What is polymer flooding?

Polymer flooding refers to the method of adding water-soluble polymer into injected water to increase the viscosity of water phase, reduce the permeability of water phase, and improve the oil-water viscosity ratio, thereby expanding the volume sweep coefficient and improving oil recovery (Figure 5.7).

Fig. 5.7 Schematic diagram of polymer flooding

1972 China began to carry out polymer flooding experiments in Daqing Oilfield, and 1990 began to carry out experiments in the central and western regions. Since 1996 was put into industrial application, polymer flooding in Daqing Oilfield has created a miracle in the history of oilfield development in the world and has become an important technical support for continuous high production in Daqing Oilfield.