Oil recovery by waterflooding with thickened surfactant solutions
Waterflooding process is described for the recovery of oil for a subterranean formation in which at least a portion of the injected water is thickened by the addition of a sulfonated polyethoxylated aliphatic alcohol surfactant. The thickened water has a salinity within the range of 5 to 18 percent. The sulfonated polyethoxylated aliphatic alcohol has at least two ethylene oxide units to provide an HLB within the range of 10.0 to 14.0 and the lipophilic base contains from 16 to 20 carbon atoms. The thickened surfactant slug may be preceded by the injection of a relatively low viscosity surfactant slug and viscosity gradation of the thickened surfactant slug may be accomplished by varying the salinity and/or the concentration of the sulfonated polyethoxylated aliphatic alcohol.
- Assignee:
- Mobil Oil Corp.
- Patent Number(s):
- US 4181178
- OSTI ID:
- 5499685
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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