Heavy Oil Activator Polymer for Viscosity Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current heavy oil production techniques face limitations such as high energy consumption, sand production, gas channeling, and the difficulty in applying viscosity reduction methods across varying reservoir conditions, particularly in deep or thin heavy oil reservoirs, and there is a lack of effective chemical viscosity reducers suitable for high-temperature and high-salinity environments.
Innovation Solution
A heavy oil activator, specifically an activating water polymer with a defined structural formula, is developed through free radical polymerization of acrylamide and functional monomers, which increases the viscosity of the aqueous phase, emulsifies and disperses crude oil, and serves as both a displacing agent and viscosity reducer, enhancing fluidity and oil production efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Temperature
If thermal production method is used to reduce heavy oil viscosity, then viscosity reduction effect is achieved, but energy consumption increases and sand production occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the thermal production method (heating system) with a chemical production method using polymer flooding. The activating polymer chemically interacts with heavy oil components to reduce viscosity without requiring high temperatures, thereby substituting thermal energy input with chemical reaction mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the approach from changing temperature parameters to changing chemical composition parameters. By introducing activating polymer with specific functional groups that interact with asphaltenes and resins, the viscosity reduction is achieved through chemical parameter changes rather than thermal parameter changes.
2Productivity
If chemical viscosity reduction method is used, then viscosity reduction effect is achieved, but selectivity to heavy oil composition is too high and no universal agent exists
Solution Approach 1:
The activating polymer is designed with multiple functional groups (carboxyl, hydroxyl, amine groups) that can interact with different components of heavy oil (asphaltenes, resins, paraffins). This multi-functional structure enables the single polymer agent to effectively reduce viscosity across different heavy oil compositions, achieving universality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses a composite polymer structure combining multiple functional monomers (acrylamide, acrylic acid, vinylamine, etc.) to create an activating polymer with diverse interaction capabilities. This composite material approach allows the polymer to adapt to various heavy oil compositions through different functional group interactions.
3Productivity
If emulsifying viscosity reducer is used to reduce heavy oil viscosity, then viscosity reduction is achieved, but liquid produced is difficult to treat and selectivity is very high
Solution Approach 1:
The activating polymer promotes formation of a more homogeneous emulsion system where oil and water phases are more uniformly distributed. This homogeneous structure facilitates easier separation and treatment of produced water compared to conventional emulsifying viscosity reducers that create complex, difficult-to-separate emulsions.
4Productivity
If dilution method is used with thin crude oil, then heavy oil viscosity is reduced, but thin crude oil reserves are limited and output is decreasing
Solution Approach 1:
The activating polymer acts as an intermediary substance that enables heavy oil production without requiring thin crude oil as a diluent. The polymer chemically modifies heavy oil properties in situ, serving as a mediator that replaces the need for external thin crude oil resources.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The activating polymer effectively reduces crude oil viscosity, increases oil production by 10-20%, exhibits good salt resistance, and maintains viscosity retention over time, while being suitable for a wide range of heavy oil viscosities and reservoir conditions, thus overcoming the limitations of existing methods.
Implementation Method 1
increases the viscosity of the aqueous phase
Implementation Method 2
emulsifies and disperses crude oil
Implementation Method 3
emulsifies and disperses crude oil
Implementation Method 4
free radical polymerization of acrylamide and functional monomers
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a heavy oil activator, a preparation method and use thereof. The heavy oil activator has a structural formula shown in Formula (1). In Formula (1), x, y, z, m, and n are respectively mass fractions of corresponding chain segments in the polymer, m being 0.75-0.85, y being 0.20-0.24, and x, z, and n all being 0.001-0.01; and p is a natural number between 2 and 9. The activating polymer provided has the effects of increasing viscosity of an aqueous phase while reducing viscosity of crude oil, and can serve both as a displacing agent and a viscosity reducer to realize integration of the two agents. The activating polymer can increase viscosity of an aqueous phase, has a displacement effect, can emulsify and disperse crude oil, and increase fluidity of a mixed phase; the dispersed crude oil continues to interact with crude oil that has not contacted the polymer, and the aqueous phase interacts with the mixed oil phase as well as new oil, by way of which continuous interactions, more crude oil can be constantly produced. The activating polymer has a relatively low interfacial tension and exhibits a certain degree of oil washing capability.