Optimization Analysis and Performance Study of Amphiphilic Polymer Hydrogel Gelation

Abstract

Due to the widespread heterogeneity in oil reservoirs and severe water channeling, hydrogel-based agents are employed for profile control and water plugging. Amphiphilic polymers exhibit superior temperature and salt tolerance, and gels formed with these polymers as the primary agent demonstrate enhanced stability, showing broad application prospects. The ternary copolymer P(AM-NaA-ODAM) was synthesized via free-radical solution polymerization, with structural characterization of the product and related monomers performed using infrared spectroscopy. Leveraging the excellent properties of the P(AM-NaA-ODAM) solution, it was utilized as the main agent to construct the gel. The crosslinker formulation was optimized via a single-factor method, with gelation time and gel strength serving as key indicators to determine the optimal composition: hexamethylenetetramine (0.3%), resorcinol (0.05%), and citric acid (0.3%). Furthermore, under this optimized formulation, the effects of temperature and salinity on the amphiphilic polymer gel system were investigated, identifying suitable conditions for stable gel performance and providing a theoretical basis for oilfield profile control and water plugging operations.