Synthesis and Assessment of a Novel AM-co-AMPS Polymer for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR)

This paper focuses on the polymerization and property assessment of water-soluble AM-co-AMPS polymers for enhanced oil recovery. The AM-co-AMPS polymers are synthesized by acrylamide(AM) and 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid(AMPS) in aqueous solution. The synthesis is initiated by (NH4)2S2O8 and NaHSO3 redox system. The effects of initiator concentration, monomers' concentration, AMPS/AM ratio and the polymerization temperature on the synthetic polymer viscosity are studied based on the single factor experiment. The optimal synthesis conditions of AM-co-AMPS polymer are determined according to golden section method. Property assessment is carried out for AM-co-AMPS polymers under different salinity and temperature, and results are compared with Daqing's HPAM. The optimal synthesis conditions are initiator concentration of 3mmol%, monomers' concentration of 20%, AMPS/AM ratio of 20%:80%, and the polymerization temperature of 45.5°C. The AM-co-AMPS polymer synthesized under the optimal synthesis conditions shows good performance under high salinity and temperature, and can withstand the harsh environments of oilfields.