An Environment-Friendly Alkaline Solution for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Abstract

The injection of alkali and alkali/polymer solutions is a well-known enhanced oil recovery technique. This article demonstrates how wood ash can be used as a source of low cost alkali instead of synthetic alkali that is also environmentally friendly. From the experimental studies, it is found that the pH value of 6% wood ash extracted solution is very close to the pH value of 0.5% synthetic NaOH or of 0.75% Na 2 SiO 3 solution. A preliminary microscopic study of oil/oil droplets interaction in natural alkaline solution was carried out in order to understand the oil/water interface changes with time and its effect on oil/oil droplet coalescence. Also, interfacial tension (IFT) was measured for both synthetic and natural alkaline solutions. The IFT values in the presence of acidic crude oil show comparable results.

Dynamic interfacial tensions of p -( n -lauryl)-benzyl polyoxyethylene ether carboxybetaine solutions

“…Chemical flooding, which includes polymer flooding, surfactant flooding, alkalinepolymer flooding, alkaline-surfactant flooding, and alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding, is one of the promising EOR methods for the oil field with low oil production. Although it is generally accepted that the inorganic alkali, which is added into surfactant flooding, plays an important role in reducing interfacial tension (IFT) (Rahman et al, 2008;Pei et al, 2013), but field applications have proved that many problems need to be faced, such as the formation of clay migration, the damage of the stratum, and the corrosion of the oil production equipment Zhang et al, 2007) and so on. Hence, it is vital in the surfactant flooding with organic alkali or alkali-free system for EOR.…”