Prepartion of Temperature-Responsive Core-Shell Polymer Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery Application

A particular core-shell polymer nanoparticle of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)/polysytrene (PNIPAM-PS) was synthesized for EOR applications in tight carbonate reservoirs. The CSP of PNIPAM-PS was synthesized by two-stage emulsion polymerization at 70 oC using KPS initiator, and SDS surfactant and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA) as stabilizer. The obtained polymers were characterized by dynamic light scattering (DLS) particle size analysis, scanning electron microscope (SEM) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) thermal analysis. Experimental results showed that CS nanoparticle sizes are in the range 50-130 nm. The CS nanoparticles with porous and spherical morphology were observed by SEM pictures. Furthermore, the ability of polymer particles to be effective in the reservoir’s temperature was investigated.

Keywords:

Core-shell polymer , PNIPAM-PS , Polymer flooding , Enhanced oil recovery , mobility ratio