The behaviour of polymer solutions in extension-dominated flows,with applications to Enhanced Oil Recovery

The rheometry and flow behaviour of aqueous solutions of polyacrylamide and xanthan gum are discussed, with the expectation that the results will be of use in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). The rheometrical study gives particular prominence to the dramatically high values of extensional viscosity which are possible in aqueous solutions of flexible polymers such as polyacrylamide. The effect of such factors as polymer concentration, salt concentration and mechanical degradation on rheometrical properties is outlined. Reference is also made to the qualitatively-different rheometrical behaviour experienced by comparable solutions of xanthan gum.Further evidence is advanced that some dilute polymer solutions of potential use in EOR experience abnormally high resistance in flows which are dominated by extension. Since flow through a porous medium involves a substantial extensional component, it is argued that there is justification for studying the effect of this high extensional-viscosity behaviour in a number of idealized geometries of relevance to EOR conditions. The resulting experiments indicate that, at low flow rates,shear viscosity is the dominant influence, but that, after a critical set of conditions,extensional-viscosity considerations can become all important and the observed pressure losses are against any expectation based on conventional fluid mechanics.Flow visualization studies support the pressure-drop measurements in emphasising the strong influence of high extensional viscosities in flows through tortuous geometries.This paper is dedicated to Professor Hanswalter Giesekus on the occasion of his retirement as Editor of Rheologica Acta.