Issue 23, 2020

Preparation and solution properties of polyacrylamide-based silica nanocomposites for drag reduction application

Abstract

Drag reducers (DRs) have a significant effect on shale hydraulic fracturing. Hence, it is very essential to develop excellent DRs for engineering applications. In this work, a novel nanocomposite drag reducer (PASD-SiO2) was synthesized using acrylamide (AM), sodium 4-styrenesulfonate (SSS), dimethylhexadeylallylammonium bromide (DMAAB) and modified nanosilica by redox free radical copolymerization. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), 13C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (13C NMR), thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), elemental analysis, dynamic light scattering spectrophotometer (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were utilized to characterize the copolymer. Then its solution properties were evaluated. The results showed that the nanocomposite exhibited better performances of temperature resistance, salt tolerance, shear resistance and viscoelasticity than those of a pure polymer. The indoor drag reduction measurements were carried out in a closed loop flow system. The maximum drag reduction efficiency of PASD-3%SiO2 was 59.2%, which was 9.7% higher than that of a neat polymer. These improvements in desirable properties were mainly attributed to the dispersion of silica nanoparticles in the polymer matrix. Nanosilica acted as a cross-linker and enhanced the strength of the network structures, which improved the structural stability. In addition, the polymer containing silica nanoparticles exhibited improved structural rigidity. Therefore, the polymer molecules showed more persistent and effective restriction towards vortices under turbulent flows. This novel drag reducer showed good potential for slickwater fracturing applications.

Graphical abstract: Preparation and solution properties of polyacrylamide-based silica nanocomposites for drag reduction application

Article information

Article type
Paper
Submitted
07 noy 2019
Accepted
14 apr 2020
First published
02 iyn 2020

New J. Chem., 2020,44, 9802-9812

Preparation and solution properties of polyacrylamide-based silica nanocomposites for drag reduction application

L. Xing, Y. Ke, X. Hu and P. Liang, New J. Chem., 2020, 44, 9802 DOI: 10.1039/C9NJ05583E

To request permission to reproduce material from this article, please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

If you are an author contributing to an RSC publication, you do not need to request permission provided correct acknowledgement is given.

If you are the author of this article, you do not need to request permission to reproduce figures and diagrams provided correct acknowledgement is given. If you want to reproduce the whole article in a third-party publication (excluding your thesis/dissertation for which permission is not required) please go to the Copyright Clearance Center request page.

Read more about how to correctly acknowledge RSC content.

Social activity

Spotlight

Advertisements