New Insights into the Migration Characteristics of Polymer Systems in Porous Media

Knowledge of the migration characteristics of polymer systems in pore throats is essential for the effective application of polymers as a profile-control oil-displacement agent for enhanced oil recovery. In this study, the effect of concentration on the viscosity and hydrodynamic radius of polymer systems was investigated using a rheometer and a dynamic light scattering instrument. Furthermore, pore-throat models, homogeneous cores, and multi-measuring-point sand-packed models were constructed to investigate pore-scale migration patterns and the effect of the throat-polymer ratio (defined as the ratio of throat size to polymer hydrodynamic radius) on the migration properties of polymers in porous media. The results showed that the transport of polymer systems in porous media is primarily related to the throat-polymer ratio. When this ratio is sufficiently small (i.e., no more than 18.94), the migration pattern of the polymer systems in the pore-throat model does not exhibit the characteristics of polymer solution flow, but rather, of discontinuous-dispersion retention, plugging-breakthrough migration, and stable-plugging retention. Upon increasing the injection rate, the polymer systems also exhibit the migration characteristics of discontinuous dispersion at a larger throat-polymer ratio. Moreover, polymer system migration resistance and improved sweep efficiency in porous media are influenced by not only the viscosity of polymer systems, but also the throat-polymer ratio. The smaller the throat-polymer ratio, the stronger the retention and plugging ability of the polymer systems. The outcomes of this study are significant for the design of polymer flooding operations in oilfields.