Oil-displacing aqueous solution thickened with reservoir-tailored block copolymer

摘要

An oil recovery process in which an aqueous solution is injected into a subterranean reservoir to displace oil through the reservoir is improved by thickening the solution with a substantially linear block copolymer containing both water-soluble and water-insoluble polymer chains. The composition and concentration of the copolymer are correlated with the temperature and injectivity of the reservoir to provide a thickened solution of selected mobility and stability within the reservoir.