Patent ID: 9657216
Date: 2017-05-23
CPC Classifications: C09K,E21B

Claim:
1. A process, comprising: contacting a source water having a total dissolved solids (“TDS”) content of greater than 15,000 ppm with an ionic filter; passing a portion of the source water through the ionic filter to form treated water having a reduced TDS content relative to the source water while excluding at least a portion of the source water from passing through the ionic filter to form a brine retentate having an increased TDS content relative to the source water; mixing an ionically charged polymer and water having a TDS content of from 200 ppm to 15,000 ppm to form an aqueous polymer mixture, wherein the amount of polymer mixed with the water is selected to be sufficient to increase the viscosity of the aqueous polymer mixture relative to the isothermal viscosity of the water and wherein at least a portion of the treated water is provided as the water for mixing with the ionically charged polymer to form the aqueous polymer mixture; introducing the aqueous polymer mixture into an oil-bearing formation; producing a fluid comprised of oil, water, and the polymer from the oil-bearing formation, where the produced fluid has an oil phase and an aqueous polymer-containing phase having a TDS content; mixing a brine with at least a portion of the produced fluid, wherein the brine has a TDS content at least 5000 ppm greater than the TDS content of the aqueous polymer-containing phase of the produced fluid and wherein at least a portion of the brine retentate is provided as at least a portion of the brine for mixing with the produced fluid.