in high water cut mature oilfields. As compared
to a conventional polymer–surfactant (PS) combination flooding
system, DPS systems have a higher viscosity and a more stable network
structure. The polymer is mainly a source of the viscosity, while
the surfactant plays a key role in reducing the interfacial tension
(IFT). The added dispersed particle gel (DPG) has a synergistic viscosity
increase effect, whereas for the DPG particles, the salinity and aging
time have a slight effect on the IFT reduction capacity of the DPS
system. On the basis of sand-pack flowing experiments, the DPS system
has a better mobility control capacity than the PS system in the combination
flooding stage and the following water flooding stage. Parallel sand-pack
flowing experiments indicate that injection of a DPS system can effectively
improve the profile control. The added DPG particles could intersperse
in the three-dimensional network structure, which increases the stability
of the DPS system in solution and porous media. Through the improved
synergistic effect of the swept volume capacity and high displacement
efficiency, the oil recovery capacity of the DPS system is significantly
enhanced. The DPS system may be an alternative for enhanced oil recovery
in other similar high water cut mature oilfields.
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