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

Technical Report ·
OSTI ID:10113508

Interactions between surfactants and solids can be understood completely by studying desorption as well as adsorption. During this report period, desorption of tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (TTAC) and pentadecylethoxylated nonyl phenol (NP-15) mixtures from the alumina-water interface was studied. It was found that in tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (TTAC) rich mixtures the desorption of the two surfactants from the interface was controlled by the TTAC and was similar to the desorption of TTAC alone. At high concentrations the adsorption of the mixtures was reversible. At low concentrations, however, the desorption of TTAC showed some positive hysteresis. Since the adsorption of NP-15 was dependent upon the presence of TTAC, polyethoxylated nonyl phenol (NP-15) also, like TTAC, showed some positive desorption hysteresis. In contrast, the desorption of both these surfactants from a 1:1 TTAC:NP-15 mixture showed some negative hysteresis. It was clear that the desorption behavior of the components in the mixture system studied here can be controlled by adjusting the ratio of the two surfactants. With an increase of NP-15 in the mixtures, the desorption of surfactants becomes easier. In an attempt to understand adsorption and desorption behavior of mixed surfactant systems, regular solution theory was used to model the interactions between tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (TTAC) and nonyl phenol polyethoxylated alcohol with fifteen ethylene oxide groups (NP-15). The interaction parameter P and the monomer concentrations were calculated for different mixtures.

Research Organization:
Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
DOE Contract Number:
AC22-92BC14884
OSTI ID:
10113508
Report Number(s):
DOE/BC/14884--10; ON: DE95005359
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English