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Preparation and temperature resistance mechanism of nanoparticle-enhanced polymer gel

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Abstract

In order to solve the problem of poor stability of HPAM (partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide) gel as a plugging agent at 150 °C, this paper investigates the preparation of a polymer gel strengthened with nano-SiO2, exhibiting good thermal stability, using a low-cost, low-hydrolysis anionic polymer. The experimental results indicated that when the gel was prepared with 1 wt% HPAM, 1 wt% water-soluble phenolic resin (WSPR) as a crosslinker, and 1 wt% nano-SiO2 as a stabilizer, the dehydration rate of the gel was less than 5 wt% after 180 days of aging at 150 °C. In order to identify the stability mechanism of nano-SiO2-strengthened polymer gel, we conducted rheological tests, Cryo-SEM analysis, Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis on the polymer gel before and after adding nanoparticles. The methods described in the study demonstrate the excellent long-term thermal stability of the polymer gel strengthened with nano-SiO2 from both chemical bonding and microscopic perspectives. The results of rheological experiments indicated that the addition of nanoparticles improved the yield stress and long-term thermal stability of the gel. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) microstructure analysis confirmed that the addition of nanoparticles resulted in high-density cavities between the microscopic network structures of the gel. This facilitated the trapping of a significant amount of free water and the formation of a stable spatial mechanical support structure, ultimately enhancing the macro-mechanical strength of the gel. Additionally, FTIR and NMR experiments demonstrated that the nanoparticles effectively inhibited the hydrolysis of amide groups to carboxylate, thereby significantly preventing the high-temperature degradation of the gel and maintaining its strength after prolonged aging.

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Funding

This work was conducted with financial support by the Major Scientific and Technological Project of China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC, China) under the Grant ZD 2019-183-007.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Shandong Key Laboratory of Oilfield Chemistry, School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, 266580, China

    Mingjia Liu, Jijiang Ge, Guicai Zhang, Ping Jiang, Haihua Pei, Weixiong Chen & Jiasu Li

  2. Engineering Technology Research Institute of Xinjiang Oilfield Company, PETROCHINA, Karamay, Xinjiang, 834000, China

    Meijie Wang & Dengya Chen

Authors
  1. Mingjia Liu
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  2. Jijiang Ge
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  3. Guicai Zhang
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  4. Meijie Wang
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  6. Ping Jiang
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  7. Haihua Pei
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  9. Jiasu Li
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Contributions

Mingjia Liu: conceptualization, methodology, formal analysis, investigation, data curation, software, and writing—original draft. Jijiang Ge: conceptualization, formal analysis, data curation, investigation, methodology, funding acquisition, project administration, resources, visualization, and writing—review and editing. Guicai Zhang: conceptualization, project administration, and resources. Meijie Wang: data curation and formal analysis. Dengya Chen: data curation. Ping Jiang: investigation. Haihua Pei: data curation. Weixiong Chen: investigation. Jiasu Li: methodology.

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Correspondence to Jijiang Ge.

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Liu, M., Ge, J., Zhang, G. et al. Preparation and temperature resistance mechanism of nanoparticle-enhanced polymer gel. Colloid Polym Sci (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00396-024-05253-y

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