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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Enhanced recovery of Pennsylvania grade crude oil with surfactant solutions. Annual report, October 1978-September 1979

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:5290487

This research program covers a number of facets involved with enhanced oil recovery by chemical flooding. Each facet is covered in a separate section of this report. This report including the appendixes presents the results of a systematic study of factors influencing the flow of polymer solutions in porous media. Effects of inertia, shear-thinning viscosity, viscoelasticity, and molecule-wall interactions on the flow in porous media are demonstrated by correlations of the appropriate dimensionless parameters. Packed beds of glass beads with different particle sizes are used. The polymer solutions investigated include sodium carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), xanthan gum (XG), sodium cellulose sulfate ester (CSE), polyethylene oxide (PEO), and partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (PAM). Fluid property variables in the dimensional analysis include power-law parameters, relaxation time, and molecular size of the polymer solution. Power-law parameters and relaxation time of the solutions were determined from a cone-and-plate steady-shearing experiment. The hydrodynamic size of the polymer molecules is characterized by coupling intrinsic viscosity measurements with gel permeation chromatography.

Research Organization:
Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park (USA)
DOE Contract Number:
AS19-78BC20009
OSTI ID:
5290487
Report Number(s):
DOE/BC/20009-8
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English