Study of deep profile control and oil displacement technologies with nanoscale polymer microspheres

Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dynamic lighting scattering (DLS) and HAAKE rheometer experiments were adopted to investigate the shape, size and rheological properties of nanoscale polymer microspheres. Moreover, nuclear-pore film filtration, sand packed tube displacement, core displacement, micro-visual model and capillary flow experiments were used to study the mechanisms of deep profile control and oil displacement of nanoscale polymer microspheres. The results demonstrated that the original shape of the nanoscale polymer microspheres were typically spherical, ranging in size from 30 to 60 nm. When the microspheres were dispersed in water, their size increased by 3-6 times due to swelling and a poly-dispersed system appeared; however, the spherical conformation remained. Within a certain range of shear rates, a 100-900 mg/L microsphere dispersed system exhibited shear thickening behaviour, making it favourable for increasing the flow resistance of a displacement fluid. These polymer microspheres dispersed systems exhibited effective plugging on a nuclear pore film with 0.4-μm pores with deep plugging in the core; these systems also tended to plug the high permeability layer and drive crude oil from the low permeability layer in parallel sand packed tubes. Cross-linked polymer microspheres could reduce water permeability because the microspheres adsorbed, accumulated and bridged in the pore-throat, and the adsorbed layers would be collapsed under the pressure, entering deep into the reservoir due to the good deformation properties of the microspheres. Meanwhile these microspheres would drive crude oil on and in the pores/throats while they are transported in porous media, achieving deep profile control and oil displacement with the ultimate purpose of improving oil recovery.