Unique rheology of high acyl gellan gum and its potential applications in enhancement of petroleum production

Gellan gum has been widely used as a food additive. This short communication investigates the rheological behavior of high acyl gellan gum. Experiments show that gellan gum achieves high viscosity in fresh water, but loses viscosity at high temperature. Besides, the viscosity of gellan gum is thermally reversible. The effects of monovalent ions and divalent ions on gellan gum are also tested. Sodium, potassium and calcium all have negative impacts on viscosity of gellan gum solutions. Compared with traditional polymer, gellan gum maintains high viscosity under high salinity. Thus, it can be applied in polymer flooding. On the other hand, the unique thermally reversible behavior makes gellan gum a candidate as fracturing fluid additive.