Dispersion polymerization of AM-AMPS-DAM-DOH and its sand control property

Abstract

Sand production in oil wells is a common challenge during the oil extraction process. Water-soluble polymers have attracted attention due to their low toxicity, cost-effectiveness, ease of direct injection, and excellent thermal stability. However, the dry polymer injection process commonly used in offshore oil fields is complex. Therefore, this paper employs acrylamide (AM), 2-acrylamide-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid (AMPS), a dihydroxy monomer (DOH), and a functional monomer (DAM) containing ketone groups and self-crosslinking properties as monomers. A polymer latex type sand control agent was prepared through dispersion polymerization for direct application on offshore platforms. This paper utilizes flocculation time and maximum sand free flow rate as inspection indicators and utilizes both the one-factor-at-a-time method and the surface response method to optimize the synthesis conditions of the sand control agent. The optimal synthesis conditions are obtained: total monomer concentration of 9.15 wt%, DOH concentration at 10 wt% of the total monomer concentration, ammonium sulfate (AS) concentration of 27.02 wt%, dispersant concentration of 2.13 wt%, initiator concentration at 0.25 wt% of the total monomer concentration, reaction time of 12 h, and reaction temperature of 40 °C. Under the conditions of concentration ≥2000 mg/L and curing time ≥4 h, the sand control agent is suitable for sand stabilization under formation conditions of temperatures between 50 and 80 °C, pH levels ranging from 3 to 9, salinity <30000 mg/L, and sand particle size of ≥100 μm. The research results of this paper can serve as a valuable reference for the control of oilfield sand production.