Comparative Study of Physical Properties of In-Use Surfactant-Grafted Polyacrylamides for Oilfield

Abstract

Surfactant-grafted Polyacrylamide (S-PAM), as a new type of oil displacement agent in oilfield, integrates the advantages of both polymer and surfactant. The oil displacement experiments using S-PAM in multi-blocks reveal that in-use S-PAMs differ greatly from ordinary polymers and the physical properties remain unclear. This is unfavorable to production application and occupational health and safety. This research compared the physical properties of S-PAMs selected from two producing area, including specific gravity, particle size and viscosity. The compared results showed that specific gravity of Lianhua S-PAM was smaller than Haibo S-PAM; Lianhua S-PAM and Haibo S-PAM accounted for the 93.8% and 80.1% of the total amount via the particles with 40 mesh and 60 mesh; the viscosity of Lianhua S-PAM was higher than that of Haibo S-PAM in two S-PAM solutions with different concentrations.