Aqueous hybrids of amino-functionalized nanosilica and acrylamide-based polymer for enhanced oil recovery

Abstract

Amino-functionalized nanosilica (ANS) was prepared using nanosilica (NS) and 3aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTES) aiming to reinforce the interaction between nanoparticles and polymer molecules. The copolymer of acrylamide, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propane sulfonic acid (PM), and four ANS samples with different NS to APTES ratios were synthesized. A series of nanoparticle/polymer hybrid systems were fabricated by introducing NS or ANS suspension into PM aqueous solution. The rheological properties and surface activities of these hybrid systems were studied in comparison with PM. The results indicate that the salt-tolerance and heat-resistance properties of PM solution were improved by the introduction of ANS particles. Moreover, the structures of ANS samples have a significant effect on the effectiveness of the nanoparticles due to the fact that the amine group density on the ANS surface can affect the strength of intermolecular interaction between nanoparticles and polymer molecules. Additionally, the better ability of the ANS sample with proper amine group density showed in reducing the oil/water interfacial tension over NS and other ANS samples made it a more promising chemical for enhancing oil recovery. The results from core flooding tests show that the PM/ANS system has the greatest oil recovery factor (16.30%), while the values for PM/NS and PM are 10.84% and 6.00%, respectively.

Rheological response of a modified polyacrylamide–silica nanoparticles hybrid at high salinity and temperature

“…Hu et al 36 observed that the addition of silica NPs considerably increases the HPAM viscosity at salinities up to 8 wt% NaCl and temperatures up to 80 1C. Cao et al 37 indicated that the salt-tolerance and heat-resistance properties of a solution containing copolymer of acrylamide and AMPS were improved by the addition of amino-functionalised silica NPs in brines containing up to 8 wt% NaCl and 0.12 wt% CaCl 2 at 70 1C. The strong interaction between silica NPs and polymer is chiefly ascribed to hydrogen bonds between the functional groups on polymer molecules including hydroxyl, amide and carboxylate groups and the silanol groups on the surface of NPs.…”

“…The strong interaction between silica NPs and polymer is chiefly ascribed to hydrogen bonds between the functional groups on polymer molecules including hydroxyl, amide and carboxylate groups and the silanol groups on the surface of NPs. 34,[36][37][38] The above solutions suffer from several limitations: (a) polymer-NPs hybrids were not investigated for salinities higher than 8.4 wt% which are typical in various industrial processes (b) insufficient information was provided on colloidal stability at high salinity conditions and (c) the role of the polymer concentration, from dilute to semi-dilute regimes, on the rheological response of hybrids was not discussed. To address the limitations of current approaches, we propose a polymer-NPs hybrid system based on the hydrophobichydrophobic interaction.…”

Design and characterization of oil-in-water nanoemulsion for enhanced oil recovery stabilized by amphiphilic copolymer, nonionic surfactant, and LAPONITE® RD

“…[15][16][17][18] The performance of polymer and nanoparticle mixing systems obtained by polymerization or blending can be improved by increasing the viscosity, temperature tolerance, and salt resistance. [19][20][21][22] Layered nanoparticles, including nanoclay 23,24 and grapheme oxide, 25,26 have also been used in EOR.…”

The New Approach to the Preparation of Polyacrylamide-Based Hydrogels: Initiation of Polymerization of Acrylamide with 1,3-Dimethylimidazolium (Phosphonooxy-)Oligosulphanide under Drying Aqueous Solutions

“…Linear and crosslinked polyacrylamide, as well as acrylamide copolymers, are of significant applied interest and are used in water treatment [ 1 , 2 , 3 ], enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technologies [ 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ], stabilization of nanoparticles [ 7 , 8 , 9 ], electrophoresis-induced separation and purification of substances [ 10 ], and adsorption removal of Pb 2+ ions from aqueous solutions [ 11 ]. The biocompatibility and hydrophilicity of polyacrylamide have ensured its wide application in biomedical fields [ 12 ], including in systems of pharmacologically active substance delivery [ 13 ] and the binding of toxins [ 14 ].…”