Abstract: Water-soluble polymers comprising an N-vinyl amide such as an N-vinyl lactam are found to be useful in processes wherein the polymer is introduced into a subterranean wellbore.Polymers useful in the recovery of natural resources are prepared by polymerizing an N-vinyl lactam by free radical initiation with polymerization conducted in an aqueous solution polymerization medium preferably containing a mixture of dissolved electrolytes, or in a polymerization medium consisting essentially of a tertiary alkanol. Copolymers of such N-vinyl lactams with unsaturated amides, and terpolymers prepared by polymerizing an N-vinyl lactam and an unsaturated amide with a selected termonomer compound are also useful when prepared by these methods. The invention also broadly encompasses utilizing a water-soluble polymer comprising at least one of a hydrophilic vinyl-containing sulfonate, phosphonate or ester and/or a hydrophilic N-vinyl lactam for applications under hostile conditions.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 6, 1992
Date of Patent:
January 17, 1995
Assignee:
Phillips Petroleum Company
Inventors:
G. Allan Stahl, Ahmad Moradi-Araghi, I. John Westerman, Henry L. Hsieh, James H. Hedges, Geir Bjornson