EFFECT OF OPTIMUM SALINITY?ON MICROEMULSION FORMATION TO ATTAIN ULTRALOW INTERFACIAL TENSION FOR CHEMICAL FLOODING APPLICATION

Yani Faozani Alli; Edward ML Tobing

doi:10.29017/SCOG.39.2.103

EFFECT OF OPTIMUM SALINITY?ON MICROEMULSION FORMATION TO ATTAIN ULTRALOW INTERFACIAL TENSION FOR CHEMICAL FLOODING APPLICATION

Yani Faozani Alli, Edward ML Tobing

Abstract

Microemulsion formation in surfactant solution has a major influence on the success of chemical injection techniques, and is one of the enhanced oil recovery methods. Its transparent and translucent homogenous mixtures of oil and water in the presence of surfactant have an ability to displace the remaining oil in the reservoir by reducing interfacial tension between oil and water. In this study, the effect of surfactant solution salinity on the formation of microemulsion and its mechanism to reduce the interfacial tension between water and oil from X oil field in Central Sumatera were carried out through compatibility observation, phase behaviour test and interfacial tension measurements in a laboratory. The results showed that microemulsion formation depends on the salinity of aqueous phase associated with different surfactant solubility by altering the polar area of surfactant. The optimum salinity was obtained with the addition of 0.65% Na2CO3 in which microemulsion was formed and the solubilization ratio of oil and water were equally high. At this condition the ultralow interfacial tension was around 10-3 dyne/cm and enabled improved oil recovery in mature oil fields after waterflooding

Keywords

optimum salinity; microemulsion formation; chemical flooding; EOR

Full Text:

PDF

References

Adkins S, Arachchilage GP, Solairaj GP, Weerasooriya U, Pope GA. 2012. Development of thermally and chemically stable large-hydrophobe alkoxy carboxilate surfactants. In: SPE Improved Oil Recovery Sympasium, Tulsa, Paper SPE 154256-MS.

Battistutta E. 2015. Alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding of crude oil at under-optimum salinity conditions. In: SPE Enhanced Oil Recovery Conference, Kuala Lumpur SPE 174666-MS.

Bera A, Ojha K, Mandal A, Kumar T. 2012. Phase behaviour and physicochemical properties of (sodium dodecyl sulfate + brine + propan-1-ol + heptane) microemulsions. J. Chem Eng Data 57:1000-1006.

Bera A, Kumar T, Mandal A. 2014a. Physicochemical characterization of anionic and cationic microemulsions: water solubilization, particle size distribution, surface tension and structural parameters. J. Chem Eng Data 59:2490-2498.

Bera A, Kumar T, Mandal A. 2014b. Screening of microemulsion properties for application in enhanced oil recovery. Fuel 121:198-207.

Bera A, Mandal A, Guha BB. 2014c. Effect of synergism of surfactant and salt mixture on interfacial tension reduction between crude oil and water in enhanced oil recovery. J. Chem Eng. Data 59:89-96.

Bera A, Mandal A. 2015. Microemulsions: a novel approach to enhanced oil recovery: a review. J. Petrol Explor Prod Technol 5:255-268.

Jang SH, Liyanage PT, Lu J, Kim DH, Arachchilage GWPP, Britton C, Weerasooriya U, Pope GA. 2014. Microemulsion phase behaviour measurements using live oils at high temperature and pressure. In: Improved oil recovery symposium, Tulsa, Paper SPE 169169-MS.

Kayalia IH, Liub S, Miller CA. 2010. Microemulsions containing mixtures of propoxylated sulfates with slightly branched hydrocarbon chains and cationic surfactants with short hydrophobes or PO chains. Colloids Surf A 354:246-251.

Li X, He G, Zheng W, Xiaou G. 2010. Study on conductivity property and microstucture of

TritonX-100/alkanol/n-heptane/water microemulsion. Colloids Surf A 360:150-158.

Liu H, Yuan Y, Ding C, Chen S, Qi X. 2015. Effect of electrolytes and correlations for salinities at the optimum formulation of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate microemulsions. J. Surfact Deterg 18:569- 578.

Olaire A.A. 2014. Review of ASP EOR (alkaline, surfactant, polymer enhanced oil recovery) technology in the petroleum industry: prospects and challenges. Energy 77:963-982.

Sheng, J.J. 2014. A comprehensive review of alkaline- surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding. SPE Western Regional & AAPG Pacific Section meeting SPE 165358-MS.

Wei J, Huang G, Yu H, An C. 2011. Efficiency of single and mixed Gemini/conventional micelles on solubilization of phenanthrene. Chem Eng J 168:201- 207.

Zhu Y, Hou Q, Jian G, Ma D, Wang Z. 2013. Current development and application of chemical combination flooding technique. J. Petrol Explor & Develop 40:96- 103.

Zhu Y. 2014. Studies on ASP flooding formulation based on alkylbenzene sulfonate surfactants. In: SPE Asia Pacific Oil & Gas Conference, Adelaide, SPE 171433-MS.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.29017/SCOG.39.2.103