Accelerated polymer gelation process for oil recovery applications

摘要

A process for accelerating the gelation rate of a carboxylate-containing polymer used in oil recovery applications. A gel is prepared by mixing a single aqueous gelation solution at the surface made up of the polymer and a crosslinking agent containing a chromic carboxylate complex and a simple mineral acid. The concentration of the simple mineral acid is selected at a level which achieves the desired rate of gelation for a given application.