Abstract
The study aims to improve the rheological behaviors and oil recovery of hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) at high salinity by introducing nanosilicas. It was found that the combination of hydrophobically associating polyacrylamide (HAHPAM) and cetyl-modified nanoparticles (CMNPs) has a more substantial synergy for improving rheological behaviors of hybrid dispersions at high salinity, comparing with other HPAM/NP hybrids. The CMNPs markedly facilitate the cross-links among clumpy molecular aggregates of HAHPAM and made the hybrids more elastic. At a given HAHPAM concentration, there exists an optimal CMNP concentration at which the adsorption of nanosilicas on the polymer molecular chains is maximized. Under reservoir conditions, the HAHPAM/CMNP hybrid is more efficient than the HAHPAM/NP hybrid for enhanced oil recovery. The oil displacement mechanism of the HAHPAM/CMNP hybrid is attributed to the synergistic thickening and wettability change. The hydrophobic effect between HAHPAM and the CMNPs effectively improves the salt tolerance of the hybrids.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
