Topic: Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is a highly important topic that responds to a global demand for energy resources. Currently, only around 30% of hydrocarbon reserves are extracted, indicating a clear and concrete need to improve the utilization and lifespan of reservoirs. Oil recovery is defined as primary, secondary, and tertiary recovery, involving different technologies that allow greater oil extraction at a higher cost. Among them, tertiary recovery aims to extract oil immobilized by capillary or viscous forces, which currently accounts for around 3 million barrels of oil per day. There are various options for tertiary EOR that combine existing technologies with innovative methods such as the use of CO2, polymers, surfactants, among others. The most commonly used polymers for this purpose are partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides (HPAM) and, to a lesser extent, polyacrylates. However, these materials are not stable at high temperatures or high salt concentrations, as found in most oil fields. Therefore, the design of suitable polymers to improve the rheological and interfacial tension properties of the displacement fluid in oil reservoirs represents a constant challenge for chemists and engineers.
The general objective of this project is to obtain various polymeric materials with potential application in EOR. Specifically, the aim is to study production and synthesis processes that allow for subsequent scale-up using compressible fluids and solvent + CO2 systems or pure CO2 as the reaction medium. Additionally, the project will analyze the relationship between the chemical structure and functional groups of the materials and their rheological properties, ability to vary viscosity or interfacial tension, stability with temperature, pH and ionic strength, and adsorption and interaction with materials similar to those found in the porous media of oil wells.
The work plan is framed within an active and relatively new line of research in the search for new materials for EOR, initiated in 2016, and aims to complement and enhance the advances achieved to date in the study of linear polymers for EOR.
Profile: Graduates in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, or related fields, interested in applying for the current call for doctoral fellowships from CONICET (no more than 5 subjects pending at the time of application, including thesis or final project). GPA of 8 or higher. Individuals with an interest in research, who are committed and proactive.
Contact: Send CV or contact Dr. Facundo Mattea (fmattea@fcq.unc.edu.ar; fmattea@gmail.com), Dr. Miriam Strumia (mcs@fcq.unc.edu.ar), and/or Dr. Juan Milanesio (juan.milanesio@unc.edu.ar).
