Novel Polyepoxysuccinic Acid-Grafted Polyacrylamide as a Green Corrosion Inhibitor for Carbon Steel in Acidic Solution

Evaluation of Novel Preformed Particle Gel System for Conformance Control in Mature Oil Reservoirs

To address challenges associated with excessive water production in mature oil reservoirs, this study introduces a carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)-based material as a novel preformed particle gel (PPG) designed to plug excessive water pathways and redistribute the subsequent injected water toward unswept zones. Through microwave-assisted grafting copolymerization of CMC with acrylamide (AM), we successfully generated multi-sized dry particles within the range of 250-800 µm. Comprehensive analyses, including Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), have confirmed the chemical composition and morphology of the resulting carboxymethyl cellulose-grafted crosslinked polyacrylamide (CMC/PAMBA). Swelling kinetics and rheology tests were conducted to confirm the ability of this novel PPG system to perform at different reservoir conditions. The results of core flooding experiments showed that the CMC/PAMBA PPG is capable of plugging open fractures with a water breakthrough pressure gradient of up to 144 psi/ft. This preformed particle gel (PPG) system was designed specifically for application in Middle East reservoirs, which are distinguished by high salinity and elevated temperature levels. This PPG system is able to swell up to 10 times its original size in seawater and maintain a strength of about 1300 Pa at a temperature of 80 °C. Further optimization is conceivable to enhance injection efficiency and achieve superior plugging outcomes.

Biodegradable polysaccharide grafted polyacrylamide inhibitor for corrosion in CO2- saturated saline solution

A biodegradable polysaccharide-based inhibitor is grafted with polyacrylamide (PAM) for oilfields' sweet corrosion. The green properties of agar and PAM were incorporated to synthesize an agar-grafted-PAM (AGGPAM) inhibitor. Electrochemical tests of Tafel and AC impedance, were used to determine the corrosion rate of carbon steel (C-steel) and protection efficiency in CO2-saturated 3.5 wt% NaCl solution. The surface morphology was characterized using FESEM coupled with EDX. Results demonstrated the promising performance of AGGPAM in improving steel resistivity, achieving 85% efficiency at 500 mg L-1 and reducing the corrosion rate from 33 to 4.9 mils per year at 25 °C. The electrochemical tests classified AGGPAM as a mixed-type inhibitor, yet with a larger potential to inhibit the cathodic hydrogen evolution. Kinetics study at a temperature of 50 °C revealed a deteriorated AGGPAM inhibition attributed to electrolyte diffusion through the weakly adsorbed AGGPAM film. Nevertheless, the AGGPAM-inhibited solution exhibited a corrosion rate of 26.7 mils per year at 50 °C, which is still lower than that of blank at 25 °C. The steel resistance was diminished from 1436 to 355 Ω cm2 at 50 °C. Implementing AGGPAM coating reduced the steel corrosion rate to 9.6 mils per year, achieving 71% efficiency. AGGPAM inhibitor toxicity was evaluated using ADMETlab, which predicted negligible hazardous impacts. Lastly, potentiostatic testing of steel with AGGPAM at an applied potential of 50 mV illustrated surface protection and decreased current over a prolonged time. Herein, the experimental investigation revealed the promising capabilities of AGGPAM as an efficient corrosion inhibitor in oilfields.

Experimental and theoretical investigations of the effect of bis-phenylurea-based aliphatic amine derivative as an efficient green corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in HCl solution

A novel bis-phenylurea-based aliphatic amine (BPUA) was prepared via a facile synthetic route, and evaluated as a potential green organic corrosion inhibitor for carbon steel in 1.0 M HCl solutions. NMR spectroscopy experiments confirmed the preparation of the targeted structure. The corrosion inhibitory behavior of the prospective green compound was explored experimentally by electrochemical methods and theoretically by DFT-based quantum chemical calculations. Obtained results revealed an outstanding performance of BPUA, with efficiency of 95.1% at the inhibitor concentration of 50 mg L-1 at 25 °C. The novel compound has improved the steel resistivity and noticeably reduced the corrosion rate from 33 to 1.7 mils per year. Furthermore, the adsorption study elucidates that the mechanism of the corrosion inhibition activity obeys Langmuir isotherm with mixed physisorption/chemisorption modes for BPUA derivatives on the steel surface. Calculated Gibb's free energy of the adsorption process ranges from -35 to -37 kJ mol-1. The SEM morphology analysis validates the electrochemical measurements and substantiates the corrosion-inhibiting properties of BPUA. Additionally, the eco-toxicity assessment on human epithelial MCF-10A cells proved the environmental friendliness of the BPUA derivatives. Density functional theory (DFT) calculations correlated the inhibitor's chemical structure with the corresponding inhibitory behavior. Quantum descriptors disclosed the potentiality of BPUA adsorption onto the surface through the heteroatom-based functional groups and aromatic rings.