The optimum synergistic effect of amphiphilic polymers and the stabilization mechanism of a crude oil emulsion.

The amphiphilic polymers (APs) possess both thickening and emulsifying properties that were optimized by the combination of different APs. The properties and synergistic mechanisms of the combination system, consisting of HAP-L and HAP-S, were studied and optimized according to their proportion at various concentrations, temperatures, salinities, and shear rates. Furthermore, various methods were applied to study the emulsification properties of the combination system. The results show that the viscosity, salt resistance, temperature resistance, and shear resistance of the combination system are greatly improved. It is noteworthy that the combined system displays the optimized properties when the mass ratio of HAP-S and HAP-L is 3:2. Under that circumstance, the emulsions also turn to be more stable and display more uniform particle distribution. After combination, more hydrophobic groups participate in the intermolecular association, and the structure of the network is enhanced. Therefore, a combination of various APs can be used as an effective approach to improve the viscosity and emulsification capability of APs for oil recovery. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]