International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development

This work focuses on the experimental comparative study of local and commercial polymer injection fluid viscosity effects on reservoir recovery performance under flooding on sandstone formation. A sandstone reservoir core flooding aparatus was used in this work for experimental recovery assessment, with core sample holders which bears the sandstone consisting 40ml original oil in place (OOIP) exist at 30.34 cp oil viscosity. Cassava peels local polymer was also produced in this work, and assessed comparatively with commercial polymer on their recovery efficiency in an Enhanced Oil Recovery system, at variant viscosities 11.45cp, 15.56cp, 19.5cp, 23.54cp, and 27.65cp, as well been injected seperately at 300ml volume into a 0.45m long reservoir. Results achieved from the study was able to identified that the recovery rate of the two polymers are a little bit the same when injected as same operating conditions and viscosities, such that 34.85 ml, 29.18 ml, 19.48 ml, 10.79 ml, and 4.47 ml oil volume were recovered from the use of 11.45cp, 15.56cp, 19.5cp, 23.45 cp, and 27.65 cp viscos local polymers, while 41.54 ml, 36.72 ml, 22.63ml, 10.51 ml, and 5.19 ml oil volumes were recovered over injection of same viscosity cormart commercial polymer, in a 0.45m long reservoir of 40ml OOIP and 30.34 cp oil viscosity. Also, the commercial polymer was identified to be of higher fingering efficiency (FE): 65.39%, 55.34%, 32.12%, 16.65%, and 6.02%. While that of the local polymer was identified to be 53.79%, 46.05%, 38.61%, 15.13%, and 4.97%, over the increase in the fluid viscosities respectively. Using the analysis of variance (ANOVA), the relationship between the local and commercial polymers in the reservoir recovery system shows a strong significance relationship of Fcal= 281.081, 237.968, 264.0366, 192.4262, and 1445.1 for the respective viscosities, with a fingering nature of the polymers both agree to the fact that injected fluid fingers through the reservoir frontline in a wavelike motion, forming peaks, such that the magnitude and number of peaks defines the recovered oil volume, which is satisfactory to the Saffman- Taylor Instability (STI) principle for reservoir recovery under fluid injection. Conclusively, it’s deduced from the study that viscosity influences reservoir recovery performance, hencepolymer and other fluids of lower viscosities are best recommended for effective reservoir recovery performance under flooding. Also, local polymers such as that of the cassava peels are effective substitutes of some commercial polymers, hence should be used in areas where commercial polymers are scarce or expensive to afford for oil recovery purposes.

Wosu, Nwonodi Egbune, Dr.O.F.Wopara, Prof.Emmanuel O. Ehirim,"Comparative Study of Local and Commercial Polymer Viscosities Effect on Enhanced Oil Recovery in Sandstone Formation" International Journal of Scientific Research and Engineering Development, V9(2): Page(301-311) Mar-Apr 2026. ISSN: 2581-7175. www.ijsred.com. Published by Scientific and Academic Research Publishing.