Commercially available polymers provide effective mobility control in homogeneous reservoirs, but conformance problems in heterogeneous reservoirs can result in low sweep efficiencies and costly material losses. Additionally, poor stability at high temperatures (above 100 oC) and high salinities (up to 150,000 ppm TDS, hardness up to 5000 ppm) results in limited applicability of commercial polymers under these conditions. The Verduzco laboratory is working to develop new polymeric materials for addressing both challenges. First, high-molecular weight linear polymers with a more thermally stable backbone and zwitterionic repeat units will be synthesized and tested for mobility control in high temperature/high salinity reservoirs. Second, highly branched polymers will be tested addressing reservoir conformance issues. Highly branched polymers may give a significant increase in viscosity at low concentrations and offer opportunities for a viscosity increase in response to environmental stimuli (e.g. temperature, pH, salinity).
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Verduzco Laboratory
Keck Hall # 207
Rice University
Professor Rafael Verduzco
office: Keck Hall # 212
phone: 713-348-6492
fax: 713-348-5478
email: rafaelv@rice.edu
Mailing Address
Rice University
6100 Main Street
MS 362
Houston, TX 77005-1827
Keck Hall # 207
Rice University
Professor Rafael Verduzco
office: Keck Hall # 212
phone: 713-348-6492
fax: 713-348-5478
email: rafaelv@rice.edu
Mailing Address
Rice University
6100 Main Street
MS 362
Houston, TX 77005-1827