Title: Synthesis and performance evaluation of novel alcohol ether carboxylate surfactants for alkali-surfactant-polymer flooding

Authors: Shuyan Chen; Qingfeng Hou; Guoqing Jian; Youyi Zhu; Yousong Luo; Zhe Wang; Wenjun Li

Addresses: Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China; State Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China ' State Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China ' State Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China ' State Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China ' State Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China ' State Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China ' Department of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Beijing 100083, China; State Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil Recovery, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, CNPC, Beijing 100083, China

Abstract: Novel surfactants alcohol polyoxypropylene polyoxyethylene ether carboxylates (APPEC) were successfully synthesised by carboxymethylation reaction of alcohol polyoxypropylene polyoxyethylene ether (APPE) to meet alkali-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding needs. The structure of APPEC was characterised by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrometry. The reaction conditions of APPEC including reaction ratio of raw materials, temperature and reaction time were optimised. Interfacial tension and ASP core flooding experiments were also carried out to evaluate the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) performance of the APPEC surfactants. The interfacial tension between Xinjiang crude oil and synthetic water could be decreased to ultra-low level in a short time with 0.4 wt% APPEC at 28.7°C. Two core flooding experiments proved that ASP flooding system could improve the oil recovery by 21.5% or 22.3%. Therefore, the APPEC surfactant formulas could improve oil displacement efficiency under Xinjiang reservoir condition. [Received: 22 October 2012; Accepted: 3 April 2013]

Keywords: enhanced oil recovery; EOR; chemical flooding; APPEC surfactants; alcohol ether carboxylate; synthesis; performance evaluation; alkali-surfactant-polymer flooding; raw materials; temperature; reaction time; interfacial tension; crude oil; synthetic water; oil displacement efficiency.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOGCT.2014.057808

International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 2014 Vol.7 No.1, pp.52 - 67

Received: 28 Sep 2012
Accepted: 07 Apr 2013
Published online: 24 May 2014 *

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