Surfactant-Polymer Interactions in a Combined Enhanced Oil Recovery Flooding

Druetta, Pablo; Picchioni, Francesco

doi:10.3390/en13246520

Cited by 22 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 46 publications

(66 reference statements)

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“…There is a growing body of literature [ 11 , 40 , 41 , 42 , 43 , 44 , 45 , 46 ] endorsing the need to utilize a combination of EOR methods to obtain further benefits, which would translate into additional oil being recovered. We focus here on the synergistic effects of nanomaterials and alkali as a novel EOR formulation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wettability Changes Due to Nanomaterials and Alkali—A Proposed Formulation for EOR

et al. 2021

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We investigated the usage of two silica nanomaterials (surface-modified) and alkali in enhanced oil recovery through Amott spontaneous imbibition tests, interfacial tension (IFT) measurements, and phase behavior. We evaluated the wettability alteration induced by the synergy between nanomaterials and alkali. Moreover, numerical analysis of the results was carried out using inverse Bond number and capillary diffusion coefficient. Evaluations included the use of Berea and Keuper outcrop material, crude oil with different total acid numbers (TAN), and Na2CO3 as alkaline agent. Data showed that nanomaterials can reduce the IFT, with surface charge playing an important role in this process. In synergy with alkali, the use of nanomaterials led to low-stable IFT values. This effect was also seen in the phase behavior tests, where brine/oil systems with lower IFT exhibited better emulsification. Nanomaterials’ contribution to the phase behavior was mainly the stabilization of the emulsion middle phase. The influence of TAN number on the IFT and phase behavior was prominent especially when combined with alkali. Amott spontaneous imbibition resulted in additional oil recovery ranging from 4% to 50% above the baseline, which was confirmed by inverse Bond number analysis. High recoveries were achieved using alkali and nanomaterials; these values were attributed to wettability alteration that accelerated the imbibition kinetics as seen in capillary diffusion coefficient analysis.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wettability Changes Due to Nanomaterials and Alkali—A Proposed Formulation for EOR

et al. 2021

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“…The adsorption in artificial brine was attributed to the presence of the positively charged cation sodium ions (Na+) in the solution that enhanced the overall electrostatic interactions between the henna extract/SDS and the quartz sand . Belhaj et al found that adsorption was improved on a negatively charged surface in the presence of salt.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Henna Extracts on Static and Dynamic Adsorption of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate and Residual Oil Recovery from Quartz Sand

et al. 2023

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The application of surfactant flooding for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) promotes hydrocarbon recovery through reduction of oil–water interfacial tension and alteration of oil-wet rock wettability into the water-wet state. Unfortunately, surfactant depletion in porous media, due to surfactant molecule adsorption and retention, adversely affects oil recovery, thus increasing the cost of the surfactant flooding process. Chemical-based materials are normally used as inhibitors or sacrificial agents to minimize surfactant adsorption, but they are quite expensive and not environmentally friendly. Plant-based materials (henna extracts) are far more sustainable because they are obtained from natural sources. However, there is limited research on the application of henna extracts as inhibitors to reduce dynamic adsorption of the surfactant in porous media and improve oil recovery from such media. Thus, henna extracts were introduced as an eco-friendly and low-cost sacrificial agent for minimizing the static and dynamic adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) onto quartz sand in this study. Results showed that the extent of surfactant adsorption was inversely proportional to the henna extract concentration, and the adsorption of the henna extract onto the quartz surface was a multilayer adsorption that followed the Freundlich isotherm model. Precisely, the henna extract adsorption on quartz sand is in the range of 3.12–4.48 mg/g (for static adsorption) and 5.49–6.73 mg/g (for dynamic adsorption), whereas the SDS adsorption on quartz sand was obtained as 2.11 and 4.79 mg/g at static and dynamic conditions, respectively. In the presence of 8000 mg/L henna extract, SDS static and dynamic adsorption was significantly reduced by 64 and 82%, respectively. At the same conditions, the residual oil recovery increased by 9.2% over normal surfactant flooding. The study suggests that the use of henna extracts as a sacrificial agent during SDS flooding could result in the reduction of static and dynamic adsorption of surfactant molecules on quartz sand, thus promoting hydrocarbon recovery from sandstone formations.

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“…The need for EOR is very urgent because of the shortage of oil resources, and it is expected that most of the oil will be produced by EOR in the future. [1][2][3][4][5] Engineers need to choose a reasonable and effective oil displacement method. 6,7 However, the original oil recovery methods, such as primary and secondary oil recovery, are only suitable for shallower reservoirs and lighter heavy oils.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Enhancement of oil recovery by surfactant-polymer synergy flooding: A review

Yao

Zhong

et al. 2022

Polymers and Polymer Composites

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With the depletion of conventional resources, it is necessary to enhance the recovery of remaining oil. The tertiary oil recovery chemical flooding is the most promising for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The use of alkali in chemical flooding produces fouling with the formation, which brings new challenges to chemical flooding EOR. So, alkali-free surfactant-polymer (SP) flooding is used as a new solution for EOR. The polymer makes the displacing fluid have a high viscosity and increases the swept volume. The surfactant can decrease the interfacial tension and emulsify the crude oil while the displacing fluid reaches the corresponding area. The synergistic effect of the two is more conducive to the recovery of the remaining oil. As a result, SP flooding is a more practical approach to enhance oilfield EOR. The research status of several surfactant and polymer types for EOR is reported in this work. According to the study, complex and anionic surfactants are better for EOR. For difficult formations, SP flooding is more suited because of the presence of polymers. Additionally, study analysis demonstrates that SP flooding and alternative polymer injection, when employed at the same cost, can enhance EOR and assist in resolving issues brought on by low oil prices.

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Surfactant-Polymer Interactions in a Combined Enhanced Oil Recovery Flooding

Cited by 22 publications

References 46 publications

Wettability Changes Due to Nanomaterials and Alkali—A Proposed Formulation for EOR

Wettability Changes Due to Nanomaterials and Alkali—A Proposed Formulation for EOR

Influence of Henna Extracts on Static and Dynamic Adsorption of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate and Residual Oil Recovery from Quartz Sand

Enhancement of oil recovery by surfactant-polymer synergy flooding: A review

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