THE INFLUENCE OF POLYMER FLOODING ON PRODUCED OILY WATER: A REVIEW
The process of chemical enhanced oil recovery, CEOR, involves the injection of substances, such as polymers, that reach the production well after permeating the reservoir. These products affect the stability of the produced oily water after primary separation, making it harder to break down these oil in water emulsions. In an attempt to overcome this problem, researchers have studied the influence of polymers on the stability of oily water and have proposed the use of new equipments and chemical additives. This article reviews the studies of the influence of polymer flooding, the most used CEOR technique, on the stabilization and treatment of produced oily water. It is important to understand the influence of polymers on water treatment to avoid interrupting the production of oil and, more importantly, to prevent environment contamination.