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Title: Surfactant loss control in chemical flooding: Spectroscopic and calorimetric study of adsorption and precipitation on reservoir minerals. Quarterly technical progress report, January 1, 1994--March 31, 1994

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/10182733· OSTI ID:10182733

Since surfactants are often present as mixtures, effort is being made to understand the synergetic and competitive forces involving determining adsorption of surfactants from their mixtures. Adsorption of tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (TTAC) and polyethoxylated nonyl phenol (NP-15) surfactant mixture at the alumina-water interface was studied during this reporting period. It was found that the nonionic surfactant NP-15 does not adsorb on alumina by itself, but was forced to adsorb by cationic TTAC. The adsorption density and the nature of adsorption isotherm of NP-15 were markedly dependent upon the quantity of TTAC present in the mixture and the procedure of surfactant addition. In the low concentration range the adsorption of both TTAC and NP-15 was enhanced by coadsorption, but in the high concentration range the adsorption of TTAC was depressed due to the competitive adsorption and steric hindrance. Electrokinetic behavior of alumina suspensions was also monitored along with the adsorption in order to delineate the role of electrostatic force in determining the mechanism of adsorption. Surface tension of surfactant mixtures before and after adsorption was measured to obtain information needed for developing mechanisms.

Research Organization:
Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC22-92BC14884
OSTI ID:
10182733
Report Number(s):
DOE/BC/14884-8; ON: DE94018781; TRN: 94:008159
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: 31 May 1994
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English