Title: Interfacial interaction and emulsification of crude oil to enhance oil recovery

Authors: Rahul Saha; Aditi Sharma; Ramgopal V.S. Uppaluri; Pankaj Tiwari

Addresses: Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, 781039, India ' Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, 781039, India ' Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, 781039, India ' Department of Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati, Guwahati, Assam, 781039, India

Abstract: This work addresses the characterisation of crude oil to examine opportunities for chemical enhanced oil recovery. Interfacial tension (IFT) studies were conducted for alkalis (NaOH and Na2CO3), surfactants (cetyltrimethylammonium bromide and sodium dodecyl sulphate), and their combinations. IFT studies revealed that the optimum concentrations of individual alkalis, NaOH and Na2CO3 are 0.1 wt%, 0.25 wt% for which IFT values of 5.15 × 10−2 and 0.40 mN/m have been obtained respectively. For synergy of alkali-surfactant, the complex IFT behaviour indicated values in the range of 10−2 mN/m. Emulsification and sandpack flooding studies affirmed that alkali and alkali-surfactant flooding can provide 24.25% and 38.79% residual oil recovery, respectively. [Received: August 20, 2017; Accepted: December 24, 2017]

Keywords: interfacial tension; IFT; alkalis; surfactants; sandpack flooding; enhanced oil recovery; EOR; emulsification.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOGCT.2019.102281

International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 2019 Vol.22 No.1, pp.1 - 15

Received: 20 Aug 2017
Accepted: 24 Dec 2017

Published online: 16 Sep 2019 *

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