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Updated: Feb 7, 2026

Enhanced Oil Recovery using a Combination of Biosurfactants
Published on: June 3, 2022
Star-Like Branched Polyacrylamides by RAFT polymerization, Part II: Performance Evaluation in Enhanced Oil Recovery
Benjamin Klemm1, Francesco Picchioni1,2, Patrizio Raffa1
1Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Groningen, Nijenborgh 4, 9747 AG Groningen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
In the present study the performance of a series of star-like branched polyacrylamides (SB-PAMs) has been investigated in oil recovery experiments to ultimately determine their suitability as novel thickening agent for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications. Hereby, SB-PAMs were compared with conventional linear PAM. The effect of a branched molecular architecture on rheology, and consequently on oil recovery was discussed. Rheological measurements identified unique properties for the SB-PAMs, as those showed higher robustness under shear and higher salt tolerance than their linear analogues. EOR performance was evaluated by simulating oil recovery in two-dimensional flow-cell measurements, showing that SB-PAMs perform approximately 3-5 times better than their linear analogues with similar molecular weight. The salinity did not influence the solution viscosity of the SB-PAM, contrarily to what happens for partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM). Therefore, SB-PAMs are more resilient under harsh reservoir conditions, which can make them attractive for EOR applications.
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