Chemical flooding technique to recover oil
Patent
·
OSTI ID:5376665
Generally, the difficulty with waterfloods is that the small pores and capillaries of the reservoir contain hydrocarbons (oil and/or oil and gas) which are generally water immiscible. The existence of high interfacial tensions between the boundary of the water and hydrocarbons seriously impedes the ability of the water to displace oil trapped in the reservoir by capillarity. It has now been discovered that oil recovery can be greatly improved and increased by injecting into the oil-producing zone of an oil-containing formation (prior to injecting a drive fluid) a slug of an aqueous solution of surfactant micelles that are combined with molecules of an amphiphilic organic compound of low water solubility and a polyphosphate. The aqueous solution may also contain an electrolyte, such as sodium chloride. (11 claims)
- Assignee:
- Shell Oil Co.
- Patent Number(s):
- US 3502147
- OSTI ID:
- 5376665
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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