Observations on the coalescence behavior of oil droplets and emulsion stability in enhanced oil recovery
Results of experiments on the stability of crude oil drops at an oil-water interface and interdroplet coalescence in crude oil-water emulsions containing petroleum sulfonates as surfactant systems, cosurfactants, and other chemical additives have been analyzed in terms of interfacial viscosity, interfacial tension, interfacial charge, and thickness of the films surrounding the microdroplets. A qualitative correlation has been found between coalesence rates and interfacial viscosities; however, there appears to be no direct correlation with interfacial tension. New insight has been gained into the influence of emulsion stability in tertiary oil recovery by surfactant/polymer flooding in laboratory core tests. It is concluded that those systems which result in relatively stable emulsions yield poor coalescence rates and, hence, poor oil recovery. (24 refs.)
- Research Organization:
- Illinois Inst. Tech.
- OSTI ID:
- 6560126
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-771014-
- Journal Information:
- Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States), Journal Name: Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States) Vol. SPE-6846; ISSN SEAPA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
ADDITIVES
BENCH-SCALE EXPERIMENTS
COALESCENCE
COLLOIDS
DISPERSIONS
DROPLETS
EMULSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
ESTERS
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
OIL WELLS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC SULFUR COMPOUNDS
PARTICLES
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM SULFONATES
RECOVERY
STABILITY
SULFONATES
SULFONIC ACID ESTERS
SURFACE PROPERTIES
SURFACE TENSION
SURFACTANTS
VISCOSITY
WATERFLOODING
WELLS