Superabsorbent Polymer (SAP) Dehydration by Petroleum Fluids

Abstract

Water production increases and oil sweep efficiency decreases as a reservoir matures. This water production can be produced from an injection or/and production wells. Water production can be the reason of decreasing and/or increasing oil production on the well operation cost. In the oil industry a lot of oil companies are using Superabsorbent Polymers (SAP) to improve oil production and decrease water production. When SAP mixed with water, it can absorb more than one hundred times their orginal weight. This research was accompanied to study SAP dehydration effect on oil production wells. This work used LiquiBlock’s AT-03S with a mesh of 35-60 (250-500 microns), and LiquiBlock’s 2G-110 with a mesh of 60-120 (125-250 microns). The selected polymers were formed using different particle sizes and brine concentrations. To create a brine of particular salinity, different brine concentrations were prepared by mixing deionized (DI) water with Calcium Chloride, Sodium Chloride, and a mixture of both Sodium Chloride and Calcium Chloride. Venous oil samples used for this work (Black oil, medium oil, and mineral oil). Oil was added to the solution after allowing the polymers to fully swell in brine, which was then agitated and allowed to settle. This research also investigated the effects of temperature on SAP swollen and dehydration. In conclusion, oil dehydration affected the swelling ratio of the polymer. The results of this work can help to select the best polymer which can be used for water shut-off treatment and improve oil recovery on mature reservoirs.