Pseudo gemini surfactant fracturing fluid with dual function of fracturing and oil flooding for enhanced oil recovery

The flow back treatment after the completion of hydraulic fracturing leads to inevitable formation damage and economic losses. Herein, a Pseudo gemini surfactant (5-SSIPA/EA) was formed by the assembly of Erucamidopropyl dimethylamine (EA) and 5-sulfoisophthalic acid (5-SSIPA). 5-SSIPA/EA exhibited high viscoelasticity in aqueous solution and suggested oil-induced gel-breaking behavior, which features the dual functions of fracturing and oil flooding. 5-SSIPA/EA with a concentration of 30 mM suggested excellent resistance for temperature and shear, whose viscosity remained 49 mPa·s with a shear rate of 170 s−1 at 110 °C. 5-SSIPA/EA showed good sand carrying capacity with a sand settlement rate of 0.006 cm·min−1, Resulting from the adsorbed 5-SSIPA/EA molecules reducing the adhesive force of oil droplets and alerting the wettability of rock surface, the oil-induced gel breaking fluid of 5-SSIPA/EA exhibited excellent oil washing efficiency and oil flooding efficiency. Therefore, 5-SSIPA/EA is expected to evade the flowback process and realize the integration of fracturing and oil flooding. We confirmed that the 5-SSIPA/EA system has a potential application prospect in the development of a low permeability reservoir.