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Effects of temperature and time on interfacial tension behavior between heavy oils and alkaline solutions
Author(s) -
Babu Dasari Ram,
Hornof Vladimir,
Neale Graham
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
the canadian journal of chemical engineering
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.404
H-Index - 67
eISSN - 1939-019X
pISSN - 0008-4034
DOI - 10.1002/cjce.5450620124
Subject(s) - surface tension , aqueous solution , chemistry , tension (geology) , chemical engineering , thermodynamics , materials science , organic chemistry , composite material , ultimate tensile strength , physics , engineering
Heavy oils contain significantly more acidic components than conventional crude oils. Upon contact with aqueous alkaline solutions, water‐soluble surfactants are formed in‐situ at the interface. These surfactants have the ability to reduce the oil/water interfacial tension to ultra‐low values. This work studies the significant effects of time and temperature on the interfacial tension between alkaline solutions and two Canadian heavy oils (Lloydminster and Cold Lake). The results obtained indicate that the time period during which interfacial tension remains ultra‐low is just as important as the magnitude of the minimum attainable interfacial tension in determining the potential success of an alkaline flooding process in the field.