Which polymers are used in oil fields?

Polymers, such as partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), are widely used in oil fields to enhance or improve the recovery of crude oil from the reservoirs. It works by increasing the viscosity of the injected water, thus improving its mobility and oil recovery.

Should we use PAM & HPAM as an EOR method?

Although the usage of PAM and HPAM as an EOR method resulted in increasing the production of oil considerably to overcome the current energy crisis, it is adverse environmental and health issues suggested searching for other eco-friendly alternative polymers.

Does enhanced oil recovery polymer promote microbial growth and accelerated corrosion?

Jia, Ru., Yang, D., Rahman, H. B. A., & Tingyue, Gu. (2018). An enhanced oil recovery polymer promoted microbial growth and accelerated microbiologically influenced corrosion against carbon steel.

What types of polymers are used for EOR?

The main types of polymers frequently used for EOR are, microbial xanthan gum and synthetic chemicals — polyacrylamide (PAM) and partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) (Al-Sabahi et al., 2018; Braun et al., 2022; Martin et al., 1983; Xue et al., 2022).

Are polyacrylamide-degrading bacterial strains isolated from soil?

Two polyacrylamide-degrading bacterial strains were isolated from soil, Bacillus sphaericus and Acinetobacter sp., utilizing 16–19% polyacrylamide after 14 days of cultivation (Matsuoka et al., 2002).

Which polymer is used to produce partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM)?

PAM is used to produce partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), which is linear, anionic, water-soluble, stable, polymeric, and high molecular weight chain of acrylamide (C 3 H 5 NO) monomers (Bao et al., 2010; Braun et al., 2022; Liu et al., 2016; Xiong et al., 2018).