Enhanced oil recovery from high-salinity reservoirs by cationic gemini surfactants

2017 ◽  
Vol 135 (14) ◽  
pp. 46086 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tingjiao Yuan ◽  
Zhe Liu ◽  
Ruimin Gao ◽  
Guangfa Hu ◽  
Gai Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Gemini Surfactants ◽  
High Salinity ◽  
Cationic Gemini Surfactants

Switchable Nonionic to Cationic Ethoxylated Amine Surfactants for CO2 Enhanced Oil Recovery in High-Temperature, High-Salinity Carbonate Reservoirs

SPE Journal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 19 (02) ◽  
pp. 249-259 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yunshen Chen ◽  
Amro S. Elhag ◽  
Benjamin M. Poon ◽  
Leyu Cui ◽  
Kun Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
High Salinity ◽  
Capillary Tube ◽  
Mobility Control ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Displacement Front ◽  
Flow Pathways ◽  
Co2 Flow ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2

Summary To improve sweep efficiency for carbon dioxide (CO2) enhanced oil recovery (EOR) up to 120°C in the presence of high-salinity brine (182 g/L NaCl), novel CO2/water (C/W) foams have been formed with surfactants composed of ethoxylated amine headgroups with cocoalkyl tails. These surfactants are switchable from the nonionic (unprotonated amine) state in dry CO2 to cationic (protonated amine) in the presence of an aqueous phase with a pH less than 6. The high hydrophilicity in the protonated cationic state was evident in the high cloudpoint temperature up to 120°C. The high cloud point facilitated the stabilization of lamellae between bubbles in CO2/water foams. In the nonionic form, the surfactant was soluble in CO2 at 120°C and 3,300 psia at a concentration of 0.2% (w/w). C/W foams were produced by injecting the surfactant into either the CO2 phase or the brine phase, which indicated good contact between phases for transport of surfactant to the interface. Solubility of the surfactant in CO2 and a favorable C/W partition coefficient are beneficial for transport of surfactant with CO2-flow pathways in the reservoir to minimize viscous fingering and gravity override. The ethoxylated cocoamine with two ethylene oxide (EO) groups was shown to stabilize C/W foams in a 30-darcy sandpack with NaCl concentrations up to 182 g/L at 120°C and 3,400 psia, and foam qualities from 50 to 95%. The foam produces an apparent viscosity of 6.2 cp in the sandpack and 6.3 cp in a 762-μm-inner-diameter capillary tube (downstream of the sandpack) in contrast with values well below 1 cp without surfactant present. Moreover, the cationic headgroup reduces the adsorption of ethoxylated alkyl amines on calcite, which is also positively charged in the presence of CO2 dissolved in brine. The surfactant partition coefficients (0 to 0.04) favored the water phase over the oil phase, which is beneficial for minimizing losses of surfactant to the oil phase for efficient surfactant usage. Furthermore, the surfactant was used to form C/W foams, without forming stable/viscous oil/water (O/W) emulsions. This selectivity is desirable for mobility control whereby CO2 will have low mobility in regions in which oil is not present and high contact with oil at the displacement front. In summary, the switchable ethoxylated alkyl amine surfactants provide both high cloudpoints in brine and high interfacial activities of ionic surfactants in water for foam generation, as well as significant solubilities in CO2 in the nonionic dry state for surfactant injection.

scholarly journals New insights into guar gum as environmentally friendly polymer for enhanced oil recovery in high-salinity and high-temperature sandstone reservoirs

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1905-1913
Author(s):  
Tagwa A. Musa ◽  
Ahmed F. Ibrahim ◽  
Hisham A. Nasr-El-Din ◽  
Anas. M. Hassan
Keyword(s):  
High Temperature ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Guar Gum ◽  
High Salinity ◽  
Environmentally Friendly ◽  
Water Soluble ◽  
Natural Polymer ◽  
Soluble Polymer ◽  
Water Soluble Polymer

AbstractChemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes are usually used as additives for hydrocarbon production due to its simplicity and relatively reasonable additional production costs. Polymer flooding uses polymer solutions to increase oil recovery by decreasing the water/oil mobility ratio by increasing the viscosity of the displacing water. The commonly used synthetic water-soluble polymer in EOR application is partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM). However, synthetic polymers in general are not attractive because of high cost, environmental concerns, limitation in high temperature, and high-salinity environment. Guar gum is an environmentally friendly natural water-soluble polymer available in large quantities in many countries and widely used in various applications in the oil and gas industry especially in drilling fluids and hydraulic fracturing operations; however, very limited studies investigated on guar as a polymer for EOR and no any study investigated on its uses in high-temperature and high -salinity reservoirs. The objective of this study is to confirm the use of guar gum as a natural polymer for EOR applications in sandstone reservoirs and investigate its applicability for high-temperature and high-salinity reservoirs. The study experimentally investigated rheological characteristics of a natural polymer obtained from guar gum with consideration of high temperature (up to 210 °F) and high salinity (up to 20% NaCl) and tested the guar solution as EOR polymer. The results of this study show that the guar solution can be used as an environmentally friendly polymer to enhance oil recovery. Based on the results, it can be concluded that guar gum shows shear-thinning behavior and strongly susceptible to microbial degradation but also shows a very good properties stability in high temperature and salinity, where in low shear rate case, about 100 cp viscosity can be achieved at 210 °F for polymer prepared in deionized water. Guar polymer shows good viscosity in the presence of 20% NaCl where the viscosity is acceptable for temperature less than 190 °F. Also, the flooding experiment shows that the recovery factor can be increased by 16%.

scholarly journals Guar Gum-Based Hydrogels as Potent Green Polymers for Enhanced Oil Recovery in High-Salinity Reservoirs

ACS Omega ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (36) ◽  
pp. 23421-23431
Author(s):  
Shimaa. M. Elsaeed ◽  
Elsayed Gamal Zaki ◽  
Walaa A. E. Omar ◽  
Ahmed Ashraf Soliman ◽  
Attia Mahmoud Attia
Keyword(s):  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Guar Gum ◽  
High Salinity ◽  
Green Polymers

Development of Large-Hydrophobe Betaine Surfactants for Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery in Low/High Salinity Reservoirs

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cai Hongyan ◽  
Fan Jian ◽  
Han Dong ◽  
Fan Zhang ◽  
Youyi Zhu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
High Salinity

A New Family of Anionic Surfactants for Enhanced-Oil-Recovery Applications

SPE Journal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (05) ◽  
pp. 829-840 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bo Gao ◽  
Mukul M. Sharma
Keyword(s):  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Gemini Surfactants ◽  
Anionic Surfactants ◽  
Interfacial Properties ◽  
Single Chain ◽  
New Family ◽  
Low Concentrations ◽  
Reservoir Conditions ◽  
Hydrophobic Tail

Summary A new family of anionic surfactants that has great potential for enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) applications was synthesized and characterized in our laboratory. The unique and versatile structure of these surfactants has endowed them with properties that are attractive for EOR. A detailed experimental study was carried out and is presented here on the oil/water and solid/water interfacial properties of seven novel molecules. The interfacial properties of this series of seven anionic surfactants with different lengths of hydrophobic tail and linking spacer group show systematic trends in interfacial tension (IFT) and static adsorption density with changes in solution conditions. These molecules showed excellent aqueous stability even in high-salinity and hard brines. Ultralow IFT (ULIFT) values were measured at low surfactant concentrations. The synthesized Gemini surfactants also showed lower maximal adsorption densities than the conventional single-chain surfactants. The results from this study showed the potential of using these surfactants at low concentrations and in harsh reservoir conditions.

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