PH Sensitive Polymers for Novel Conformance Control and Polymerflood Applications

Abstract

AbstractNovel conformance control and polymerflood applications that exploit the pH-sensitivity of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) are proposed. The key feature of this process is the injection of the HPAM solution under acidic conditions. The low pH makes polymer molecules coil tightly, resulting in a very low polymer solution viscosity. This allows the polymer solution to be injected into the reservoir at a substantially reduced injection pressure. Once injected, the acid reacts with the formation minerals to cause a spontaneous pH increase, uncoiling the polymer chains and causing a large increase in solution viscosity. Such a viscosity control scheme can be exploited for placement of a concentrated polymer solution in high-permeability zones, where it later viscosifies to divert subsequently injected fluids (in-depth conformance control), or to reduce the high pressure drop near the wellbore during polymer injection (injectivity improvement). Extensive rheological measurements and coreflood experiments (for different polymer molecular weights and degree of hydrolysis, and at different pH, salinity, and polymer concentration), are performed and interpretated.Rheological measurements show that both shear and oscillatory viscosities of HPAM solution have a pronounced, but reversible, dependence on pH. Coreflood results show that the HPAM solution under acidic conditions can be propagated through cores with much higher mobility than at neutral pH. The use of a weak acid is the key. The peak pH's observed in several shut-ins guarantee that spontaneous geochemical reactions can return the polymer solution to its original high viscosity. However, low-pH conditions increase adsorption (polymer-loss) and require additional chemical cost (for acid). The optimum injection formulation (polymer concentration, injection pH) will depend on the specific reservoir mineralogy, permeability, salinity and injection conditions.