Open AccessSurfactant-enhanced alkaline flooding for light oil recovery. Quarterly report, October 1--December 30, 1994
Author(s) -
D. T. Wasan
Publication year - 1994
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Reports
DOI - 10.2172/78710
Subject(s) - porous medium , emulsion , pulmonary surfactant , enhanced oil recovery , petroleum engineering , dispersion (optics) , materials science , dielectric , porosity , chemical engineering , water flooding , surface tension , composite material , geology , optics , engineering , thermodynamics , physics , optoelectronics
The overall objective of this project is to develop a very cost-effective method for formulating a successful surfactant-enhanced alkaline flood by appropriately choosing mixed alkalis which form inexpensive buffers to obtain the desired pH (between 8.5 and 12.0) for ultimate spontaneous emulsification and ultra-low tension. In addition, the novel concept of pH gradient design to optimize flood water conditions will be tested. The problem of characterizing emulsions in porous media is very important in enhanced oil recovery applications. This is usually accomplished by externally added or insitu generated surfactants that sweep the oil out of the reservoir. Emulsification of the trapped oil is one of the mechanisms of recovery. The ability to detect emulsions in the porous medium is therefore crucial to designing profitable flood systems. The capability of microwave dielectric techniques to detect emulsions in porous medium is demonstrated by mathematical modelling and by experiments. This quarter the dielectric properties of porous media are shown to be predicted adequately by treating it an an O/W type dispersion of sand grains in water. Dielectric measurements of emulsion flow in porous media show that dielectric techniques may be applied to determine emulsion characteristics in porous media. The experimental observations were confirmed by theoretical analysis