High-viscosity α-starch nanogel particles to enhance oil recovery.

The formation of dominant water channels is a serious problem for most oilfields, which results in low sweep efficiency. Recently, gels regarded as materials for the conformance improvement of water have attracted significant attention for increasing the sweep efficiency in many reservoirs suffering from water invasion but no effect on oil displacement efficiency. Nanogel particles possessing synergic properties that increase sweep efficiency and oil displacement efficiency have not been previously reported. Herein, economical high-viscosity α-starch nanogel particles were synthesized through a free radical reaction to play the synergistic role of gel and nanoparticles. The average diameter of the nanogel particles was 30 nm with a dispersion viscosity of 250 mPa s at 90 °C. A linear formula describing the relationship among the nanogel particle dispersion viscosity, temperature and concentration was also perfectly fitted. Core flooding experiments have demonstrated that both light and heavy oil recovery rates reached around 30%. The EOR mechanisms and flow behaviors of the nanogel particles were revealed through 2-D visualized model experiments under different conditions. On the one hand, nanogel particles could displace oil droplets from the rock surface due to the creation of the structural disjoining pressure. On the other hand, nanogel particle dispersion with high viscosity could increase the sweep efficiency and drag oil clusters out of the oil phase. Therefore, nanogel particles could be regarded as a potential candidate for enhancing oil recovery.
Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing financial interest.
(This journal is © The Royal Society of Chemistry.)