Mobilization and banking of residual oil in high salinity reservoir systems with the use of aqueous surfactant solutions of ethoxylated carboxymethylates

Conference · Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1982 · Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6185253

Kraft, H R; Pusch, G

Highly saline reservoir brine and crude oil with ethoxylated carboxymethylates and cosolvents show a complication phase behavior. The phase inversion temperature (PIT) has been investigated with respect to its ability to discern phase transformation in oil-brine-surfactant systems. PIT proved to be very sensitive to changes in salinity, ionic strength, water-oil ratio and surfactant concentration, which simultaneously are responsible for phase inversion of chemical systems in the porous medium. Viscosity measurements on the emulsion in a low shear viscosimeter demonstrated that the increase of viscosity of a water-in-oil emulsion can be attributed to the increase of the WOR. In displacement processes this may be provoked by viscous finering of the mobility buffer into the mobilized oil bank. The length and profile of the oil bank is controlled by phase conditions and viscous forces in the transition zone of the mobility buffer. By addition of a suitable alcohol as a cosolvent to the surfactant slug or to the mobility buffer the temperature range of the stable displacement process could be extended without loss of recovery efficiency and the pressure gradients observed during the flood were in the normal range.

• OSTI ID: 6185253
• Report Number(s): CONF-820419-
• Journal Information: Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States), Conference: Enhanced oil recovery symposium, Tulsa, OK, USA, 4 Apr 1982
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
BRINES
PHASE STUDIES
OIL WELLS
MICROEMULSION FLOODING
PETROLEUM
SURFACTANTS
ALCOHOLS
DRILL CORES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
VISCOSITY
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
RECOVERY
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production