skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Flooding method using salt-insensitive polymers for better mobility control

Abstract

To protect the back portion of an aqueous solution of a salt-sensitive polymer from degradation by the brine drive fluid, a salt-insensitive biopolymer slug was inserted between the salt-sensitive polymer flood and the brine. With this arrangement the brine may contain up to 100,000 ppM or more TDS and a greater concentration than 50 ppM of divalent cations. A Berea slab was saturated with brine, flooded with crude oil (viscosity 6 cp at ambient temperature), and waterflooded with brine. A micellar dispersion followed by a graded polymer flood of Dow 700 Pusher, then an aqueous biopolymer flood of Kelzan-M, all driven by a brine drive fluid (12,000 ppM TDS) recovered about 72 percent of the oil from the slag. The micellar slug was an aqueous solution of petroleum sulfonate (MW 420), crude oil (9 cp at ambient temperature), primary hexanol, and primary amyl alcohol.

Inventors:
Publication Date:
OSTI Identifier:
7215976
Patent Number(s):
US 3707187
Assignee:
Marathon Oil Co.
Resource Type:
Patent
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
02 PETROLEUM; MOBILITY; CONTROL; OIL WELLS; MICROEMULSION FLOODING; ENHANCED RECOVERY; MICROEMULSIONS; ORGANIC POLYMERS; PETROLEUM; COLLOIDS; DISPERSIONS; EMULSIONS; ENERGY SOURCES; FLUID INJECTION; FOSSIL FUELS; FUELS; MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT; ORGANIC COMPOUNDS; POLYMERS; WELLS; 020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production

Citation Formats

Knight, B L. Flooding method using salt-insensitive polymers for better mobility control. United States: N. p., 1972. Web.
Knight, B L. Flooding method using salt-insensitive polymers for better mobility control. United States.
Knight, B L. 1972. "Flooding method using salt-insensitive polymers for better mobility control". United States.
@article{osti_7215976,
title = {Flooding method using salt-insensitive polymers for better mobility control},
author = {Knight, B L},
abstractNote = {To protect the back portion of an aqueous solution of a salt-sensitive polymer from degradation by the brine drive fluid, a salt-insensitive biopolymer slug was inserted between the salt-sensitive polymer flood and the brine. With this arrangement the brine may contain up to 100,000 ppM or more TDS and a greater concentration than 50 ppM of divalent cations. A Berea slab was saturated with brine, flooded with crude oil (viscosity 6 cp at ambient temperature), and waterflooded with brine. A micellar dispersion followed by a graded polymer flood of Dow 700 Pusher, then an aqueous biopolymer flood of Kelzan-M, all driven by a brine drive fluid (12,000 ppM TDS) recovered about 72 percent of the oil from the slag. The micellar slug was an aqueous solution of petroleum sulfonate (MW 420), crude oil (9 cp at ambient temperature), primary hexanol, and primary amyl alcohol.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/7215976}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Dec 26 00:00:00 EST 1972},
month = {Tue Dec 26 00:00:00 EST 1972}
}