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.

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).

How is partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide wastewater treated?

Yongrui, Pi., Zheng, Z., Bao, M., Li, Y., Zhou, Y., & Sang, G. (2015). Treatment of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide wastewater by combined fenton oxidation and anaerobic biological processes.

Why is polymer flooding important for the chemical EOR?

Polymer flooding also creates a high-viscosity solution to control the mobility of the displacement process (Torrealba and Hoteit 2019). Therefore, the study of polymer flooding is important for the chemical EOR.

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).

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.