Viability of Biopolymers for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Xanthan gum and scleroglucan are assessed as environmentally friendly enhanced oil recovery (EOR) agents. Viscometric and interfacial tension measurements show that the polysaccharides exhibit favorable viscosifying performance, robust shear tolerance, electrolyte tolerance, and moderate interactions with surfactants. Non-ionic surfactants and anionic surfactants bind to xanthan gum and transform the backbone conformation from a strong helix to a more flexible structure, reducing the viscosifying efficacy of xanthan. In contrast, non-ionic surfactants and anionic surfactants bind to scleroglucan and increase the viscosifying efficacy by non-electrostatic interactions or imparted electrostatic effects. The two polysaccharides are technically viable as viscosifying agents in typical EOR injection fluid formulations.     

The rheological and thickening properties of cationic xanthan gum

In the present study, cationic xanthan gum (CXG) was synthesized to enhance the rheological property of xanthan gum (XG) by attaching quaternary amine groups to the backbone of XG. The efficacy of the substitution was confirmed by FT-IR spectra and ¹³C NMR. The surface morphology was changed considerably as demonstrated by SEM. The examined rheological properties of XG and CXG include steady-state and dynamic rheological properties. The results show that quaternary amine groups are successfully grafted onto the XG molecule. Apparent viscosity, storage modulus, and loss modulus of CXG solutions are greater than those of XG solutions under the same conditions. It is moreover found that apparent viscosity and viscoelasticity increase with the degree of substitution. The data indicate that the modified XG has much better heat resistance.     

Effect of Xanthan Gum on the Performance of Aqueous Film-Forming Foam

Solution properties of aqueous film-forming foam (AFFF) formulations containing different xanthan gum contents were investigated first by varying the mass fraction of xanthan gum in the range of 0.1–0.5%. Foam properties and fire-extinguishing performance of the AFFF formulations were then evaluated. Results indicated that xanthan gum content slightly affected surface tension of foam solutions. However, xanthan gum significantly affected viscosity of AFFF concentrates. Foaming of the AFFF formulations was hardly affected by xanthan gum, but foam stability of the compounds was obviously enhanced with the addition of xanthan gum. Optimal xanthan gum content was determined as 0.3%, which resulted in the shortest 90% control time and fire extinguishment time. Burnback time of foams increased with the addition of xanthan gum because of the enhanced foam stability.     

Experimental Study on Stability and Improving Sweep Efficiency with Microfoam in Heterogeneous Porous Media

In this paper, we attempted to prepare microfoam by using a sandpack filled with glass beads with co-flowing gas and foaming solution, the microfoam stability and effectiveness in improving profile control capacity at micromodel and pore media were evaluated by micromodel tests and double-core experiments. The results of micromodel tests showed that microfoam stability was increased with increasing xanthan gum concentration due to a higher solution viscosity and viscoelasticity of liquid film. The xanthan gum-stabilized microfoam had a longer propagation distance through the low permeable region of heterogeneous micromodel at time of breakthrough than common microfoam, the optimum performance of microfoam for fluid diversion was multiple bubble trapping and mobilization rather than lamella division. According to the results of double-core experiments, the microfoam could plug the high permeability sandpack and improve the sweep efficiency in the low permeability sandpack, which could improve the water injection profile of porous media effectively. The increase in profile control effects had a good correspondence with the increase of xanthan gum concentration. The presented results were useful in understanding and designing microfoam injection in reservoirs for enhanced oil recovery.     

Impact of Adding Polysaccharides on the Stability of Egg Yolk/Fish Oil Emulsions under Accelerated Shelf-Life Conditions

Polysaccharides can form interfacial complexes with proteins to form emulsions with enhanced stability. We assessed the effect of adding gum guar or gum arabic to egg yolk/fish oil emulsions. The emulsions were produced using simple or high-pressure homogenization, stored for up to 10 days at 45 °C, and characterized for their particle size and distribution, viscosity, encapsulation efficiency, oxidative stability, and cytotoxicity. Emulsions containing gum guar and/or triglycerides had the highest viscosity. There was no significant difference in the encapsulation efficiency of emulsions regardless of the polysaccharide used. However, emulsions containing gum arabic displayed a bridging flocculation effect, resulting in less stability over time compared to those using gum guar. Emulsions produced using high-pressure homogenization displayed a narrower size distribution and higher stability. The formation of peroxides and propanal was lower in emulsions containing gum guar and was attributed to the surface oil. No significant toxicity toward Caco-2 cells was found from the emulsions over time. On the other hand, after 10 days of storage, nonencapsulated fish oil reduced the cell viability to about 80%. The results showed that gum guar can increase the particle stability of egg yolk/fish oil emulsions and decrease the oxidation rate of omega-3 fatty acids.     

Molecular Weight and Aggregation of Erwinia Gum in Aqueous Solutions

Erwinia(E) gum is composed of glucose, fucose, galactose and glucuronic acid. The weight-average molecular weights Mw, number-average molecular weights Mn and intrinsic viscosities[η] of the four fractions and the unfractionated E gum in aqueous solutions at desired temperatures were studied by light scattering, membrane osmometry, size exclusion chromatography(SEC) and viscometry. The experimental results prove that E gum formed aggregates in the aqueous solution at 25 ℃ and the aggregates were broken gradually with increasing temperature. The dissociation of the aggregates of E gum in the aqueous solution started at 36 ℃, and was completed at around 90 ℃. The [η] values of E gum and its fractions are much higher than those of the conventional polymers with the similar molecular weights, and decrease with increasing NaCl concentration.     

RHEOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF ERWINIA GUM IN AQUEOUS SOLUTION*

Erwinia (E) gum, an extracellular polysaccharide, is composed of fucose, galatose, glucose andglucuronic acid. Its viscosity behavior was investigated by a low-shear-rate multiball viscometer and arotational viscometer. Its weight-average molecular weight M_w and intrinsic viscosity [η] in 0.2 mol/L NaClaqueous solution were measured by light scattering method at 35℃and viscometry at 25℃and found to be1.06×10~6 g/mol and 1050 mL/g, respectively, and its aggregates in aqueous solution were proved by gelpermeation chromatography (GPC). These results indicated that E gum in water has exceedingly highviscosity and exhibits Binham fluid behavior, owing to its aggregation. The viscosity of E gum decreasedwith increasing temperature, and the turning point appeared at 38℃for dilute solution and 80℃forconcentrated solution suggesting that the aggregates of E gum in water started to disaggregate under thesetemperatures. In addition, the aggregates can be disrupted by adding either acid or base. The experimentalresults indicated that the E gum is a good thickening agent, and its fluid behavior is similar to xanthan.     

黄原胶水凝胶的分子网络模型

本文结合二次采油中作为压裂液的黄原胶水凝胶,从其成胶机理着手分析,以Carreau-Bird模型为基点,在分子网络模型中引进了吸附反应动力学项以及计及流体触变性质的函数f(t),并把自由链、迷向链及破碎网络对应力的贡献模拟成牛顿性,从而导出本构方程。方程中的参数值由凝胶的粘弹性性质及非线性物质函数决定,用有约束的优化方法进行优化后得到,模型计算的结果与实验数据大致相符。     

Rheological properties of water-soluble cross-linked xanthan gum

Water-soluble crossslinked xanthan gum (CXG) was prepared from xanthan gum (XG) and epichlorohydrin under alkaline condition by ethanol solvent method. Rheological properties and heat resistance performance of different concentrations of aqueous XG and CXG solutions were investigated. The results showed that the apparent viscosity of 4 g · L^?1 CXG solution was 2.57 times that of 4 g · L^?1 XG solution. The storage modulus G′ and the loss modulus G″ of CXG solutions were greater than those of XG solutions, and viscoelastic and thixotropic properties were more significant in CXG solutions. At 80°C, these two solutions were sheared at 170 s^?1 for 90 minutes, the reserved viscosity was 32.30 and 62.15 mPa · s for XG and CXG solutions, respectively. The heat resistance performance of CXG solution was better than that of XG solution. Nonlinear co-rotational Jeffreys model could be applied to describe the flow curves of XG and CXG solutions correctly, and the calculated values were in good agreement with the experimental data.     

生物高分子黄原胶的性能、应用与功能化

讨论了黄原胶生物大分子的结构与性能关系，从有关黄原胶的性能、开发应用以及在抗菌素药物负载与控择、分散稳定与防腐作用，及其与有机硅化合物配伍制备消泡表面活性材料等，进行功能化改性方面，综述了近20年来国内外研究状况，并探讨了开展生物高分子黄原胶应用与开发研究的思路。     

Pore-Scale Studies on the Stability of Microfoam and the Effect of Parameters on Its Bubble Size

This paper presents a new method to prepare microfoam with excellent stability and high by using a sandpack foam generator. The micromorphology of microfoam were analyzed, and average bubble diameter and uniformity of microfoam were studied by microscope. The stability of xanthan gum-stabilized microfoam and common microfoam at the pore scale was also compared. The results showed that a highly uniform microfoam ranging in size from 10 to 100 µm in diameter with a variable coefficient less than 10% was successfully prepared. The bubble size of the microfoam could be controlled by solution viscosity, gas and liquid flow rate, temperature, and backpressure. The bubble size of microfoam decreased and became uniform with the increase of solution viscosity, total flow rate, and backpressure. The bubble size increased slightly and became non-uniform with the increase of temperature, while the concentration of foaming agent had little effect on the bubble size when above 5000 mg/L. The xanthan gum in the solution increased the viscosity and thickness of liquid membrane, so xanthan gum-stabilized microfoam maintained better stability within microconfined media than common microfoam under condition of 160 g/L salinity, 90°C, and 6 MPa backpressure.     

Non-Newtonian flow behaviour of gellan gum aqueous solutions

Rheological properties of gellan gum solutions with and without salt have been monitored using oscillatory measurements and steady-shear viscosity measurements. The steady-shear viscosity measurements indicated that gellan gum solutions showed a wide Newtonian plateau when gellan gum molecules took a coil conformation, and that the shear-thinning behaviour became more conspicuous with conformational change of gellan gum molecules from coiled to helical, and the range of the Newtonian plateau became limited only to very low shear rates. When gellan gum solutions showed rheological behaviour as a dilute or concentrated polymer solution, these systems obeyed the Cox–Merz superposition of steady-state viscosity and dynamic viscosity. As gellan gum solutions formed a weak gel, the Cox–Merz rule was not valid; however, the deviation from this superposition was less significant than that of xanthan gum solutions which also show weak-gel behaviour. Received: 8 December 1998 Accepted in revised form: 5 March 1999     

三偏磷酸钠交联黄原胶的制备及其溶液流变性

以三偏磷酸钠(STMP)为交联剂,合成了水溶性低交联度黄原胶(XG),依据其溶液粘度优化出了最佳合成条件;考察了电解质质量分数、pH值及温度对STMP交联黄原胶(简记为SP-c-XG)溶液流变性的影响,并与XG溶液进行了对比。 结果表明,在所研究的电解质(NaCl和CaCl₂)质量分数(0~5.0%)、pH值(2~11)和温度(20~70 ℃)范围内,SP-c-XG和XG溶液的流变曲线均为假塑型,符合Herschel-Bulkley模型;其屈服值、表观粘度和动力学模量随电解质质量分数增大均先下降后上升,而随pH值的升高先升高后降低,随温度升高而降低。 SP-c-XG和XG溶液具有相似的流变性,但与XG溶液相比,SP-c-XG溶液具有更高的屈服值和表观粘度,特别是具有更强的弹性和耐温性,在油田强化采油领域具有重要应用前景。     

Synthesis,Characterization, and Property Evaluation of a Hydrophobically Modified Polyacrylamide as Enhanced Oil Recovery Chemical

A novel hydrophobically modified polyacrylamide p(AM/NaA/OP-10-AC/BOAM) was successfully synthesized via an aqueous micellar copolymerization method from acrylamide (AM), sodium acrylate (NaA), octylphenol polyoxyethylene acrylate (OP-10-AC), and small amounts of N-benzyl-N-octylacrylamide (BOAM), with the aim of investigating the copolymer's rheological behaviors under various conditions such as polymer concentration, shearing, temperature, and salinity. The copolymer was characterized by infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and atomic force microscope. Scanning electron micrographs show large aggregates in solution formed by the association from the hydrophobic groups of the copolymer. Compared with partially hydrolyzed polyacryamide (HPAM), the copolymer shows a much higher thickening capability and a much greater ability to resist shearing, heat, and salts. This good property of the copolymer is attributed to its three-dimensional dimensional network structure. According to the core flooding test, it can be obtained that oil recovery is enhanced about 4.3% by the copolymer flooding contrasted to the HPAM flooding in mid-low permeability cores under conditions of 1500 mg/L of polymers and 45°C. All the results prove that the copolymer has the capability of increasing oil recovery by improving waterflood sweep efficiency in high-salinity reservoirs.     

Fast and excellent healing of hydroxypropyl guar gum/poly(N,N‐dimethyl acrylamide) hydrogels

In this article, a fast and high efficient healing hydroxypropyl guar gum (HPG)/poly(N,N‐dimethyl acrylamide) (PDMA) hydrogel is prepared by a facile synthesis method. HPG networks are formed through hydrogen‐bond interaction between the hydroxyl groups in the HPG chains, and PDMA networks are self‐crosslinked without any chemical crosslinker. The cut hydrogel could heal when nanosilica solution is chosen as the connector that is related to the adsorption of polymer to the surface of nanosilica. The fracture stress of the HPG/PDMA gels presents a fast and almost full recovery within a short time (1 min), while the recovery of fracture strain and elastic modulus is related to time in 2 h. The healing efficiency of HPG/PDMA gel is investigated as a function of healing time, HPG content, and N,N‐dimethyl acrylamide content. The microscopic healing process and healing mechanism are also discussed. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2018 , 56, 239–247     

Feasibility of Polyvinyl Alcohol as a Transdermal Drug Delivery System for Terbutaline Sulphate

A series of terbutaline sulphate drug incorporated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) matrix films were produced by the solvent evaporation method. The effect of xanthan gum and plasticizers (propylene glycol and dibutyl phthalate) on the rate and amount of drug diffusion from PVA membrane across the hydrated cellophane membrane has been evaluated, using an open glass diffusion‐tube. The obtained films were clear, smooth and flexible having sufficient mechanical strength. The mechanical performance of the dry PVA films with xanthan gum and plasticizers were also ascertained. Polyvinyl alcohol‐xanthan gum blends showed a high rate of drug release compared to that of polyvinyl alcohol film alone. Among the two plasticizers employed, propylene glycol showed better permeability. Among different formulations studied, the formulation PVA/xanthan gum/propylene glycol (F7) was found to be an optimized composition for efficient transdermal delivery of the model drug, terbutaline sulphate. The mechanism of drug diffusion has been evaluated using the Peppas model. Stability studies carried out on polymer‐drug formulations revealed that the drug is stable at 40°C and 75% RH for a period of 6 weeks.     

Encapsulation and survival of a chondrocyte cell line within xanthan gum derivative

A chemical derivative of xanthan gum polysaccharide is investigated as a new artificial matrix for the encapsulation of chondrocytic cells. Toward this goal, a novel micro-droplet generator is developed to produce microcapsules. Microcapsules with an average diameter of 500 μm, smooth surface, and homogeneous size distribution are obtained. ATDC5 cells encapsulated in carboxymethyl xanthan (CMX) microcapsules remain viable and are observed to proliferate for prolonged culture periods with enhanced metabolic activity. Furthermore, retention of the chondrogenic phenotype is exhibited by the cells within CMX, suggesting the ability of this material to be applied in cell-delivery therapies.     

黄原胶和瓜尔胶混合溶液及其硼砂交联体系的流变性能

本文研究了黄原胶(XG)和瓜尔胶(GG)的混合溶液及其硼砂(B)交联体系的流变性,考察了XG/GG间的“协同增效作用”以及溶液组成、pH和电解质(NaCl和CaCl 2)对其流变性的影响。结果表明,所有溶液体系均为假塑型流体,其流变曲线可用Herschel-Bulkley和Casson模型描述。XG和GG复配具有明显的“协同增粘效应”,在XG占两聚合物的质量分数w(XG)为20%和90%时协同增粘效应最强,其“协同增粘率”(R m)分别约为42%和34%。硼砂(B)可交联XG/GG混合溶液,其交联增粘效果随w(XG)的减小和硼砂质量浓度ρ(B)的增大而增大;在w(XG)=50%和ρ(B)=1.00 g/L时,“交联增粘率”可达85%。在所研究的pH值范围(6.2~10.0)内,XG/GG混合溶液的流变性基本无变化,而XG/GG/B交联体系(w(XG)=50%和ρ(B)=0.75~1.00 g/L)的表观粘度随pH值增大先升高后降低,pH=9.0时出现最大值,交联增粘率达107%。电解质可使XG/GG/B交联溶液(w(XG)=10%和ρ(B)=0.50 g/L)体系的粘度大幅下降,且CaCl 2的影响明显高于NaCl,表明交联结构的耐盐能力较差。这些结果加深了对XG/GG混合溶液流变性的认识,可为其实际应用(如在强化采油中的应用)提供依据。     

Investigational Studies on Highly Purified Fenugreek Gum as Emulsifying Agent

In this study, highly purified galactomannan containing fenugreek gum was isolated by newly reported method and investigated for its surface and emulsification property. Comparative studies were carried out with other galactomannan containing natural emulsifiers like locust bean gum, guar gum, and non-galactomannan anionic xanthan gum. The results revealed that highly purified fenugreek gum has better surface and interfacial tension reducing property among all gums used in this study. Emulsion prepared with 0.6% highly purified fenugreek gum showed greater reduction in droplets size with greater surface area compared to guar gum, locust bean gum, and xanthan gum emulsion. Zeta potential values indicated that highly purified fenugreek gum emulsion showed greater repulsive forces and was able to form more stable emulsion compared to other gums. No coalescence or phase separation was observed during storage.      

Rheological and microrheological characterization of a novel amphoteric xanthan gum

A novel amphoteric xanthan gum (AXG) containing anionic carboxyl groups and cationic quaternary ammonium substituents was prepared from xanthan gum (XG) and 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyltriethanolammonium acetate. The rheological and microrheological properties of AXG and XG solutions were studied in this work. The rheological results showed that the apparent viscosity of the 0.4% AXG solution was 5.26 times that of the 0.4% XG solution, and the AXG solution exhibited more obvious thixotropy and much stronger viscoelasticity than the XG solution. Both experiment and numerical simulations were adopted to investigate the gel-breaking process of the AXG solution, and the rheokinetics equations can well describe the evolution of complex viscosity. Moreover, the optical microrheology method was also adopted to investigate the microrheological behavior of AXG and XG solutions. The microrheological results showed that the AXG solution exhibited higher viscosity index at zero shear and a more obvious solid-like behavior than the XG solution. Good agreement is found when comparing the results obtained from microrheology to classical rheology, which verifies the feasibility of the microrheology method for measuring the solution properties, especially some properties not well described by the current rheological approach.