Polyacrylamide and its derivatives for oil recovery

Part A 41(6) (2004) 587-611. 

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III. Temperature-sensitive polyacrylamide microgels and pore modeled oil recovery 
performance 
Zun Chen,
1
Thomas P. Schuman,
1
Jiaming Geng,
2
and Baojun Bai
2
1 
Department of Chemistry, Missouri University of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO 
65401 
2 
Department of Petroleum Engineering, Missouri University of Science and 
Technology, Rolla, MO 65401 
Correspondence to: Thomas P. Schuman (E-mail: [e-mail]) 
ABSTRACT 
Polymer gel treatments can be a cost-effective method to improve sweep 
efficiency and reduce water production during oil recovery operations. In this paper, a 
novel suspension polymerization method was developed to synthesize a temperature-
sensitive microgel. Compared to conventional methods, the microgel was prepared 
above the melting point of the monomer in a non-polar solvent without water. Dry 
microspheres were obtained which can be readily used without post-treatment. Two 
different crosslinkers were employed in the suspension polymerization synthesis to give 
the particles thermally responsive aqueous swelling properties. After entering target pore 
channels, gel particles can expand to desired sizes to realize flow profile changes within 
in a reservoir formation. When dispersed into water under lower temperatures (ambient to 
40 º
C), the original dry particles can swell about 18 times their original size. Exposure to 

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a harsher environment (e.g., 80 º
C) resulted in cleavage of the labile crosslinking agent 
and some chain cleavage with further size expansion. A Millipore film filtration model 
system was adopted to evaluate pore occlusion performance of the gel particles. It was 
found that the nuclear pores were effectively sealed by swollen microgels when gel 
particle size were similar to or smaller than the membrane pores and pore separation. Gel 
particles which are much larger than the pore size did not produce effective occlusion of 
filtrate flow due to steric hindrance.