Emulsions of mobility control polymers can be used to increase recovery of crude oil from a subterranean hydrocarbon-containing formation. A flooding fluid comprising the polymer emulsions are injected into a well that is in contact with the subterranean hydrocarbon-containing formation. The polymers can be temporarily cross-linked via hydrolyzable crosslinking moieties derived from a multifunctional hydrazide, a multifunctional amine, a multifunctional hydroxylamine, or a combination thereof and have improved injectivity into the well; the improved injectivity can be measured in terms of the flooding fluid's filter ratio, flow rate, and viscosity.

Emulsions of mobility control polymers can be used to increase recovery of crude oil from a subterranean hydrocarbon-containing formation. A flooding fluid comprising the polymer emulsions are injected into a well that is in contact with the subterranean hydrocarbon-containing formation. The polymers can be temporarily cross-linked via hydrolyzable crosslinking moieties derived from a multifunctional hydrazide, a multifunctional amine, a multifunctional hydroxylamine, or a combination thereof and have improved injectivity into the well; the improved injectivity can be measured in terms of the flooding fluid's filter ratio, flow rate, and viscosity.

Provided herein are liquid polymer (LP) compositions comprising a synthetic (co)polymer (e.g., an acrylamide (co)polymer), as well as methods for preparing inverted polymer solutions by inverting these LP compositions in an aqueous fluid. The resulting inverted polymer solutions can have a concentration of a synthetic (co)polymer (e.g., an acrylamide (co)polymer) of from 50 to 15,000 ppm, and a filter ratio of 1.5 or less at 15 psi using a 1.2 μm filter. Also provided are methods of using these inverted polymer solutions in oil and gas operations, including enhanced oil recovery.

Provided herein are liquid polymer (LP) compositions comprising a synthetic (co)polymer (e.g., an acrylamide (co)polymer), as well as methods for preparing inverted polymer solutions by inverting these LP compositions in an aqueous fluid. The resulting inverted polymer solutions can have a concentration of a synthetic (co)polymer (e.g., an acrylamide (co)polymer) of from 50 to 15,000 ppm, and a filter ratio of 1.5 or less at 15 psi using a 1.2 μm filter. Also provided are methods of using these inverted polymer solutions in oil and gas operations, including enhanced oil recovery.

The present invention is concerned with the treatment of produced water, obtained from a chemically enhanced oil recovery process using viscosity-increasing polymeric compounds. Said treatment comprises particularly the steps of obtaining a produced water, from an oil-water mixture recovered from an oil-bearing formation, wherein the produced water comprises the viscosity-increasing polymeric compounds; and, of directing the produced water to a specific filtration device, and subjecting the produced water to filtration, for obtaining a retentate stream and a permeate stream. Said process allows particularly obtaining a permeate comprising the viscosity-increasing polymeric compounds, said permeate being substantially free of suspended solids, free oil and emulsified oil.

The present invention is concerned with the treatment of produced water, obtained from a chemically enhanced oil recovery process using viscosity-increasing polymeric compounds. Said treatment comprises particularly the steps of obtaining a produced water, from an oil-water mixture recovered from an oil-bearing formation, wherein the produced water comprises the viscosity-increasing polymeric compounds; and, of directing the produced water to a specific filtration device, and subjecting the produced water to filtration, for obtaining a retentate stream and a permeate stream. Said process allows particularly obtaining a permeate comprising the viscosity-increasing polymeric compounds, said permeate being substantially free of suspended solids, free oil and emulsified oil.

A method for realizing balanced displacement of crude oil by injection and production optimization coordinated chemical flooding which comprises the following steps: determining the median size and elastic modulus of viscoelastic particles according to the average permeability of the reservoir; optimizing the concentration ratio of the total concentration of the chemical agent; the physical parameters of each layer are counted, and the hierarchical system is combined according to the entropy weight algorithm and the cluster analysis method based on the gravity center method; the optimal section slug volume ratio of the single well injected with two slugs under the heterogeneity of the permeability of the strata is calculated; and the objective function is established by combining the coefficient of variation of remaining oil saturation, the effect of chemical flooding and the cost, and the numerical simulator is used to optimize the objective function.

A method for realizing balanced displacement of crude oil by injection and production optimization coordinated chemical flooding which comprises the following steps: determining the median size and elastic modulus of viscoelastic particles according to the average permeability of the reservoir; optimizing the concentration ratio of the total concentration of the chemical agent; the physical parameters of each layer are counted, and the hierarchical system is combined according to the entropy weight algorithm and the cluster analysis method based on the gravity center method; the optimal section slug volume ratio of the single well injected with two slugs under the heterogeneity of the permeability of the strata is calculated; and the objective function is established by combining the coefficient of variation of remaining oil saturation, the effect of chemical flooding and the cost, and the numerical simulator is used to optimize the objective function.

Provided herein are methods of inhibiting the aggregation of asphaltenes, as well as methods of identifying appropriate aggregation inhibitors for asphaltenes.

Proppants for hydraulic fracturing of oil and gas wells have a polymeric coating that is strengthened with reinforcing particulates that are reactive with, or chemically bonded to, the polymeric proppant coating. Preferably, these particulates are added into the coating during the coating process. In one embodiment, functionalized particulates are used that become grafted into the polymer of the proppant coating through the chemical functionality imparted to the particulates. If non-functionalized particulates are used, a coupling agent is preferably added to enhance the bond strength between the added particulates and the polymeric matrix of the proppant coating.