DSC investigation of the gelation kinetics of emulsified PAM/PEI system: Influence of surfactants and retarders

Abstract

Water production in the oilfields has a negative impact on the production and economy. It is highly desired to shut off water paths without affecting the hydrocarbon zones. Polymer gels are frequently used for water control in oil and gas wells. However, a risk will be taken, which is blocking the oil-producing zones alongside the water zones. Hence, a selective system is proposed, which is based on emulsified polymer gel that contains a water phase which will form a gel, and an oil phase remains mobile to secure the flow of oil. The gels formed in situ by breaking up of an emulsified gel made of an oil phase and an aqueous water-soluble polymers (gelant). Breaking of the emulsion and the subsequent gelation is a function of temperature, time, salinity of mixing water, and concentration of the various components, including surfactants and salts. The gelant was prepared by mixing polyacrylamide (PAM) with a mixing brine and then adding polyethylenimine (PEI) as a cross-linker. Diesel and a surfactant were used to form the emulsified gel. In this study, differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) is utilized to study the emulsified gel reaction kinetics for the first time. The rate of increase in temperature and the final temperature used in DSC were chosen to approximate (mimic) the field injection conditions. The impact of parameters such as temperature, water salinity, surfactant, and retarder type on gelation is investigated to compare the kinetics of the polymeric gels and their emulsified forms. At a given emulsifier concentration, emulsified PAM/PEI has a lower rate of cross-linking (gelation) when compared to that of PAM/PEI. This is most likely due to less heat conducted to the gelant. As a result, the cross-linking density will be less. Ammonium chloride is found to be more efficient than sodium chloride in retarding the gelation process. The type of surfactant is an additional parameter which can be used to control gelation in emulsified gel systems.