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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Miscible flooding process using improved soluble oil compositions

Patent ·
OSTI ID:7301190

Soluble oil surfactant slugs were designed for enhanced oil recovery. The slugs contained Petronate CR (mixed alkyl aryl petroleum monosulfonates), Illinois crude oil, water (less than 5,000 ppM TDS), and isopropyl alcohol or butyl Cellosolve (2-butoxyethanol). The Cellosolve causes the surface active component of the soluble oil to be more effective and improves the stability of the resulting soluble oil (microemulsion). Nevada 130 sand packs were saturated with water, then saturated with Illinois crude oil (gravity of 39/sup 0/ API). An anhydrous soluble oil slug, containing isopropyl alcohol and driven by an aqueous polymer flood (Pusher 500), recovered 91.8 percent of the original oil in place. In a series of tests for tertiary oil recovery, the sand packs were waterflooded before treatment with a microemulsion slug, followed by a polymer flood (Pusher 500) and an aqueous brine drive. The maximum recovery of 83.8 percent residual oil was obtained with a microemulsion slug containing butyl Cellosolve.

Assignee:
Union Oil Co. of California
Patent Number(s):
US 3482632
OSTI ID:
7301190
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English