Polymer injection is one of the most applications used in enhanced oil recovery. In order to achieve better sweeping efficiency, polymer is added to the injected water to increase its viscosity and ultimately minimize the viscous fingering. Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) is one of the polyacrylamide groups. It is characterized by the shape of straight chain polymer of acrylamide monomers in which some of it has been hydrolyzed. The viscosity of the polymer solution should be maintained in order to keep better sweep efficiency. Salinity, polymer concentration and temperature are the most important factors that strongly affect the polymer viscosity and behavior. The aim objective of this study is to estimate the optimum polymer concentration based on the suitable polymer solution viscosity. This viscosity will be suitable for preferable mobility ratio. In this work, five groups of polymer solutions were prepared with different salinities. In each group, several polymer solutions were prepared at different polymer concentration. The viscosity of prepared solutions was measured at different temperatures. New models correlate the flow behavior index (n) and flow consistency index (k) with polymer salinity, polymer concentration and temperature were developed and validated using the experimental data. In order to estimate the required optimum polymer concentration, the developed models were combined with other developed models that describe the polymer shear rate in porous media. Results show that, the cross plots of the measured and corresponded calculated (n) and (k) values indicated better prediction compared with the latest published correlations with a squared correlation coefficient of 0.9912 and 0.9962 respectively. In addition, the calculated average relative error of the predicted (n) and (k) were 0.97 % and 6.07% correspondingly. Using these models, the power law viscosity equation and shear rate in porous media equation, the required polymer concentration can be estimated with high accuracy. Consequently the required optimum polymer concentration needed to achieve better sweeping efficiency can be determined and therefore enhance the oil recovery. This technique will save time and effort spent to find the optimum polymer concentration using the traditional methods.
Ionic liquids have attracted attention in lowering the interfacial tension between oil and water. Several researches were conducted on these materials and possibility of using them in enhanced oil recovery. In this paper, the effect of using a polymer buffer behind a slug size of ionic liquid during flooding was investigated. Ionic liquid solution was prepared with suitable concentration and salinity. Partially Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide Polymer (HPAM) was used in preparing polymer solutions. Core flooding runs were performed using slug sizes of ionic liquid followed by polymer buffers having different slug sizes, polymer concentrations, salinities, temperatures and injection rates. The results showed that an injection of a polymer buffer after a slug size of ionic liquid increased the amount of the produced oil significantly. The larger polymer buffer slug size, the larger amount of produced oil. Increasing of salinity and injection rate greatly affect polymer efficiency in the improvement of oil recovery. Rising of polymer concentration may plug the pores and as a result, the amount of oil recovery is not a considerable. Although, increasing of temperature decreases oil viscosity and enhances ionic liquid efficiency, the temperature accelerates polymer thermal degradation and consequently lowers the ultimate oil recovery. High injection rate causes mechanical polymer degradation and displacing fluid bypass over oil, consequently low oil recovery can be obtained.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.