Impact of Salts on Polyacrylamide Hydrolysis and Gelation: New Insights

Khalid Saad Mohamed Elkarsani, GA Al-Muntasheri, Abdullah Saad Sultan, Ibnelwaleed Ali Hussein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Polyacrylamide (PAM) and its derivatives are the most commonly used polymers in the preparation of polymeric gels for water control in petroleum reservoirs. This study involved the use of polyethylenimine (PEI) as a crosslinker for PAM. In this study, we investigated PAM alkaline hydrolysis at high temperatures. The effects of salts [sodium chloride (NaCl) and ammonium chloride (NH4Cl)] on the degree of hydrolysis (DH) of PAM were investigated. These salts were used as retarders to elongate the gelation time of the PAM/PEI system. The data obtained from C-13-NMR was used to understand the retardation mechanisms by salts. We found that NH4Cl accelerated the extent of hydrolysis more in comparison with NaCl. Moreover, the apparent viscosity of the hydrolyzed samples was measured. PAM hydrolysis in the presence of NH4Cl resulted in a lower solution viscosity than that in the presence of NaCl. Therefore, NH4Cl was more effective in shielding negative charges on the carboxylate groups of th
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Applied Polymer Science
StatePublished - 2014

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