Injectivity and Propagation of Sulfonated Acrylamide-Based Copolymers in Low Permeability Carbonate Reservoir Cores in Harsh Salinity and Temperature Conditions : Challenges and Learnings from a Middle East Onshore Case Study
Authors: Gaillard Nicolas , Olivaud Matthieu , Zaitoun Alain , Ould-Metidji Mahmoud , Dupuis Guillaume , Jouenne Stéphane , AlSumaiti Ali M. , Masalmeh Shehadeh 
Published: December 2021

Polymer flooding is one of the most mature EOR technology applied successfully in a broad range of reservoir conditions. The last developments made in polymer chemistries allowed pushing the boundaries of applicability towards higher temperature and salinity carbonate reservoirs. Specifically designed sulfonated acrylamide-based copolymers (SPAM) have been proven to be stable for more than one year at 120°C and are the best candidates to comply with Middle East carbonate reservoir conditions. Numerous studies have shown good injectivity and propagation properties of SPAM in carbonate cores with permeabilities ranging from 70 to 150 mD in presence of oil. This study aims at providing new insights on the propagation of SPAM in carbonate reservoir cores having permeabilities ranging between 10 and 40 mD.

Polymer screening was performed in the conditions of ADNOC onshore carbonate reservoir using a 260 g/L TDS synthetic formation brine together with oil and core material from the reservoir. All the experiments were performed at residual oil saturation (Sor). The experimental approach aimed at reproducing the transport of the polymer entering the reservoir from the sand face up to a certain depth. Three reservoir coreflood experiments were performed in series at increasing temperatures and decreasing rates to mimic the progression of the polymer in the reservoir with a radial velocity profile. A polymer solution at 2000 ppm was injected in the first core at 100 mL/h and 40°C. Effluents were collected and injected in the second core at 20 mL/h and 70°C. Effluents were collected again and injected in the third core at 4 mL/h and 120°C. A further innovative approach using reservoir minicores (6 mm length disks) was also implemented to screen the impact of different parameters such as Sor, molecular weight and prefiltration step on the injectivity of the polymer solutions.

According to minicores data, shearing of the polymer should help to ensure good propagation and avoid pressure build-up at the core inlet. This result was confirmed through an injection in a larger core at Sor and at 120°C. When comparing the injection of sheared and unsheared polymer at the same concentration, core inlet impairment was suppressed with the sheared polymer and the same range of mobility reduction (Rm) was achieved in the internal section of the core although viscosity was lower for the sheared polymer. Such result indicates that shearing is an efficient way to improve injectivity while maximizing the mobility reduction by suppressing the loss of product by filtration/retention at the core inlet.

This paper gives new insights concerning SPAM rheology in low permeability carbonate cores. Additionally, it provides an innovative and easier approach for screening polymer solutions to anticipate their propagation in more advanced coreflooding experiments.