Synthesis and properties of an acrylamide-based polymer for enhanced oil recovery: A preliminary study

This research evaluates performance of an acrylamide-based polymer which can be used for displacing reservoir oil. Three associated polymeric systems were proposed based on hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), reported PAAHO, and the novel synthesized and characterized functionalized copolymer PAAHAI. Polymer solution behaviors were used to examine the changes in viscosity when the polymer was applied under certain reservoir conditions. PAAHAI showed a higher resistance and tolerance to temperature and salt content than HPAM and PAAHO. The antimicrobial degradation rates of PAAHAI could reach up to 13.2% and 21.7% for Bacillus sp. PAH-2 and Pseudomonas sp. LP-7, respectively. The inhibition efficiency of PAAHAI could reach as high as 93.08% in 1M HCl at 25 degrees C. These results indicate that PAAHAI can be suitable for application in enhanced oil recovery.