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Polymer Gels for Oil Drilling and Enhanced Recovery
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Dr. Jingbin Yang
State Key Laboratory of Deep Oil and Gas, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Dr. Bauyrzhan Sarsenbekuly
School of Energy and Petroleum Industry, Kazakh-British Technical University, Almaty 050000, Kazakhstan
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Polymer Gels for Oil Drilling and Enhanced Recovery

Abstract submission deadline
31 October 2026
Manuscript submission deadline
31 December 2026
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Topic Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Topics is devoted to the study of organic and inorganic polymer gels for oil- and gas-field applications, with the overarching goals of improving drilling efficiency and enhancing oil recovery. Contributions are invited on, but not limited to, innovative polymer gel synthesis, mathematical simulation and experimental assessment of polymer gel performance, and field-oriented applications in drilling and improved/enhanced oil recovery.

Polymer gels are elastomers with a three-dimensional (3D) network structure that is composed of polymers and cross-linkers as the main agents, along with other additives. They have been widely used in various aspects of oil–gas drilling and production engineering, such as drilling fluid, lost circulation control, fracturing, acidizing, conformance control, water shutoff, and enhanced oil recovery.

Polymer gels in oil–gas reservoirs are often subjected to high temperatures and salinity, and excessive temperatures and salinity can destroy the structural integrity of the polymer chains, resulting in a substantial decrease in stability. Therefore, maintaining good properties of polymer gels under high-temperature and high-salinity conditions is extremely difficult. So, many efforts should be performed to synthesize novel polymer gels, evaluate the physical and chemical properties of polymer gels in high-temperature and high-salinity conditions, and investigate the application effects of polymer gels in the drilling and enhanced oil recovery processes in the lab.

We look forward to your innovative research on organic or inorganic polymer gels aimed at advancing drilling efficiency and oil recovery.

Dr. Jingbin Yang
Prof. Dr. Yingrui Bai
Dr. Bauyrzhan Sarsenbekuly
Topic Editors

Keywords

  • polymer gel synthesis
  • polymer gel evaluation
  • polymer gel drilling fluids
  • polymer gel plugging
  • polymer gel fracturing fluid
  • polymer gel acid
  • polymer gel conformance control
  • polymer gel displacement
  • polymer gel application

Participating Journals

Journal Name Impact Factor CiteScore Launched Year First Decision (median) APC
Applied Sciences
applsci 		2.5 5.5 2011 19.8 Days CHF 2400 Submit
ChemEngineering
ChemEngineering 		3.4 4.9 2017 29.6 Days CHF 1600 Submit
Energies
energies 		3.2 7.3 2008 16.2 Days CHF 2600 Submit
Gels
gels 		5.3 7.6 2015 12.5 Days CHF 2100 Submit
Processes
processes 		2.8 5.5 2013 16 Days CHF 2400 Submit
Polymers
polymers 		4.9 9.7 2009 14 Days CHF 2700 Submit

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Article
Development and Mechanism of the Graded Polymer Profile-Control Agent for Heterogeneous Heavy Oil Reservoirs Under Water Flooding
by Tiantian Yu, Wangang Zheng, Xueqian Guan, Aifen Li, Dechun Chen, Wei Chu and Xin Xia
Gels 2025, 11(11), 856; https://doi.org/10.3390/gels11110856 (registering DOI) - 26 Oct 2025
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Abstract
During water flooding processes, the high viscosity of heavy oil and significant reservoir heterogeneity often lead to severe water channeling and low sweep efficiency. Addressing the limitations of traditional hydrophobically associating polymer-based profile-control agents—such as significant adsorption loss, mechanical degradation during reservoir migration, [...] Read more.
During water flooding processes, the high viscosity of heavy oil and significant reservoir heterogeneity often lead to severe water channeling and low sweep efficiency. Addressing the limitations of traditional hydrophobically associating polymer-based profile-control agents—such as significant adsorption loss, mechanical degradation during reservoir migration, resulting in a limited effective radius and short functional duration—this study developed a polymeric graded profile-control agent suitable for highly heterogeneous conditions. The physicochemical properties of the system were comprehensively evaluated through systematic testing of its apparent viscosity, salt tolerance, and anti-aging performance. The microscopic oil displacement mechanisms in porous media were elucidated by combining CT scanning and microfluidic visual displacement experiments. Experimental results indicate that the agent exhibits significant hydrophobic association behavior, with a critical association concentration of 1370 mg·L−1, and demonstrates a “low viscosity at low temperature, high viscosity at high temperature” rheological characteristic. At a concentration of 3000 mg·L−1, the apparent viscosity of the solution is 348 mPa·s at 30 °C, rising significantly to 1221 mPa·s at 70 °C. It possesses a salinity tolerance of up to 50,000 mg·L−1, and a viscosity retention rate of 95.4% after 90 days of high-temperature aging, indicating good injectivity, reservoir compatibility, and thermal stability. Furthermore, within a concentration range of 500–3000 mg·L−1, the agent can effectively emulsify Gudao heavy oil, forming O/W emulsion droplets with sizes ranging from 40 to 80 μm, enabling effective plugging of pore throats of corresponding sizes. CT scanning and microfluidic displacement experiments further reveal that the agent possesses a graded control function: in the near-wellbore high-concentration zone, it primarily relies on its aqueous phase viscosity-increasing capability to control the mobility ratio; upon entering the deep reservoir low-concentration zone, it utilizes “emulsion plugging” to achieve fluid diversion, thereby expanding the sweep volume and extending the effective treatment period. This research outcome provides a new technical pathway for the efficient development of highly heterogeneous heavy oil reservoirs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Topic Polymer Gels for Oil Drilling and Enhanced Recovery)
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