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China Surfactant Detergent & Cosmetics ›› 2026, Vol. 56 ›› Issue (10): 1297-1309.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.2097-2806.2026.10.002

• Lecture of science and technology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Viscoelastic surfactants (X) Applications in oil and gas production

Yongli Lv1,Yujun Feng2,*()   

  1. 1 Research Institute of Petroleum Engineering Technology, Shengli Oilfield Company, SINOPEC, Dongying, Shandong 257000, China
    2 State Key Laboratory of Advanced Polymer Materials, Polymer Research Institute, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan 610065, China
  • Received:2026-10-09 Online:2026-10-22 Published:2026-10-30
  • Contact: E-mail: yjfeng@scu.edu.cn

Abstract:

Viscoelastic surfactants (VES) combine viscosity enhancement, unique viscoelasticity, reversible shearing and hydrocarbon-sensitivity, and have thus become key components of oil and gas working fluids. This review summarizes the mechanism, formulation and practical applications or potentials of VES in upstream oil industry. In clean fracturing fluids, entangled micellar networks suspend proppants while leaving minimal residue; nanoparticle modification further improves thermal and salt tolerance and fluid-loss control. Self-diverting acids exploit acid-rock reaction to thicken in situ, temporarily plugging high-permeability zones and diverting subsequent acid to low-permeability layers. Gravel packing and coiled-tubing operations benefit from low friction, laminar-flow sand transport and reversible shear recovery. In chemical flooding and CO2 flooding, VES provides both mobility control and interfacial activity, and CO2-responsive systems can gel in situ to mitigate gas channeling and enhance saline-aquifer sequestration. VES shows clear advantages in residue-sensitive reservoirs such as low-pressure low-permeability and coalbed methane formations, yet temperature and salinity limits, the emulsification tendency of cationic species and reagent cost still constrain large-scale substitution of polymers. Future work should enhance performance through nanocomposites, multiple non-covalent interactions and salt-induced assembly, while advancing green and low-cost preparation.

Key words: viscoelastic surfactant, wormlike micelles, oil and gas production, clean fracturing fluids, self-diverting acid

CLC Number: 

  • TQ423