Vol. 25, No. 3 (2026), Poly26787 https://doi.org/10.24275/rmiq/Poly26787

Rheological behavior and integrated modeling of polymer solutions under reservoir-representative conditions

 

Authors

E. Rodríguez-Sánchez, A. D. Miranda-Olvera, T. Roldan-Carrillo, M.Á. De la Rosa-Guzman, P. Olguin-Lora

Abstract

This study evaluates the rheological behavior of three polymers widely used in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) applications: xanthan gum (XG), partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), and sulfonated polyacrylamide (FLOPAAM). The polymers were tested under reservoir-representative conditions, including temperatures up to 80 °C, pressures up to 6000 psi, and synthetic brine diluted to 10% of the reservoir salinity, to assess their apparent viscosity, shear response, and rheological stability under demanding operating environments.

Apparent viscosity–shear rate measurements confirmed that all polymer solutions exhibited pronounced shear-thinning behavior. XG demonstrated elevated consistency index values and high thermal stability under the studied brine conditions. FLOPAAM exhibited enhanced rheological stability under combined shear-rate and pressure effects, consistent with the presence of sulfonate functional groups. HPAM maintained acceptable rheological performance at higher concentrations but displayed greater sensitivity to temperature and pressure variations.

The experimental data were accurately described using the Ostwald–de Waele power-law model (R² > 0.98), selected for its robustness and suitability for comparative analysis. Based on this framework, an integrated apparent viscosity framework was developed based on well-established rheological correlations in which shear-rate dependence follows the power-law formulation, concentration and temperature effects are incorporated through the consistency index, and pressure effects are introduced independently via an inverse Barus-type relation. This hierarchical approach avoids overparameterization while preserving physical interpretability. The proposed framework provides a physically consistent approach for describing and interpolating polymer rheology under reservoir-relevant conditions and supports rational polymer selection within the experimental domain investigated.

Keywords

Enhanced Oil Recovery; Polymer Flooding; Rheology; Apparent Viscosity; Xanthan Gum; HPAM; FLOPAAM.

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