Title: Modelling of polymer retention during low concentrated HPAM polymer flooding in the heterogeneous reservoirs

Authors: ByungIn Choi; KyungWan Yu; Kun Sang Lee

Addresses: Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Korea ' Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Korea ' Natural Resources and Environmental Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 133-791, Korea

Abstract: The polymer retention has been regarded as one of the major concerns in the operating process. The polymer retention includes adsorption, mechanical entrapment, and hydrodynamic retention. Retention by mechanical entrapment occurs when large polymer molecules become lodged in narrow flow channels. A number of studies found that considerable amounts of emulsions are retained at junctions between two different permeability zones, with maximum retention at the front portion of the low permeability zone. Large permeability reductions are also found. These papers imply the strong dependence of retention on the permeability. In addition, researches associated with polymer flooding have identified the characteristic of polymer retention. Overall, polymer retention is attributed to both adsorption onto surfaces and entrapment within small pores. Adsorbed polymers induce greater resistance to flow in low-permeability layers than in high-permeability layers, although the radius of penetration is greater for high-permeability layers. Traditionally, retention has been modelled as only adsorption using Langmuir's adsorption model, even though macromolecules are retained in different locations within pore spaces. Therefore, the model of polymer retention needs to be modified with respect to pore size, which is strongly related to permeability. [Received: February 25, 2014; Accepted: January 14, 2015]

Keywords: mathematical modelling; numerical simulation; HPAM polymer flooding; polymer retention; mechanical entrapment; polymer adsorption; hydrolyzed polyacrylamide; heterogeneous reservoirs; hydrodynamic retention; permeability zones; pore size; enhanced oil recovery; EOR.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOGCT.2016.074771

International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 2016 Vol.11 No.3, pp.249 - 263

Received: 05 Mar 2014
Accepted: 14 Jan 2015
Published online: 17 Feb 2016 *

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