Injectability of Partially Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide Solutions Improved by Anionic-Nonionic Surfactant in Medium and Low Permeability Reservoirs

Injectability of the polymer solution is a very important factor that determines the effectiveness of polymer flooding for enhanced oil recovery. Here, the medium and low permeability oil reservoir was taken as a research object, and effects of relative molecular weight, concentration and core permeability on the flow and injection performance of a partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) solution with and without anionic-nonionic surfactant (ANS) were studied by indoor outcrop core physical model experiments. It was found that the influence of HPAM concentration on the flow performance was related to the core permeability. When the core permeability was lower than 59 mD, the resistance factor and residual resistance factor of HPAM increased with increasing the concentration. High molecular weight and low core permeability were not conducive to the injectability of HPAM solutions. The addition of ANS was beneficial in enhancing the injectability of HPAM solution by reducing the critical value of injectability of HPAM solution, which was elucidated by the Hall curve derivative method. In the presence of ANS, the flow pressure gradient and the residual resistance factor of the HPAM solution decreased. It is believed that the injectability of HPAM solution improved by ANS in the medium and low permeability reservoirs can be attributed to decrease in fluid viscosity and competitive adsorption on the surface of porous media. The study provides a new idea and theoretical basis for improving the injectability of an HPAM solution and the application of polymer flooding and a polymer/surfactant binary flooding system in medium and low permeability reservoirs.

Automated summary

This study investigates the flow and injection performance of a partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) solution in a medium and low permeability oil reservoir. The effects of molecular weight, concentration, and core permeability are studied, as well as the influence of anionic-nonionic surfactant (ANS) on the injectability of the HPAM solution. It is found that high molecular weight and low core permeability hinder the injectability of HPAM solutions, while the addition of ANS improves injectability by reducing the critical value of injectability and decreasing flow pressure gradient. This research provides new insights and a theoretical basis for improving the injectability of HPAM solutions and the application of polymer flooding and polymer/surfactant binary flooding systems in medium and low permeability reservoirs.