A Review of Starches and Their Derivatives for Oilfield Applications in China

As a class of important polymeric additives, numerous starches and their derivatives have been prepared and their suitability studied for various oilfield applications such as filtrate-loss control, mud-rheology modification, shale stabilization, enhanced oil recovery (EOR), drag reduction, and water shutoff, and some of these starches have been widely used in this area. These materials include mainly pregelatinized starches, etherified starches, and grafted starches. This article provides a review of their research and development in view of the special situation in China. Some important features of their properties are also presented.