A New Empirical Model for Viscosity of Sulfonated Polyacrylamide Polymers

Area of Science:

• Polymer Chemistry
• Petroleum Engineering
• Rheology

Background:

• Sulfonated polyacrylamide (SPAM) copolymers are effective for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) via polymer flooding.
• Understanding SPAM solution viscosity is critical for optimizing EOR performance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop an empirical model for SPAM bulk viscosity.
• To investigate the influence of polymer characteristics, reservoir conditions, and operational variables on viscosity.
• To provide a tool for optimizing polymer flooding and predicting rheological data.

Main Methods:

• Design of Experiments (DOE) using Box-Behnken construct from Response Surface Methodology (RSM).
• 120 experimental runs for rheological data collection.
• Non-linear regression analysis and Sobol sensitivity analysis.

Main Results:

• An acceptable viscosity model was constructed with an Adjusted R-Squared value of 0.9624.
• Polymer concentration was identified as the most significant factor influencing viscosity.
• Significant interactions were found between various process parameters.

Conclusions:

• The developed empirical model accurately predicts SPAM solution viscosity.
• The model is suitable for optimizing polymer solution properties in polymer flooding.
• The model aids in predicting rheological data for polymer flood simulators.