Low interfacial tension and miscibility studies for surfactant tertiary oil recovery processes. Technical progress report, December 1, 1977--November 30, 1978

Technical Report · Tue May 01 04:00:00 EDT 1979

OSTI ID:6310093

Miller, C A

The polarizing microscope was used to study the structure of aqueous solutions of petroleum sulfonates in the composition range planned for injection. All the surfactants studied showed a basic pattern of transformation between one structure and another over a relatively narrow range of salinities. As the salinity where this transformation occurs increases, so does the optimum salinity with a given oil, the condition of lowest interfacial tension. A polarized light box is being developed to permit rapid determination of solution structure without the microscope since information on structure may be useful in the early stages of surfactant selection. Solutions containing a well-characterized surfactant, sodium dodecyl sulfate, were found to have the same basic structure pattern as the sulfonates. Hence, further experiments with this simple material should provide information relevant to the more complex petroleum sulfonates. The microscope was used to observe the dynamic contacting process between a surfactant solution and oil. Equilibration proceeds more rapidly at high salinities, mainly because of the spontaneous emulsification which occurs under these conditions. The ultracentrifuge was used to study microemulsions containing a conventional petroleum sulfonate. Results were similar to previous results for synthetic sulfonates except in a region where interfacial tension and solubilization results for the conventional sulfonate were anomalous. Progress was made in development of a theory to predict drop size in microemulsions, an important property influencing both phase behavior and interfacial tension. 5 figures.

• Research Organization: Carnegie-Mellon Univ., Pittsburgh, PA (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AS19-79BC10007
• OSTI ID: 6310093
• Report Number(s): DOE/BC/10007-4
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
AQUEOUS SOLUTIONS
BEAMS
CENTRIFUGATION
DISPERSIONS
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MICROEMULSION FLOODING
MICROSCOPY
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
MIXTURES
OIL WELLS
OPTICAL MICROSCOPY
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
POLARIZATION
POLARIZED BEAMS
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RESOURCES
SALINITY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
SOLUTIONS
SULFONATES
SURFACTANTS
ULTRACENTRIFUGATION
WELLS