Abstract
A hyperbranched carboxylate-type polymer was synthesized through esterification and carboxymethylation, and its performance on enhanced oil recovery was experimentally evaluated. The optimum condition for esterification was 8 h at 120°C, where 3% PTSA as the catalyst and 9:1 mol ratio of the AB2 intermediate and trimethylolpropane were used. The optimum condition for carboxymethylation was 4 h at 80°C. The critical micelle concentration of the hyperbranched polymer was 433.63 mg/L, the Krafft point was 5°C, and the surface tension was lowered to 28 mN/m. In the range of 400–500 mg/L concentration, the adsorption onto the oil sand surface achieved equilibrium, and micellar solubilization reached 600 ml/mol. The interfacial tension can be lowered to a level of 10−2 mN/m by the single use of the hyperbranched polymer, and the value further decreased to a level of 10−3 mN/m while being formulated with sodium dodecylsulfate or NaOH. Oil recovery of water flooding was further enhanced by the single use of a hyperbranched polymer or the combination of hyperbranched polymer/sodium dodecylsulfate. The latter exhibited more prosperous advantages in low-permeability reservoirs.
Highlights
Polymer flooding is an economic and efficient method for enhanced oil recovery and is used worldwide (Zhao et al, 2020; Sieberer et al, 2017)
Saboorian-Jooybari et al presented a detailed review of the application of polymers in heavy oil flooding since the 1960s and concluded that polymer flooding can contribute to a range of 2.2–44% incremental oil recovery (Saboorian-Jooybari et al, 2016)
M-HPAE was synthesized through two-step reactions, namely, esterification and carboxymethylation, to form the intermediate and the final product, respectively
Summary
Polymer flooding is an economic and efficient method for enhanced oil recovery and is used worldwide (Zhao et al, 2020; Sieberer et al, 2017). Brattekås and Seright investigated improved polymer gel conformance control during water flooding in fractured low-permeability carbonates and found that gel-blocking efficiency was dependent on water salinity, core materials, and oil presence (Brattekås and Seright, 2018; Wang and Zhang, 2019). Algharaib et al experimentally investigated the impact of various parameters on polymer performance on enhanced oil recovery and found pre-flush and polymer characteristics having various degrees of influence (Algharaib et al, 2014). Cardoso et al discussed the importance of chemical characteristics of polymers in enhanced oil recovery processes and concluded that more profitable results can be gained using polymers of higher average molar mass in the semidilute regime (Cardoso et al, 2016)
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