Combining low salinity water (LSW) with surfactants has an enormous potential for enhancing oil recovery processes. However, there is no consensus about the mechanisms involved, in addition to the fact that several st...Combining low salinity water (LSW) with surfactants has an enormous potential for enhancing oil recovery processes. However, there is no consensus about the mechanisms involved, in addition to the fact that several studies have been conducted in model systems, while experiments with rocks and reservoir fluids are scarce. This study presents a core-flooding experiment of LSW injection, with and without surfactant, using the core and heavy oil samples obtained from a sandstone reservoir in southeastern Mexico. The effluents and the crude oil obtained at each stage were analyzed. The study was complemented by tomographic analysis. The results revealed that LSW injection and hybrid process with surfactants obtained an increase of 11.4 percentage points in recovery factor. Various phenomena were caused by LSW flooding, such as changes in wettability and pH, ion exchange, mineral dissolution, detachment of fines and modification of the hydrocarbon profile. In the surfactant flooding, the reduction of interfacial tension and alteration of wettability were the main mechanisms involved. The findings of this work also showed that the conditions believed to be necessary for enhanced oil recovery with LSW, such as the presence of kaolinite or high acid number oil, are not relevant.展开更多
Two non-ionic hydro-fluorocarbon hybrid surfactants with and without hydroxyl groups were synthesized and compared.They exhibited good thermal stability and superior surface activity.It was observed that the hydroxyl ...Two non-ionic hydro-fluorocarbon hybrid surfactants with and without hydroxyl groups were synthesized and compared.They exhibited good thermal stability and superior surface activity.It was observed that the hydroxyl group had a profound effect on modifying the surface tension of their solutions and the morphology of the formed micelles.This effect may be attributed to the rearranging of the alkane group from above the air/aqueous surface to below it and the disrupting of the interfacial water structure induced by the hydroxyl groups.This work provides a strategy to weaken the immiscibility between hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon chains by modifying their orientational structure at the interface,thus it is helpful for the design of surfactants with varied interfacial properties.展开更多
文摘Combining low salinity water (LSW) with surfactants has an enormous potential for enhancing oil recovery processes. However, there is no consensus about the mechanisms involved, in addition to the fact that several studies have been conducted in model systems, while experiments with rocks and reservoir fluids are scarce. This study presents a core-flooding experiment of LSW injection, with and without surfactant, using the core and heavy oil samples obtained from a sandstone reservoir in southeastern Mexico. The effluents and the crude oil obtained at each stage were analyzed. The study was complemented by tomographic analysis. The results revealed that LSW injection and hybrid process with surfactants obtained an increase of 11.4 percentage points in recovery factor. Various phenomena were caused by LSW flooding, such as changes in wettability and pH, ion exchange, mineral dissolution, detachment of fines and modification of the hydrocarbon profile. In the surfactant flooding, the reduction of interfacial tension and alteration of wettability were the main mechanisms involved. The findings of this work also showed that the conditions believed to be necessary for enhanced oil recovery with LSW, such as the presence of kaolinite or high acid number oil, are not relevant.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.21673285 and No.21973022)the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation(No.2019A1515012117)the Guangdong Province Universities and Colleges Pearl River Scholar Funded Scheme 2019(No.GDUPS2019)。
文摘Two non-ionic hydro-fluorocarbon hybrid surfactants with and without hydroxyl groups were synthesized and compared.They exhibited good thermal stability and superior surface activity.It was observed that the hydroxyl group had a profound effect on modifying the surface tension of their solutions and the morphology of the formed micelles.This effect may be attributed to the rearranging of the alkane group from above the air/aqueous surface to below it and the disrupting of the interfacial water structure induced by the hydroxyl groups.This work provides a strategy to weaken the immiscibility between hydrocarbon and fluorocarbon chains by modifying their orientational structure at the interface,thus it is helpful for the design of surfactants with varied interfacial properties.
