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Rheological properties of nanocomposite hydrogels containing aluminum and zinc oxides with potential application for conformance control

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Abstract

Polymer hydrogels are a promising category of materials for conformance control of oil reservoirs. One of the main difficulties of this application is the severe temperature and salinity of many reservoirs. Nanotechnology is an alternative to improve the performance of gels, by enabling the insertion of reinforcement fillers in their composition, enhancing rheological properties, e.g., tan(delta) measurements. This study evaluated the properties of hydrogels based on partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), with different molar masses, crosslinked with polyethyleneimine (PEI), with or without aluminum or zinc oxide. For simulation of one real reservoir characteristic, gelling systems were prepared with synthetic brine containing 29.940 mg/L of total dissolved solids (TDS) and aged at a temperature of 70 °C. The concentrations of 5000 mg/L of HPAM and 2200 mg/L of PEI were chosen to obtain nanocomposite hydrogels containing 50, 100, or 200 mg/L of oxides. The hydrogels were evaluated by means of the gel strength code, rheological tests, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The results indicated that the best rheological properties were obtained by the nanocomposite hydrogels when compared to conventional hydrogels when aged at 70 °C. The viscous modulus/elastic modulus ratio (G″/G′) and tan(delta) factor indicated that the decrease of the elastic component began after 7 days for the conventional hydrogels and after 15 days for the nanocomposite hydrogels. The best filler concentration was 200 mg/L according to the tan(delta) values. The micrographs confirmed the presence of metal oxide particles in the polymer matrix, which possibly contributed to strengthening the structure of these materials.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPQ), by Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), and by Fundação Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Instituto de Macromoléculas/Laboratório de Macromoleculas E Coloides Na Indústria de Petróleo, Cidade Universitária – Rua Moniz Aragão, Bloco, 8G-CT2, CEP 21941-594, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, 360, Brazil

    Kaique A. B. Pereira, Priscila F. Oliveira, Isabella Chaves & Claudia R. E. Mansur

  2. Leopoldo Américo Miguez de Mello Research, Development Center (Cenpes), Petrobras S.A, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil

    Lucas G. Pedroni & Leonardo A. Oliveira

  3. Programa de Engenharia Metalúrgica E de Materiais-PEMM/COPPE, Universidade Federal Do Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    Claudia R. E. Mansur

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  1. Kaique A. B. Pereira
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Correspondence to Claudia R. E. Mansur.

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Pereira, K.A.B., Oliveira, P.F., Chaves, I. et al. Rheological properties of nanocomposite hydrogels containing aluminum and zinc oxides with potential application for conformance control. Colloid Polym Sci 300, 609–624 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-022-04978-y

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