Rheological Properties of Weak Gel System Cross-Linked from Chromium Acetate and Polyacrylamide and Its Application in Enhanced Oil Recovery After Polymer Flooding for Heterogeneous Reservoir

Abstract

Long-term polymer flooding exacerbates reservoir heterogeneity, intensifying intra- and inter-layer conflicts, which makes it difficult to recover the remaining oil. Therefore, further improvement in oil recovery after polymer flooding is essential. In this study, a weak gel system was successfully synthesized, and possesses a distinct network structure that becomes more compact as the concentration of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide increases. The network structure of the weak gel system provides excellent shear resistance, with its apparent viscosity significantly higher than that of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide solution. The weak gel system exhibits typical pseudo-plastic behavior, which is a non-Newtonian fluid as well as a viscoelastic fluid. Additionally, the weak gel system’s elasticities exceed its viscosities, and longer crosslinking time further enhances the viscoelasticity. The weak gel system achieves superior conformance control and enhanced oil recovery in highly heterogeneous reservoirs compared to partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide solutions. The weak gel system is more suited to low-permeability reservoirs with strong heterogeneity, as its effectiveness in conformance control and oil recovery increases with greater reservoir heterogeneity. Enhanced oil recoveries of the weak gel system in low-permeability sandpacks increase from 22% to 48% with a rise in permeability ratios from 14.39 to 35.64 after polymer flooding.