Rheology and Morphology Analysis of an Enhanced Preformed Particle Gel using Silicate Sodium and Graphene Nanoplatelets

The main goal of a preformed particle gel (PPG) treatment is to prevent channeling of water, with the minimum formation damage to the oil productive zones. In our recent study we introduced Silicate sodium solution along with Graphene Nano-platelets (GNP) as new additives in PPG synthesis and it was confirmed that the SGN-PPG shows acceptable swelling performance along with better thermal stability and dehydration resistance compared to the base synthesized PPG. The aim of the present work is to investigate the rheological behaviors of swollen hydrogels. These dynamic tests confirmed superior rheological properties and higher gel strength for the new SGN-PPG compared to the base PPG without Graphene Nano-platelets and sodium silicate solution, at various conditions. Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) images of dry particle disclosed adherent silicate structure through the aggregation of Nano graphene. Embedded Nano graphene by the silicate sodium solution improved the harmonization of the networked structure. Analysis of the SEM images enlightened the swelling performance of different synthesized PPG which was observed in our recent studies.