Conformance improvement is achieved in a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation with high molecule weight water-soluble crosslinked polymer to alter the permeability of the formation during water injection. In recent years, significant efforts have been invested to design in-situ gel or preformed particle hydrogel(PPG) with multiple advance properties by using a gel system consist of a high molecular superabsorbent preformed polymer (SAP), a crosslinker capable of crosslinking the polymer along with specific additives to modify the properties between which the latter one are reported more successful in practice. However, current reported PPG systems are proven unsatisfactory mainly on either mobility during injection or plugging efficiency after packing. The biggest challenge for PPG treatment is how to balance inter-inhibitive relations in both periods. In this study, instead of modifying regular parameters during polymerization, methyl cellulose(MC) is introduced to make gel strength reversible and adjustable in varying temperatures. MC is as a typical material with thermol-reversible ability. Results show that superabsorbent nano-clay/polyacrylamide based hydrogel(SNAm) formed via methyl cellulose polymer(1.5wt%) possess significantly mechanical strength-adjustable ability to external temperature stimuli, showing varying strengths(from 600Pa for room temperature up to 1400Pa for 65°C) as temperature changes. In addition, solution polymerization is conducted to synthesize SNAm through which hydrogel properties are controlled, especially swelling ratio and thermol-sensitivity.

Self-adjustable synthetic nano-clay/polyacrylamide hydrogel system containing methyl cellulose via ammonium persulfate induced polymerization

254th National Meeting (2017)

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