Preparation, Characterization, and Performance of a Modified Polyacrylamide-Sericite Gel

Area of Science:

• Petroleum Engineering
• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry

Background:

• Chemical plugging agents are crucial for oilfield development.
• Existing agents face limitations in blocking capacity and erosion resistance.
• Reducing well moisture content is key to improving oil recovery efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a modified chemical plugging agent with enhanced performance.
• To investigate the optimal conditions for preparing a polyacrylamide-sericite (PAM-sericite) gel.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of the PAM-sericite gel in reducing well moisture and improving oilfield operations.

Main Methods:

• Preparation of PAM-sericite composite gel under varying conditions.
• Optimization of polymerization temperature, crosslinker, initiator, acrylamide, and sericite concentrations.
• Characterization of the PAM-sericite gel's physical properties and performance metrics.

Main Results:

• Optimal preparation involved a polymerization temperature of 60 °C, 0.5% crosslinker, 0.75% initiator, 10.0% acrylamide, and 10.0% sericite.
• PAM-sericite gel exhibited a compact, firm structure with a smoother surface.
• Achieved a blocking ratio of up to 99.5%, with 63.5% increase in failure stress and 51.2% increase in water swelling degree.

Conclusions:

• The developed PAM-sericite gel significantly improves blocking capacity and erosion resistance.
• Enhanced stability against salt solutions and insensitivity to particle size were observed.
• This modified gel offers a promising solution for reducing well moisture and boosting oilfield development efficiency.