Dynamic Gelation of HPAM/Cr(III) under Shear in an Agitator and Porous Media

Abstract

Water shutoff and profile control is one of the most important technologies to enhance oil recovery. To ensure the success of this technology, the key is to accurately determine gelation time and gel strength during gel flow in porous media. The HPAM (Hydrolyzed PolyAcrylaMide) system and redox system (sodium bichromate and sodium sulfite) is widely used, whose static gelation time in ampoule bottles and porous media was determined, as well as the dynamic gelation time in an agitator and porous media. The shear rate was considered one of the major factors affecting gelation time. The results showed that the static gelation time in porous media was much longer than that in ampoule bottles. The Initial Gelation Time (IGT) in porous media was two or three times that in ampoule bottles, while the final gelation time in porous media was six times that in ampoule bottles. Under shearing in an agitator, the gelation process was divided into four phases: induction, sudden increase, stability and decrease. With the increase in shear rate, gelation time was prolonged and gel strength decreased. There was a critical gelation shear rate, above which there was no gel formed. Shear had almost no influence on gel strength during the induction stage but in the process of sudden increase, shear could degrade gel strength sharply. The time of dynamic gelation in porous media was much longer than that of static gelation in porous media and ampoule bottles. When HPAM and RS (Redox System) concentrations increased, the IGT of dynamic gelation in porous media was shortened.