In simple language, polymer flooding in a reservoir involves injection of water mixed with polymer increase it's viscosity and thereby reduce it's mobility.
In a heterogeneous reservoir, relatively more mobile water by-passes a viscous oil, creating an unstable water front and leaving behind a huge amount of unswept oil. Polymer is added to the injected water to increase it viscosity and it helps to establish a stable water front and improve the sweep efficiency of the reservoir.
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| Figure-1 |
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| Figure-2 |
In Figure 1, a situation where more mobile water is "finger" towards the producer faster is shown. On the other hand, Figure-2 shows a polymer mixed water injection, where the water front is relatively stable and the fingering effect is less.
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