Effect of Electrolyte and Temperature on Interfacial Tensions of Alkylbenzene Sulfonate Solutions

Abstract

The important role the hydrophilic−lipophilic ability of the surfactant played in interfacial tension (IFT) behavior has been recognized early. The thermodynamic model based on the surfactant affinity difference (SAD) concept has been developed and successfully employed to microemulsions. However, according to the theoretical models developed by Blankschtein et al., the molecular size of the surfactant is another important factor on IFT, which can be reflected by the crosssectional area of the adsorbed surfactant molecules, a s . In this paper, based on the concept of a s , the influences of temperature and electrolyte on IFT were expounded. The experimental results show that ultralow IFTs can be obtained only when the surfactant has appropriate hydrophilic−lipophilic ability and a s . The addition of electrolyte can enhance the hydrophobic ability of the surfactant, which improves the n min value. However, the IFT min values pass through a minimum with increasing NaCl concentration, resulting from the responsible mechanisms of enhancement of adsorption amounts and reducing the size of the hydrophilic part during the low and high NaCl concentration range, respectively. An increase in the temperature appears to cause an increase in the surfactant solubility and a consequent decrease in the n min value. Moreover, the IFT min increases with increasing temperature until a plateau because the molecular motion speeds up, which increases the solvent molecules in the adsorbed layer.

A review on applications of nanotechnology in the enhanced oil recovery part A: effects of nanoparticles on interfacial tension

“…However, studies on SP flooding only focused on the screening and evaluation of the polymer and surfactant and their interaction. Reduction in mobility ratio and IFT is influenced by reservoir brine salinity, reservoir temperature, concentration of chemical ingredients an oil components, and others [76][77][78][79].…”

Effect of viscosity and interfacial tension of surfactant–polymer flooding on oil recovery in high-temperature and high-salinity reservoirs

“…However, studies on SP flooding only focused on the screening and evaluation of the polymer and surfactant and their interaction. Reduction in mobility ratio and IFT is influenced by reservoir brine salinity, reservoir temperature, concentration of chemical ingredients and oil components, and others (Gaonkar 1992;Ferdous et al 2012;Liu et al 2008;Gong et al 2009;Cao et al 2012;Zhang et al 2012). Displacement performance is affected by the interaction of the physical properties of the reservoir and those of the fluid.…”

A novel binary flooding system of a biobased surfactant and hydrophobically associating polymer with ultralow interfacial tensions

“…21 The viscosity of the binary system was 32.8 mPa s at 70 C (ESI Table 6 †). The effects of NaCl and Ca 2+ concentration (CaCl 2 was added in the solution) on IFT were showed in Fig.…”