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Efficacy of Synthetic Hydrophobic Associative Tetrapolymers for Improved Recovery of Viscous Oil in Sandpack Model

Robert Dery Nagre1, Prince Appiah Owusu2, Sampson Kofi Kyei1, Johannes Ami3, Isaac Kwasi Frimpong1
Affiliation: 
1 Department of Chemical Engineering, Kumasi Technical University, Kumasi, Ghana 2 Department of Civil Engineering, Kumasi Technical University, Kumasi, Ghana 3 Department of Chemical and Petrochemical Engineering, University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana robert.dnagre@kstu.edu.gh
DOI: 
https://doi.org/
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Keywords:

Abstract: 
This study examined the suitability of hydrophobic associative tetrapolymers (HATs) for enhanced oil recovery through sandpack flooding. Two novel hydrophobic associative tetrapolymers, herein designated as HAT-1 and HAT-2 were synthesised via free radical polymerisation and the structures were confirmed by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H NMR). HAT-1 composed of acrylamide - hydroxyethyl methacrylate - N- vinyl pyrrolidone - N,N-dimethyl acrylamide and HAT-2 consisted of acrylamide - sodium 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulphonate - diallyldimethylammonium chloride - lauryl methacrylate. Comparative tests were carried out under laboratory conditions on the oil displacement efficiencies of the two HAT polymers. The incremental oil recovered using polymer HAT-1 and HAT-2 injection after water flooding were 33.7% and 36.2%, respectively. Combining the oil recovered from water flooding followed by polymer flooding both scenarios, the cumulative recovered using HAT-2, 83.3 % was relatively higher than that of HAT-1, 74.4%. These values are relatively high from the economic perspective. Based on brine viscosity enhancement, mobility ratio reduction and additional oil recovery, HAT-2 polymer exhibited a relatively higher potential to improve oil recovery for reservoirs with characteristics similar to the experimental conditions for this work.
References: 

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