In chemical flooding, a fluid stage, normally water thickened with a polymer, pumped between the micellar or alkaline chemical solution and the final water injection.

Mobility buffers are prepared with polyacrylamides or polysaccharides and are frequently employed in micellar-polymer flooding operations because they improve sweep efficiency, which increases oil production. The high viscosity of the mobility buffer aids in the displacement of chemicals into the reservoir and also minimizes the channeling of the final water injection into the chemical solution or into the resulting oil bank.