Effect of Amine-Functionalized Nanoparticles (SiO₂/Amine) on HPAM Stability under Chemical Degradation Environments: An Experimental and Molecular Simulation Study

Abstract

This work aimed to develop SiO 2 nanoparticles functionalized with amine (SiO 2 /amine) to inhibit the chemical degradation of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) in the presence of different ionic species through static experiments and molecular simulations. The effect of the SiO 2 /amine on the rheological behavior of HPAM solution was evaluated in the presence of monovalent, divalent, and trivalent cations. To understand the relationships between polymers, ions, and nanostructures, interaction energies and the radii of gyration under all saline scenarios were calculated by molecular dynamics (MD). The SiO 2 /amine was spherical with a size <100 nm. There is a correlation between the ion's valence and the chemical degradation of HPAM: in the presence of polyvalent cations, the viscosity losses of the HPAM solutions reached up to 94%, incorporating SiO 2 /amine at 100 mg L −1 mitigated the viscosity losses by up to 16%. The molecular simulations showed that the self-folding of the HPAM chains increased in brine containing trivalent cations leading to the viscosity loss of the solutions. The presence of SiO 2 /amine increased the radius of gyration of the polymer up to 17%, improving the viscosity of the HPAM solutions. This study opens a broader landscape regarding nanotechnology to improve polymer flooding applied to the oil industry.

Effect of the Support’s Chemical Nature of Amine-Functionalized Nanoparticles on the Protection of Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide for Enhanced Oil Recovery: Static Experiments, Displacement Tests, and Molecular Dynamics Evaluation

“…Magnesium nitrate, sodium hydroxide, and methanol with degrees of purity ≥99% (Panreac, Barcelona, Spain) were used for this. The nanoparticles were functionalized with a tertiary amine (Sigma-Aldrich) (chemical formula: C 10 H 16 N 2 O 8 , molar mass of 292.244 g mol –1 , and density of 0.860 g cm –1 at 20 °C) using the wet impregnation method as described in a previous study. , Amine-functionalized nanomaterials based on MgO, SiO 2 , and Al 2 O 3 were labeled as MgO/amine, SiO 2 /amine, and Al 2 O 3 /amine, respectively. HPAM with a molecular weight of up to 8 million daltons and 25–30% degree of hydrolysis was employed for the experimental tests .…”

Development of Novel Silicon Quantum Dots and Their Potential in Improving the Enhanced Oil Recovery of HPAM

“…6 Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) is a frequently utilized polymer for oil displacement. 7 HPAM exhibits remarkable thickening capabilities for water. In addition, it can reduce the effective permeability of porous media through the adsorption on the surface of pores and capture in the porous media.…”

“…Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) is a frequently utilized polymer for oil displacement . HPAM exhibits remarkable thickening capabilities for water.…”

Ion-Specific Effects on the Structure, Size, and Charge of Polymers Applied in Enhanced Oil Recovery

“…Nevertheless, elevated salt levels and the presence of multivalent ions often induce the collapse of coherency, and thus, macromolecular solutions (sol) containing individual, separated polymer chains form . Such a sol–gel transition depends not only on the salinity and polymer concentration but also on other factors like temperature, chemical composition, and porosity of the oil reservoir, while it can be tuned by additives including surfactants, , solid particles, − or other surface active compounds. , It is obvious from these facts that a direct comparison of the efficiency of EOR polymers can be given only under the same reservoir conditions due to the sensitivity of the sol–gel transition process to environmental factors. , …”