Flow Dynamics of Microemulsion-Forming Surfactants and its Implications for Enhanced Oil Recovery: A Microfluidic Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuwei Yu ◽  
Lida Wang ◽  
Ben Liu ◽  
Mengqi Ma ◽  
Fan Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surface Modification ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Recovery Rate ◽  
Surfactant Solution ◽  
Flow Dynamics ◽  
Type I ◽  
Surfactant Solutions ◽  
Glass Micromodel

Abstract The microfluidic experiments were conducted in this paper to clarify the flow dynamics of in situ microemulsion and further understand its EOR performances. Two kinds of 2.5D glass micromodel with varied depths of pore and throat are fabricated. One is designed for the imbibition tests, which consists of two fractures and a tight matrix. Another one is a fractured micromodel designed for the flooding tests. The micromodels are originally water wet, and can be altered to oil wet through the surface modification. At the same time, three microemulsion-forming surfactant solutions at the salinity of type I, II or III were prepared, respectively. Then the flow dynamics of these three surfactant solutions during imbibition and flooding process were visualized by the microfluidic experiments. Results show that the type I surfactant solution realizes the highest oil recovery rate in both water-wet and oil-wet imbibition micromodels. Meanwhile, the type III surfactant solution realize the highest oil recovery in both water-wet and oil-wet fractured micromodels.

A New Dynamic Wettability-Alteration Model for Oil-Wet Cores During Surfactant-Solution Imbibition

SPE Journal ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 18 (05) ◽  
pp. 818-828 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Hosein Kalaei ◽  
Don W. Green ◽  
G. Paul Willhite
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Data ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
History Matching ◽  
Mechanistic Model ◽  
Surfactant Solution ◽  
Experimental Tests ◽  
Quantitative Agreement ◽  
Wettability Alteration ◽  
Porous Rock ◽  
Surfactant Solutions

Summary Wettability modification of solid rocks with surfactants is an important process and has the potential to recover oil from reservoirs. When wettability is altered by use of surfactant solutions, capillary pressure, relative permeabilities, and residual oil saturations change wherever the porous rock is contacted by the surfactant. In this study, a mechanistic model is described in which wettability alteration is simulated by a new empirical correlation of the contact angle with surfactant concentration developed from experimental data. This model was tested against results from experimental tests in which oil was displaced from oil-wet cores by imbibition of surfactant solutions. Quantitative agreement between the simulation results of oil displacement and experimental data from the literature was obtained. Simulation of the imbibition of surfactant solution in laboratory-scale cores with the new model demonstrated that wettability alteration is a dynamic process, which plays a significant role in history matching and prediction of oil recovery from oil-wet porous media. In these simulations, the gravity force was the primary cause of the surfactant-solution invasion of the core that changed the rock wettability toward a less oil-wet state.

scholarly journals Thermal Stability and Compatibility of Surfactants in Presence of Formation Water Salinity under Reservoir Conditions

2020 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 826-830
Author(s):  
Muhammad Khan Memon ◽  
Ubedullah Ansari ◽  
Habib U Zaman Memon
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Stability ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Gas Injection ◽  
Surfactant Solution ◽  
Water Salinity ◽  
Formation Water ◽  
Reservoir Temperature ◽  
Gas Mobility ◽  
Formation Water Salinity

In the surfactant alternating gas injection, the injected surfactant slug is remained several days under reservoir temperature and salinity conditions. As reservoir temperature is always greater than surface temperature. Therefore, thermal stability of selected surfactants use in the oil industry is almost important for achieving their long-term efficiency. The study deals with the screening of individual and blended surfactants for the applications of enhanced oil recovery that control the gas mobility during the surfactant alternating gas injection. The objective is to check the surfactant compatibility in the presence of formation water under reservoir temperature of 90oC and 120oC. The effects of temperature and salinity on used surfactant solutions were investigated. Anionic surfactant Alpha Olefin Sulfonate (AOSC14-16) and Internal Olefin Sulfonate (IOSC15-18) were selected as primary surfactants. Thermal stability test of AOSC14-16 with different formation water salinity was tested at 90oC and 120oC. Experimental result shows that, no precipitation was observed by surfactant AOSC14-16 when tested with different salinity at 90oC and 120oC. Addition of amphoteric surfactant Lauramidopropylamide Oxide (LMDO) with AOSC14-16 improves the stability in the high percentage of salinity at same temperature, whereas, the surfactant blend of IOSC15-18 and Alcohol Aloxy Sulphate (AAS) was resulted unstable. The solubility and chemical stability at high temperature and high salinity condition is improved by the blend of AOSC14-16+LMDO surfactant solution. This blend of surfactant solution will help for generating stable foam for gas mobility control in the methods of chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR).

scholarly journals New insights into the mechanism of surfactant enhanced oil recovery: micellar solubilization and in-situ emulsification

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xue-Zhi Zhao ◽  
Guang-Zhi Liao ◽  
Ling-Yan Gong ◽  
Huo-Xin Luan ◽  
Quan-Sheng Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Micellar Solubilization

scholarly journals The Importance of Microemulsion for the Surfactant Injection Process in Enhanced Oil Recovery

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rini Setiati ◽  
Muhammad Taufiq Fathaddin ◽  
Aqlyna Fatahanissa
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Recovery Process ◽  
Injection System ◽  
Type I ◽  
Middle Phase ◽  
Interface Tension ◽  
Lower Phase ◽  
Injection Process

Microemulsion is the main parameter that determines the performance of a surfactant injection system. According to Myers, there are four main mechanisms in the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) surfactant injection process, namely interface tension between oil and surfactant, emulsification, decreased interfacial tension and wettability. In the EOR process, the three-phase regions can be classified as type I, upper-phase emulsion, type II, lower-phase emulsion and type III, middle-phase microemulsion. In the middle-phase emulsion, some of the surfactant grains blend with part of the oil phase so that the interfacial tension in the area is reduced. The decrease in interface tension results in the oil being more mobile to produce. Thus, microemulsion is an important parameter in the enhanced oil recovery process.

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