Synthesis and optimization of bentonite enforced poly (acrylamide/co- sodium dodecylbenzensulfonate) preformed particle gels for conformance control in high salinity reservoirs

Water production in the matured oil reservoir is a big concern to the petroleum industry because of increased oil production costs and water discharge problems. In the present study, Poly (Acrylamide/Co- Sodium dodecylbenzene sulfonate (SDBS)) preformed particle gels (PPG) was synthesized, characterized, and evaluated as a conformance control agent for the high-temperature and high-salinity conditions. The rheological properties, along with the chemical and thermal stability of the synthesized PPGs were enhanced through optimization by integrating new functional groups (SDBS) into their structure to resist as high as 10% salinity and 100 °C. A succession of 16 experiments with varying amounts of acrylamide, SDBS and bentonite concentrations were conducted to obtain the optimum composition to yield the best PPG. The results showed improved swelling ratio, gel strength, rheological properties and thermal stability of the PPGs synthesized. A Delay in degradation of bentonite impregnated PPGs was observed from 37 days to 120 days @100 °C, whereas the increase in water residual resistance factor was 184.6%. The use of low-cost bentonite clay as a new material, in place of costly nanoparticles in nano-PPG, would like to reduce to cost of effective water shutoff to reduce water production.