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Synthesis of Hydrogels with Antifouling Properties As Membranes for Water Purification
Published on: April 7, 2017
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Brine-Soluble Zwitterionic Copolymers with Tunable Adsorption on Rocks.
Yuan He1, Haleema Alamri1,2, Mohammed Kawelah3
1Department of Chemistry and Institute for Soldier Nanotechnologies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|March 10, 2020
Summary
Researchers developed novel zwitterionic copolymers for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). One copolymer demonstrated minimal adsorption on limestone, addressing a key challenge in polymer flooding for efficient oil extraction.
Area of Science:
- Petroleum Engineering
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
Background:
- Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using aqueous fluid injection is crucial in petroleum engineering.
- Viscous polymer solutions enhance volumetric sweep efficiency in EOR.
- Significant polymer adsorption on reservoir rock is a major limitation in polymer-flooding EOR.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize and characterize zwitterionic copolymers for improved EOR.
- To investigate the static adsorption behavior of these copolymers on limestone surfaces.
- To identify polymers with reduced adsorption for effective polymer-flooding applications.
Main Methods:
- Synthesis and characterization of five zwitterionic copolymers.
- Static adsorption studies on limestone surfaces.
- Experiments conducted in synthetic seawater under high temperature and salinity conditions.
Main Results:
- Polymer adsorption was found to correlate with the percentage of functional co-monomers on the polymer backbone.
- One synthesized zwitterionic copolymer exhibited negligible static adsorption on limestone.
- The findings provide insights into designing polymers for reduced reservoir rock interaction.
Conclusions:
- Zwitterionic copolymers show promise for overcoming polymer adsorption challenges in EOR.
- Careful selection of co-monomers can minimize polymer loss on reservoir surfaces.
- The developed copolymer with negligible adsorption is a significant advancement for polymer-flooding EOR.
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