Effective viscosification of supercritical carbon dioxide by oligomers of 1-decene

Viscosification of carbon dioxide by polymers can make large scale CO(2) sequestration safe and efficient. We present solubility of branched hydrocarbon oligomers in CO(2) and viscosification measurements at relevant subsurface conditions. Polymers of 1-decene (P1D) with about 20 repeating units are found to be effective in CO(2) viscosification, increasing it by 6.5-fold at 1.8 wt% concentration at 308 K and 31 MPa. We reason that methyl groups and branching promote solubility and viscosification. Low molecular weight oligomers can have lower solubility in CO(2) than higher molecular weight ones and the trend in solubility is non-monotonic at constant pressure and temperature. Analysis of solubility trend of P1D oligomers in CO(2) advances our understanding of molecular structure and functionality and opens the path to engineering of oligomers effective in viscosification and widespread use of CO(2).