Formation preconditioning using an aqueous polymer preflush

1. A method comprising:

injecting a volume of an aqueous polymer preflush fluid having a total dissolved solids content into a formation comprising hydrocarbons via an injection well extending into the formation, wherein the aqueous polymer preflush fluid comprises water-dispersible ionically charged viscosifying polymer;

after injecting the aqueous polymer preflush fluid into the formation, injecting an aqueous polymer displacement fluid having a total dissolved solids content into the formation through the injection well, wherein the aqueous polymer displacement fluid comprises water-dispersible ionically charged viscosifying polymer,

wherein the total dissolved solids content and the polymer concentration of the aqueous polymer preflush fluid is greater than the total dissolved solids content and polymer concentration of the aqueous polymer displacement fluid; and producing a produced fluid comprising hydrocarbons from the formation through a production well.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the amount of polymer present in the aqueous polymer preflush fluid is at least equal the polymer adsorbed in the formation between the injection well and the production well.

3. The method of claim 2 , wherein the volume of aqueous polymer preflush fluid needed to introduce at least the amount of polymer adsorbed in the formation between the injection well and the production well is substantially equal to A, wherein A is defined by the following equation:

A

=

f

⁡

(

C

se

)

C

p

⁡

(

C

se

)

*

(

1

-

ϕ

)

ϕ

*

ρ

rock

ρ

sol

wherein f(C se ) is the polymer adsorption capacity (in kg of polymer adsorbed per kg rock) at the effective salinity of the aqueous polymer preflush fluid, C p (C se ) is the polymer concentration in the aqueous polymer preflush fluid at the effective salinity of the aqueous polymer preflush fluid, ϕ is the porosity of the formation, ρ rock is the rock density of the formation, and ρ sol is the density of the aqueous polymer preflush fluid.

4. The method of claim 1 , wherein producing the produced fluid comprises producing the hydrocarbon-containing compound and a polymer.

5. The method of claim 1 , wherein injecting a selected volume of aqueous polymer preflush fluid into the injection well further comprises adsorbing an amount of polymer on to the formation.

6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising displacing a volume of the hydrocarbon-containing compound toward the production well with the aqueous polymer displacement fluid.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous polymer preflush fluid has a total dissolved solids content of from 5000 mg/l to 200,000 mg/l.

8. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous polymer displacement fluid has a total dissolved solids content of up to 50% of the total dissolved solids content of the aqueous polymer preflush fluid.

9. The method of claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of the aqueous polymer displacement fluid is greater than the viscosity of the aqueous polymer preflush fluid.

10. The method of claim 1 , wherein the viscosity of the aqueous polymer displacement fluid is from 1.0 to 1.2 times the viscosity of the aqueous polymer preflush fluid.

11. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous polymer preflush fluid is free of a surfactant.

12. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous polymer displacement fluid is free of a surfactant.

13. The method of claim 1 , wherein the aqueous polymer preflush fluid is provided by removing divalent ions from a source water and mixing a polymer with the source water from which divalent ions have been removed.

14. The method of claim 1 , wherein the formation comprises a first layer having a first permeability and a second layer having a second permeability, wherein the first permeability is greater than the second permeability.