What is a friction reducer (polyacrylamide)?

Due to the large volumes of water used, a friction reducer (polyacrylamide) is added to the fluid package to reduce the pumping energy required for the operation. The presence of the friction-reducing polymer (polyacrylamide) can reduce the friction loss and required pressures by as much as 60%.

Can polyacrylamide friction reducers be used in slickwater fracturing?

Carman, P. S., Cawiezel, K. E. & Co, B. J. S. Successful breaker optimization for polyacrylamide friction reducers used in slickwater fracturing. In SPE Hydraulic Fracturing Technology Conference. (Society of Petroleum Engineers, Richardson, TX, 2007).

Does friction reducer (polyacrylamide) influence calcite dissolution (pore generation)?

This study is more about rate comparison between with or without PAM, and thus provides key information on friction reducer (polyacrylamide) influenced calcite dissolution (pore generation) and benefits the design of hydraulic fracturing fluids.

How to develop polyacrylamide inverse emulsion friction reducers?

Probably, the most critical factor in developing polyacrylamide inverse emulsion friction reducers is the quality of the water used in the operation. The simplest situation consists of the use of freshwater for the make down of the friction reducer. In these situations, off-the-shelf emulsion products can be used.

What type of friction reducer is used in hydraulic fracturing?

In hydraulic fracturing fluids, high molecular weight (normally over 10 6 Da) polyacrylamide (PAM) (long chain polymer, linear structure) is the most commonly applied friction reducer with high water solubility and good thermal stability ( Xiong et al., 2018a; Yang et al., 2019 ).

Can friction reducer polymer reduce turbulent friction drag?

Friction reducer polymer can decrease the turbulent friction drag by avoiding the formation of a vortex ( Sun et al., 2014 ), thus decreasing friction and promoting laminar flow ( Motiee et al., 2016; Yang et al., 2019 ).