FLOPAAM 3630S Equivalent — EOR Polyacrylamide
FLOPAAM 3630S is published as a very high molecular weight partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide used for polymer flooding in enhanced oil recovery. The duty is fundamentally different from wastewater flocculation: the polymer is not there to aggregate solids but to raise the viscosity of injection water so that it sweeps oil rather than channelling past it. That changes which properties matter — brine tolerance, shear stability through the perforations, and long-term hydrolytic stability at reservoir temperature all outrank floc formation, which is irrelevant here. Grade-level figures for 3630S are distributed through the manufacturer data sheet rather than published openly. What we supply is very high molecular weight partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide selected for polymer flooding service, with screen factor and filtration ratio data on the specific batch. Send us your reservoir brine analysis, temperature and target viscosity and we will nominate a grade.
Head-to-Head Comparison
Side-by-side data: Our equivalent vs SNF FLOPAAM 3630S
| Parameter | Our Equivalent | SNF FLOPAAM 3630S |
|---|---|---|
| Type | Anionic HPAM powder | Anionic HPAM powder |
| Molecular Weight | Very high (our scale) | EOR series; grade-level figure via data sheet |
| Function | Viscosity for mobility control | Viscosity for mobility control |
| Filtration Ratio | Reported per batch | Reported on data sheet |
| Brine Tolerance | Hydrolysis selected to your brine | Grade-specific |
| MOQ | 500 kg | Set by regional distributor |
| Trial Sample | Free sample with viscosity data | Via distributor request |
Specifications
| Our Product | Partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide (HPAM) powder |
| Positioned Against | SNF FLOPAAM 3630S |
| Type | Anionic HPAM for polymer flooding |
| Molecular Weight | Very high (our scale) |
| Degree of Hydrolysis | Selected to brine and temperature |
| Appearance | White granular powder |
| Packaging | 25 kg PP woven bags + PE liner |
Key Features
- Selected against the published FLOPAAM 3630S polymer flooding profile
- Batch screen factor and filtration ratio data supplied
- Hydrolysis degree matched to your brine salinity and reservoir temperature
- Free trial sample with viscosity-versus-concentration data
- MOQ 500 kg, direct from factory
Applications
- Polymer flooding for enhanced oil recovery
- Mobility control in waterflood injection
- Conformance and profile modification
- Drilling fluid viscosifier where HPAM is specified
Get a Quote for the SNF FLOPAAM 3630S Equivalent
Tell us the grade you run now and your monthly volume. Quotation with full specifications and batch COA within 24 hours. Free trial sample available so you can confirm performance by jar test before committing.
An EOR polymer is a viscosifier, not a flocculant
Both products are polyacrylamide and the confusion between them costs real money. In water treatment, polyacrylamide is chosen for its ability to bridge particles into a settleable aggregate, and the test is a jar or a CST. In polymer flooding, the polymer never needs to aggregate anything — it is dissolved in injection water to raise viscosity so that the injected front advances as a stable piston instead of fingering through the highest-permeability streaks and leaving oil behind.
That difference reorders every selection criterion. Floc strength is irrelevant. Viscosity in brine is central. Filtration ratio, which barely matters for a clarifier, becomes critical because any microgel or undissolved material will plug the formation face and cost injectivity that is expensive to recover. Thermal and hydrolytic stability over months matters, where a flocculant only needs to survive minutes.
The practical implication for sourcing is that a supplier who talks about your flood in flocculation language has not understood the duty. Ask for viscosity in your brine, filtration ratio, and screen factor. If those three are not offered, the conversation is not yet a technical one.
Brine, temperature and the limits of HPAM
Partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide holds viscosity because hydrolysed carboxyl groups along the backbone repel each other and keep the chain extended in solution. Anything that screens that repulsion collapses the coil and drops the viscosity. Sodium chloride does it gradually; calcium and magnesium do it sharply, because divalent ions can bridge between carboxyl groups on the same chain and pull it closed.
This sets a real boundary on where HPAM is the right chemistry. In moderate salinity with low hardness it is efficient and economical. As hardness rises, the concentration required to hit the same viscosity climbs until the economics turn, and at high temperature combined with high hardness the polymer can eventually precipitate. Where a reservoir sits beyond that line the honest answer is that HPAM is not the right product, and we would rather say so than sell into a flood that will disappoint.
Degree of hydrolysis is the adjustable variable. Lower hydrolysis reduces salt sensitivity at the cost of some viscosity efficiency in fresh water — a worthwhile trade in hard brine. This is why we ask for a full brine analysis including divalent ions rather than only total dissolved solids, because two brines with identical TDS and different hardness need different products.
| Parameter to establish | Why it decides the grade | How to measure |
|---|---|---|
| Divalent ion concentration | Sets salt sensitivity and required hydrolysis degree | Full brine ion analysis, not TDS alone |
| Reservoir temperature | Governs long-term hydrolysis and precipitation risk | Bottomhole measurement; test polymer at temperature over time |
| Shear at wellhead and perforations | Determines irreversible chain breakage before the formation | Viscosity before and after a controlled shear loop |
| Formation permeability | Sets acceptable filtration ratio and molecular weight ceiling | Core data plus filtration ratio testing |
| Target mobility ratio | Sets concentration, and therefore cost per barrel | Viscosity-versus-concentration curve in your own brine |
What we will and will not claim
We are an independent manufacturer with no affiliation to, endorsement from, or distribution agreement with SNF. FLOPAAM is their trademark and appears here only to identify the product a buyer is looking to replace. We do not claim our product is identical to theirs, and for an application where a wrong decision is measured in lost injectivity rather than a rejected drum, we would rather understate the match and let a core flood settle it.
What we will do is supply batch-specific screen factor and filtration ratio data, select hydrolysis degree against your brine analysis rather than against a generic specification, and send a sample for viscosity testing in your own water. Standard practice for polymer flood screening and polymer qualification is documented in the Society of Petroleum Engineers literature, and API publishes recommended practice for evaluating polymers used in oilfield injection service. Both are better authorities on acceptance criteria than any supplier, including us.
Dosage Guide
Polymer flood concentration is set by target mobility ratio, typically in the hundreds to low thousands of ppm depending on brine salinity and reservoir permeability. Determine it from viscosity-versus-concentration data in your own brine, not from a general figure.
Frequently Asked Questions — FLOPAAM 3630S Equivalent — EOR Polyacrylamide
Why can I not select an EOR polymer the way I select a flocculant?
Because the function is different. A flocculant is chosen for how it aggregates solids; an EOR polymer is chosen for how much viscosity it holds in your specific brine at your specific reservoir temperature over months of exposure. A grade that outperforms on a flocculation test can be the wrong choice for a flood, and molecular weight alone does not tell you which is which.
What data should I ask any supplier for?
Viscosity as a function of concentration in your own synthetic brine, not in fresh water; filtration ratio, which indicates whether the product will plug the formation face; and screen factor as a practical proxy for effective molecular weight in solution. A supplier who can only give you a molecular weight number is not giving you enough to make an injection decision.
Why does brine salinity matter so much?
Partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide holds viscosity through electrostatic repulsion along the chain, which keeps the coil expanded. Dissolved salts screen that repulsion and the coil contracts, so viscosity falls — sharply with divalent calcium and magnesium, more gradually with sodium. The degree of hydrolysis has to be selected against your water, which is why we ask for the analysis before nominating a grade.
Does shear degradation matter at the wellhead?
Yes, and it is often the largest single loss in the system. Very high molecular weight chains break irreversibly passing through chokes, valves and perforations at high velocity. The viscosity you measure in the lab is not the viscosity that reaches the formation. Where shear is severe, the answer is sometimes a slightly lower molecular weight grade at higher concentration rather than the highest available grade.
How is thermal stability assessed?
Hydrolysis continues in the reservoir, and above roughly 70 °C it accelerates. Beyond a point the polymer becomes sensitive to divalent ions and can precipitate. For higher temperature reservoirs this is a screening criterion that has to be tested over time at temperature in your brine, not inferred from a data sheet.
Do you supply a copy of FLOPAAM 3630S?
No. We supply independently manufactured HPAM selected against the published 3630S service profile. We are not affiliated with SNF, we do not claim our product is identical, and FLOPAAM is their trademark. For a flood, confirm suitability by core flood or at minimum by viscosity and filtration testing in your own brine.
Related Products
Trademark notice. SNF FLOPAAM 3630S and all other third-party product and brand names on this page are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. Henan Jinghua New Material Technology Co., Ltd. is not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by or authorised by those owners, and no such relationship is implied. Those names are used here for the sole purpose of identifying the products our grades are compared against, which is necessary to describe what we supply. Our products are independently manufactured and are not licensed copies. Grade descriptors quoted for third-party products are taken from each manufacturer’s own published literature and follow that manufacturer’s own scale; we do not publish figures those manufacturers do not publish. Performance on your process should be confirmed by jar test or CST test before any change of supply.