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U.S. Department of Energy
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Effect of temperature on surfactant adsorption in porous media

Book ·
OSTI ID:6323622

The use of surfactants as additives to steamfloods has been proposed to improve the oil recovery efficiency of the steam drive process. A critical factor in this technique is the effect of temperature on surfactant transport through the porous media. Movement of the surfactant front relative to the solvent and heat fronts will be largely determined by the amount of adsorption onto the reservoir rock. An auxiliary phenomenon which also accounts for surfactant loss during high temperature flow through porous media is thermal decomposition of the surfactant. Prior to performing adsorption tests at elevated temperature the thermal stabilities of all surfactants were evaluated. The effect of temperature on the adsorption of 2 sulfonate surfactants and a nonionic surfactant onto crushed Berea sandstone was studied by both static and dynamic techniques. Static experiments were conducted from 25 to 95 C to define temperature sensitive rock-surfactant systems and to establish the shape of the equilibrium isotherm. Dynamic experiments extended the temperature range for sorption to 180 C.

OSTI ID:
6323622
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English