Secondary recovery of petroleum by waterflooding
Greatly increased amounts of oil are recoverable by employing a surface active agent in conjunction with an organic water thickening compound. The surfactant is used in a concentration within the range of 0.1 to 3.0 weight percent in a waterflood containing sufficient water thickening compound to establish a waterflood/crude oil viscosity ratio of at least about 0.3/1.0. The recoveries are greater than using either surfactant or polymer floods alone or in combinations outside of the above specifications. This recovery method is effective with viscous crudes and at very low waterflood/crude oil viscosity ratios. A surfactant-polymer waterflood containing Trepolate YLA and Dow AP 30 polyacrylamide was able to recover 28.4 percent PV of a core after waterflooding. The core, consolidated sandstone, was first saturated with brine, then flooded with crude oil (5 cp) from Hawes Lease, Butler County, Kentucky, and waterflood with brine before the surfactant-polymer treatment.
- Assignee:
- Cities Service Oil Co.
- Patent Number(s):
- US 3452817
- OSTI ID:
- 7215925
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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