Utilizing Used Lubricants to Enhance Intermediate Crude Oil Recovery Through Water-in-Oil Emulsions

Mukhlis Noor Alfatih; Dwi Atty Mardiana; Shabrina Sri Riswati; Changhyup Park

doi:10.29017/scog.v48i4.1924

Authors

Mukhlis Noor Alfatih Universitas Trisakti
Dwi Atty Mardiana Universitas Trisakti https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8543-5342
Shabrina Sri Riswati Universitas Trisakti https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2955-9468
Changhyup Park Kangwon National University https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8083-6809

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29017/scog.v48i4.1924

Keywords:

enhanced oil recovery, water in oil emulsion, used lubricants, intermediate oil, recovery factor

Abstract

This study experimentally analyzes the impacts of water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion derived from used lubricants on enhanced intermediate-crude-oil recovery. The objective is to identify a viable and economically efficient method to enhance the extraction of intermediate crude oil. Typically, W/O emulsions have been employed as displacing fluids in heavy oil reservoirs. According to the results, there have been challenges experienced in the selection of an affordable petroleum-based product and ensuring its availability for emulsion preparation. Used lubricants can be incorporated as a component in the formulation of an emulsion solution by mixing them with brine. The physical and chemical properties of these used lubricants are evaluated to determine their suitability as a displacing agent. Subsequently, several concentrations of the emulsion were prepared, ranging from 5% to 60% (vol/vol), to effectively evaluate their suitability as a displacing fluid. The experimental workflow covered viscosity testing, mobility ratio measurement, IFT evaluation, emulsion stability checks, adsorption analysis, and thermal stability assessment. Core-flooding is performed to determine the recovery factor. A 5% W/O emulsion is found to be an effective displacing fluid for intermediate crude oil. The core-flooding results showes about a 27% increase in recovery when using the conventional flooding emulsion. Overall, the findings indicate that adding used lubricants to W/O emulsions improves intermediate oil recovery due to their favorable viscosity and stability.

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