Polyacrylamide (PAM) Used As FracturingFluid Additive

Fracturing is one of the main facilites for increasing oil and gas wells. Fracturing is the use of high-pressure pump fracturingfluid injected into the formation, the formation of cracks and the expansion of new cracks and fill proppant, thereby enhancingthe permeability of the formation. After the fracturing process equipment is determined, the effect of fracturing is mainlydetermined by the fracturing fluid.

Early fracturing fluid is the gasoline as a dispersion medium, adding a certain viscosity of the fluid, which is the earliest oil-basefracturing fluid. This was first used in oifield around 1948. After that traditional water-based guar gum fracturing fluid wasdeveloped to adopt more complicated conditions like deeper well, a wide range of temperatures and higher viscosity request.While there are some disadvantages of Guar gum fracturing fluid, like high content of undisolved substance and residue, incompletely breaking. All these would easily cause formation damage and lead to the development of a new fracturing fluid.

In recent years, considering the economic and environmental reasons, a new type of fracturing fluid is developed to replace the guar gum system and is widely used. The synthetic polymer fracturing fluid, polyacrylamide (PAM), partially hydrolyzedpolyacrylamide (HPAM), acrylamide-acrylamide copolymers, methyidene polyacrylamide were used. The performance of thepolymer can be adjusted by controlling the synthesis conditions to meet the performance index of the fracturing fluid. Thesynthetic polymer fracturing fluid can meet the severe requirements of fracturing fluid temperature and viscosity and has verylimit affection to the formation.

Polyacrylamide (PAM) does not contain water-insoluble like the plant gum, and could becompletely dissolved in water. The distribution of the fracturing liquid is cystal translucent and does not contain solidcomponents. This kind of fracturing fluid can block the fracture and increase the gel strength. Its main advantages are the better price than guar gum and more environmental character.