Development of a High-Strength and Adhesive Polyacrylamide Gel for Well Plugging

Addition of melamine formaldehyde (MF) as a crosslinker containing hydroxymethyl to partially hydrolyzed poly(acrylamide) (HPAM) generated covalently crosslinked in situ gels through chemically nucleophilic attack by hydroxymethyl groups to amide in an HPAM backbone, which was demonstrated by FTIR spectrum analysis and rheological studies. NH₄Cl could act as a catalyst to reduce the gelation time from 7 days in dilute water to 8 h in the presence of 0.8 wt % NH₄Cl. Compared to high-temperature HPAM/phenol/formaldehyde and HPAM/Cr³⁺ gel systems, this gel has better adhesion and higher strength over a broad range of temperature from 60 to 100 °C under reservoir conditions with a denser and hook-like three-dimensional microstructure. Pressure-bearing capacity experiments demonstrated that the gel could efficiently plug high pressure from underneath to seal the wellbore, attributing to its high strength and good adhesion. This study could aid petroleum engineers in applying soft materials on controlling the pressure via polymer gels.