Reservoir brines influence soluble-oil flooding process
Oilfield brines appear to exercise control over the effectiveness and properties of micellar solutions, polymers, and surfactants used in secondary and tertiary waterflooding. However, soluble-oil surfactants appear to be more tolerant of brines than aqueous surfactant solutions. The soluble-oil surfactants contain large quantities of monovalent cations (Na/sup +/, NH/sub 4//sup +/) that exchange with the multivalent cations present in the reservoir rock thereby causing little apparent effect on oil-recovery efficiency. It is only when these multivalent ions are picked up by the fluid following the soluble oil that oil recovery efficiency is reduced. Laboratory investigations on sand packs, Boise and Berea sandstone cores, and Dundee sandstone and Racine dolomite cores using the Uniflood process have increased oil recovery by the use of (1) a soluble-oil slug, petroleum sulfonate blend, containing more stabilizer and certain inorganic compounds (sodium carbonate or sodium tripolyphosphate) and (2) additional freshwater preflush and an increase in the size of the polymer-solution slug following the soluble oil.
- OSTI ID:
- 7215974
- Journal Information:
- Oil Gas J.; (United States), Journal Name: Oil Gas J.; (United States) Vol. 70; ISSN OIGJA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
Micellar flooding: fluid propagation, interaction, and mobility. [85% of tertiary oil]
Laboratory core floods to support the El Dorado micellar-polymer project
Related Subjects
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
BRINES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBONATE ROCKS
CARBONATES
DOLOMITE
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
MAGNESIUM CARBONATES
MAGNESIUM COMPOUNDS
MICELLAR SYSTEMS
MINERALS
OIL FIELDS
OIL WELLS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
POLYMERS
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESOURCES
ROCKS
SAND
SANDSTONES
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
SURFACTANTS
WATERFLOODING
WELLS