Are polyacrylamide based friction reducers a slickwater hydraulic fracturing fluid?

Technol. 2018, 52, 1, 327–336 Polyacrylamide (PAM) based friction reducers are a primary ingredient of slickwater hydraulic fracturing fluids. Little is known regarding the fate of these polymers under downhole conditions, which could have important environmental impacts including decisions on strategies for reuse or treatment of flowback water.

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.

Does shale fracturing cause oxidative degradation of Pam?

The shale sample adsorbed some PAM (∼30%), but importantly it catalyzed the chemical degradation of PAM, likely due to dissolution of Fe 2+ at low pH. These results provide the first evidence of radical-induced degradation of PAM under HPT hydraulic fracturing conditions without additional oxidative breaker.

Does polyacrylamide reduce calcite?

Polyacrylamide polymer is a common friction reducer in hydraulic fracturing fluids. The aggregation of calcite powders is induced by polyacrylamide polymer. Non-ionic polyacrylamide polymer retards calcite dissolution.

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 ).