What are polyacrylamides (Pam)?

Polyacrylamides (PAM) are synthetic polymers available in both powder and liquid (emulsion) form (Needham & Doe, 1987; Chang, 1978; Donaldson et al., 1989). These polymers are manufactured in a variety of ways to yield a wide range of physical and chemical properties that make them candidates for many different oilfield applications.

How does polyacrylamide (PAM) work?

Polyacrylamide (PAM) can cause suspended substances to flocculate through electric neutralization and bridging adsorption. It can act as an adhesive through mechanical, physical, and chemical means.

What is polyacrylamide used for?

Polyacrylamide (PAM) is a collective term for polymers obtained by the homopolymerization or copolymerization of acrylamide monomers under the action of an initiator. It can be used as a coagulant, retention aid, sludge dewatering agent, and flocculant sedimentation agent, among other uses, and has a wide range of applications.

How polyacrylamide (PAM) is used in sewage treatment?

In sewage treatment, using polyacrylamide (PAM) can increase the recycling rate of water reuse. In petroleum extraction, polyacrylamide (PAM) is mainly used in drilling mud materials and for enhancing oil recovery, widely applied in drilling, well completion, cementing, fracturing, enhanced recovery, and other oil field extraction operations.

Does polyacrylamide thicken?

Polyacrylamide (PAM) has thickening effects under both neutral and acidic conditions, and when the pH value is above 10, polyacrylamide (PAM) is easily hydrolyzed. When presenting a semi-network structure, thickening becomes more apparent.

How does polyacrylamide (PAM) reduce drag?

Polyacrylamide (PAM) can effectively reduce the frictional resistance of fluids, and adding a small amount of polyacrylamide (PAM) to water can reduce drag by 50-80%. Polyacrylamide (PAM) has thickening effects under both neutral and acidic conditions, and when the pH value is above 10, polyacrylamide (PAM) is easily hydrolyzed.