Vinyl Acetate-Acrylic Acid Copolymer for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Gerard T Caneba,Jay Axland

doi:10.4236/jmmce.2002.12007

Abstract

This paper pertains to the possible use of newly-synthesized vinyl acetate/acrylic acid (VA/AA) copolymer to help recover trapped crude oil, an important mineral resource. The proposed approach is to use the copolymer as a foaming surfactant (in water or brine), which will be driven by a gas, such as carbon dioxide or nitrogen. Neutralized forms of the copolymer result in an anionic surfactant, which has been found to have minimal adsorption onto the rock matrix. The neutralized VA/AA copolymers synthesized in this study are found to outperform other anionic surfactants and even more adsorbing nonionic surfactants. Due to the long chain nature of the hydrophilic groups of nonionic surfactants, they are found to produce better foams than anionic ones. Since VA/AA copolymers have long chain hydrophilic groups, it is not surprising that they are good foaming agents as well. Optical microscopy of VA/AA emulsions reveal that they form microscopic network surface structures, which are presumably due to liquid crystalline formation in macromolecular scale.

Highlights

At a time when the economic recovery is threatened by potentially high crude oil prices due to increased demand, the authors are compelled to put on-line promising new oil production technologies
Studies have indicated that these block copolymers have good foaming capabilities, especially for micellar foam-based enhanced oil recovery applications.[7]
It is possible that the vinyl acetate/acrylic acid (VA/acrylic acid (AA)) copolymer will be costeffective because the raw material cost is relatively low, while manufacturing process occurs under mild operating conditions at reasonable yields

Summary

Introduction

At a time when the economic recovery is threatened by potentially high crude oil prices due to increased demand, the authors are compelled to put on-line promising new oil production technologies. In CO2 flooding oil recovery operations, the VA/AA copolymers are supposed to be good foaming surfactants.

Results

Conclusion