Synthesis and characterization of high molecular weight amphoteric terpolymer based on acrylamide, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid sodium salt and (3-acrylamidopropyl)trimethylammonium chloride for oil recovery

High molecular weight amphoteric terpolymer based on a nonionic monomer, acrylamide (AAm), an anionic monomer, 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid sodium salt (AMPS), and a cationic monomer, (3-acrylamidopropyl) trimethylammonium chloride (APTAC), was prepared using free-radical copolymerization in an aqueous solution and characterized by 1H NMR, FTIR, GPC, DLS, zeta potential and viscometry. The polymer was shown to be viscosifying, and therefore can be utilized as a polymer flooding agent in the high salinity and temperature conditions of oil reservoirs. Injection of 0.25 wt.% of amphoteric terpolymer, dissolved in 200-300 g∙L-1 brine, into high and low permeability sand pack models demonstrated that the oil recovery factor (ORF) increases by up to 23-28% in comparison with saline water flooding. This is explained by an increase in the viscosity of brine solution due to disruption of intra- and interionic contacts between oppositely charged AMPS and APTAC moieties, demonstrating the antipolyelectrolyte effect. In high saline water, the anions and cations of salts screen the electrostatic attraction between positively and negatively charged macroions, resulting in expansion of the macromolecule. This phenomenon leads to an increase in the viscosifying effect on the brine solution, thus decreasing the mobility factor (M), which is defined as the ratio of displacing phase mobility (water) to displaced phase mobility (oil).