Oil Drilling Xanthan Gum Application

Application in Compression Fracture Technique of Oil Exploitation

Polymer flooding holds an important place in the various ways of enhancing oil recovery. The polymer plays a role in adjusting the rheological property of injected water, increasing the viscosity of driving liquid and improving the sweep efficiency of water flooding. The decrease of water phase permeability can make water and oil flow forward at a constant rate. In the condition of the reservoir, these polymers need to possess viscosity-increasing performance and maintain high viscosity with the change of temperature, pressure and salinity.

InChina, oilfield chemicals mainly use polyacrylamide, Carboxymethylcellulose and modified starch. Consequently this leads to high cost of drilling and low oil extraction rate. Oil drilling xanthan gum is superior to other polymers as for tackifying, thickening, salt-resistant and anti-fouling performance. Moreover, it has a significant effect on mud treatment, drilling fluid and well completion especially under the conditions of oceans, beaches, and permafrost 

Since oil drilling xanthan gum possesses favorable rheological property, water-solubility, chemical stability, anti-degradation ability, it can act as a displacing agent for oil exploitation.

Compared with ordinary hydrolysis polyacrylamides, oil drilling xanthan gum has some advantageous properties, such as physical and chemical stability, good flooding effect, and low manufacturing cost. In addition, due to its favorable anti-degradation and shear resistant capacities, it can selectively flow in the formation and has preferable flooding effects.

Moreover, oil drilling xanthan gum is also applied in fracturing fluids and it is mainly used as a thickening agent in aqueous fracturing fluids and also plays a role in reducing frictional resistance.