Equilibrium of a microemulsion that coexists with oil or brine

Conference · Fri Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1982 · Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6382199

Huh, C

When salinity, or an equivalent variable, is increased, microemulsions generally undergo orderly transitions from a lower-phase state (water-external spherical micelles) to middle-phase (hydrophile and lipophile almost balanced, but structural details unknown) to upper-phase (oil-external spherical micelles). The hydrophile-lipophile-balanced microemulsion thus obtained has the capability to solubilize a large amount of oil, produce low interfacial tensions, and show good oil recovery. Even though the significance of achieving such a balance has been well recognized in the design of surfactant systems, its quantitative nature in terms of the molecular structures of the surfactant lipophile, hydrophile and the oil and brine salinity has not been fully understood. As part of an experimental-theoretical program to delineate the above relations, our objective is to provide within a single framework a theory that will comprehend all three microemulsion states and put the hydrophile-lipophile-balanced state in its proper perspective. While the theory developed in this report does not accomplish this goal, it is a step in this direction in that it properly describes the lower-phase and upper-phase states, and offers a possibility of being able to describe the hydrophile-lipophile-balanced state in terms of the tendency of surfacetant layer at the oil/brine interface to bend toward either the oil or brine phase.

• OSTI ID: 6382199
• Report Number(s): CONF-820419-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States)
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
BRINES
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MICROEMULSION FLOODING
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
PETROLEUM
PHASE STUDIES
PHASE TRANSFORMATIONS
RECOVERY
SALINITY
SOLUBILITY