Determination of a critical separation concentration for associative polymers in porous media based on quantification of dilute and semi-dilute concentration regimes

Synthesis of a hydrophobic associating polymer and its application in plugging spacer fluid

The high temperature of formation and multiple stages of leakage zone seriously affect the efficiency and safety of drilling and cementing operations. To improve leakage plugging quality before the cementing process, the hydrophobic associating polymer PHAAO was synthesized from acrylamide (AM), 2-acrylamide-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid (AMPS), and the long side-chain hydrophobic monomer octadecyl dimethyl allyl ammonium chloride (ODAAC) in this study. The structure and molecular weight of the polymer were characterized, and it was proved that the polymer has strong association properties and excellent heat resistance. Utilizing the bridge plugging principle, the polymer PHAAO was used with 36-mesh walnut shells and lignin fiber to form a compound plugging agent. This agent was added to spacer fluid to become a plugging spacer. API water loss tests and loading capacity tests under high temperatures show that the filter cake formed by the spacer fluid is dense. The sealing pressure of the spacer fluid on a 1 mm crack can reach 6.5 MPa at 160 °C, and it has good compatibility with cement slurry. A scanning electron microscopy (SEM) test was conducted to explore the membrane formation mechanism of the polymer. An ultra-low permeability membrane is formed on the surface of the filter cake from the spacer fluid due to the hydrophobic association and hydrogen bonding between the polymer and lignin fiber, thereby greatly reducing the loss of spacer fluid.