A New Approach to Synthesize Modified HPAM Using Hyperbranched Star Monomer and Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

RAMSES SEGUNDO MELEÁN BRITO; AGUSTÍN IBORRA; JOANA TASQUE; MIRIAM STRUMIA; FACUNDO MATTEA; JUAN GIUSSI; JUAN MANUEL MILANESIO

Los Cocos

Conferencia; VI Iberoamerican Conference on Supercritical Fluids (PROSCIBA 2023); 2023

IPQA y Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides (HPAM) have found widespread use in the Oil & Gas industry in recent years, particularly for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) applications. Nevertheless, under high temperature and salinity conditions, often exhibit reduced efficiency.One of the challenges in selecting an appropriate HPAM lies in the degradation processes that the polymer undergoes during both its injection process and its residence time in the reservoir. Mechanical degradation occurs during injection, while thermal and biodegradation takes place while it remains in the reservoir. Additionally, the presence of salts in the formation water can lead to the precipitation of the polymer, diminishing its effectiveness and adversely affecting its viscous behavior, compromising the overall material efficiency.In response to the technological challenges described earlier, this study aims to develop a low-molecular-weight modified HPAM with associative properties, that preserves its viscosity in solution under specific temperature and salinity conditions, unlike conventional commercial polymers. Through the synthesis of a low-molecular-weight HPAM with associative properties, we have observed that viscosity is primarily driven by the interactions between its molecular chains rather than relying solely on high molecular weight. This discovery promises to mitigate the detrimental effects of mechanical and structural degradation on the effective viscosity of the polymer.To achieve these innovative modified HPAMs, we will explore two parallel synthesis pathways: polymerization in an aqueous solution controlled by iodine and precipitation polymerization controlled by iodine in supercritical CO2. Embracing an environmentally-conscious strategy, the use of supercritical CO2 serves to reduce the carbon footprint in our processes and facilitates CO2 recycling. The latter approach eliminates the need for purification and separation steps commonly found in polymerizations using organic solvents or water solutions. Instead, the CO2 purification post-synthesis process involves minor pressurization adjustments, resulting in a dry polymer free from impurities, as CO2 effectively carries away contaminants. This method fosters resource reuse and enables significant energy savings.