Dilute Polymer Solutions in Extensional Flow Through Porous Media

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

11-28-2000

Department

Polymers and High Performance Materials

Abstract

Extensional flow encountered by polymers used in reservoir flooding for EOR has been studied on a lab scale using flow through a series of 0.5 inch diameter woven mesh nylon screens. Dilute polymer solutions have been used as mobility control agents in EOR because of the high viscosity resulting from solutions undergoing extension. Polymer chemical composition, solvent quality, and molecular weight were found to affect extensional performance. A yield stress was measured for many of the polymers examined in this study indicating that not all polymers undergo extension at the low flow rates typical of EOR.

Publication Title

ACS Symposium Series

Volume

780

First Page

310

Last Page

325

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