PRODUCING ULTRALOW INTERFACIAL TENSION AT THE OIL/WATER INTERFACE

In view of the world-wide shortage of petroleum and the fact that a large amount of residual oil will remain in the reservoir after the primary recovery and water flooding stages, the use of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods to recover as much as possible of this residual oil has become increasingly important worldwide. The predominant and most promising EOR technique is the micellar-polymer flooding process which uses a surface active agent (a surfactant) to decrease interfacial tension and hence allows oil to freely move from its original location through the porous media. The purpose of this paper is to present an experimental study of the factors affecting the equilibrium interfacial tension (IFT) at the oil/water interface. A large number of experiments was conducted to study the variations of IFT as a function of many parameters including reservoir temperature, pressure, surfactant concentration, and salinity. An Arabian heavy crude oil was used in the analysis along with three different synthetic surfactants and two formation waters. The pendent drop technique enhanced by video imaging was employed for measuring IFT. It was found that for the ranges of variables considered in this study, IFT decreases with temperature and salinity, increases with pressure, and decreases exponentially with surfactant concentration.     

STUDYING THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN AN ARABIAN HEAVY CRUDE OIL AND ALKALINE SOLUTIONS

ABSTRACT

An experimental study to examine the effectiveness of alkaline flooding for the recovery of an Arabian heavy crude oil is presented. The interfacial tension (IFT) behavior of crude oil/alkali systems over a wide range of parameters (pressure, temperature, alkali concentration and time) was studied. These alkaline reagents react with the acidic species in crude oil to form surface-active soaps in-situ. This leads to a lowering of interfacial tension (IFT) and subsequently the mobilization of residual oil. The equilibrium IFTs obtained through alkaline flooding are compared with the IFTs when a synthetic surfactant (dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid sodium salt) is used in EOR recovery. A mathematical model representing the complete chemistry of the transient process is also presented. The model consists of a set of differential equations describing reactions, diffusion, and adsorption at the oil/alkaline solution interface. The kinetic parameters in the model are obtained through a differential algebraic optimization technique. The concentration of the surface active species are related to the measured IFTs through an independent step that is based on isolating the surface active species formed by the reaction between the acids in the crude oil and the alkaline solution. A sensitivity analysis using the model is carried out to study the effect of surface potential and alkaline concentration on the transient interfacial tensions.     

脂肪醇聚氧乙烯醚磺酸盐系列表面活性剂的协同效应

为满足高温、高盐油藏三次采油的需求,采用自制的脂肪醇聚氧乙烯醚磺酸盐(NNA)系列作为抗温、耐盐驱油表面活性剂,考察了脂肪醇聚氧乙烯醚磺酸盐系列表面活性剂复配前后原油 矿化水体系界面张力的变化,并讨论了其协同效应,并采用静态吸附实验考察了该系列表面活性剂的吸附性能。结果表明,随着NNA表面活性剂分子中氧乙烯链节数的增加,原油 矿化水体系的油 水界面张力最低值对应的矿化度向着高矿化度方向移动,当氧乙烯链节数适中时,可以获得超低油 水界面张力。同系列表面活性剂复配可以显著改善表面活性剂体系的界面活性,具有明显的协同作用。复配表面活性剂使油 水界面张力达到平衡值的时间大大缩短,拓宽了达到超低界面张力的表面活性剂质量分数范围（003%～015%）,耐盐性能也得到提高,使用单剂时耐盐能力在100 g/L以下,复配后耐盐能力达到100 g/L以上。同系列表面活性剂在油砂上的吸附规律相同,从而降低了表面活性剂被地层色谱分离的可能。     

Evaluation of Interfacial Tension Between Zahra Oil and ASP Solution

Alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding has been proved to be an effective enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method. Reduction of interfacial tension (IFT) between crude oil and ASP solution is the main mechanism in ASP flooding. Evaluating IFT between crude oil and ASP solution is a key parameter for ASP flooding in laboratory experiments or field projects. In order to obtain good result of ASP flooding in the reservoir in Zahra field, the influence of the concentration of Na₂CO₃ on IFT between Zahra crude oil and ASP solution with three different surfactants, BHJC, SS-231, and SS-233, was researched. IFT was measured with surface tension meter SVT20N, Dataphysics Co. Germany, at 72°C. For the view of IFT result anionic surfactant BHJC is more suitable for the Zahra oil field. This research is helpful for practical application of ASP flooding in Zahra oil field.     

STUDYING THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN AN ARABIAN HEAVY CRUDE OIL AND ALKALINE SOLUTIONS

An experimental study to examine the effectiveness of alkaline flooding for the recovery of an Arabian heavy crude oil is presented. The interfacial tension (IFT) behavior of crude oil/alkali systems over a wide range of parameters (pressure, temperature, alkali concentration and time) was studied. These alkaline reagents react with the acidic species in crude oil to form surface-active soaps in-situ. This leads to a lowering of interfacial tension (IFT) and subsequently the mobilization of residual oil. The equilibrium IFTs obtained through alkaline flooding are compared with the IFTs when a synthetic surfactant (dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid sodium salt) is used in EOR recovery. A mathematical model representing the complete chemistry of the transient process is also presented. The model consists of a set of differential equations describing reactions, diffusion, and adsorption at the oil/alkaline solution interface. The kinetic parameters in the model are obtained through a differential algebraic optimization technique. The concentration of the surface active species are related to the measured IFTs through an independent step that is based on isolating the surface active species formed by the reaction between the acids in the crude oil and the alkaline solution. A sensitivity analysis using the model is carried out to study the effect of surface potential and alkaline concentration on the transient interfacial tensions.     

The Effect of Alkali and Surfactant on Polymer Molecular Structure

Abstract

With the technical development of enhanced oil recovery (EOR), the alkali/surfactant/polymer (ASP) compound flooding technique has been the necessary choice in Daqing oilfield. Compared to average polymer flooding, ASP compound solution decreases the interfacial tension (IFT) between water and crude oil; however, the viscosity and viscoelasticity of ASP solution were performed by surfactant and alkali, both of which could affect the polymer moleculal structure and the oil recovery of ASP flooding. Considering practical requirements in oilfield development, much effort has been focused on the effect of alkali and surfactants on polymer solution by laboratory experiment and theoretical analysis. The results indicate that alkali and surfactants cause the interfacial tension decrease; at the same time, the molecular structure of the polymer is changed and the viscosity and viscoelasticity of polymer solutions are decreased. In addition, alkali neutralizes with negative ion on polymer molecular and causes the polymer molecular chains to curl up, forming a “band” molecular structure. Those actions could make viscoelastic behavior and rheological property of ASP solution weak.     

欢喜岭油田欢50块高温油藏提高采收率方法研究

欢喜岭油田欢５０块高温油藏室内提高原油采收率实验结果证明，欢５０块原油／（碱＋表面活性剂）体系的界面张力随温度的升高而降低。可利用界面张力与温度关系曲线外推，获得不易测定的较高温度下界面张力值，由于欢５０块油藏温度很高，表面活性剂的热稳定性成为化学驱成功与否的关键，试验证明，含盐度是影响表面活性剂热稳定性的主要因素之一，配方１．５％Ｎａ２ＣＯ３＋０．４％ＬＨ可满足高温条件下欢５０块油藏原油低张力驱     

A New Type of Surfactant for Enhanced Oil Recovery

abstract

Most naturally fractured reservoir rocks are mixed to oil wet and do not imbibe the injected water, which translates into low-efficiency waterflood recovery. To enhance the spontaneous imbibition process, a low concentration of surfactants is dissolved into the injected water to induce wettability alteration of the reservoir rock by changing the wettability of the rock toward a more water-wet state. Zizyphus spina-christi leaves, which are grown in the Middle East, produce a special surfactant called saponin. This surfactant can be used for chemical flooding in Iranian oil fields due to its low cost and availability. Saponin was extracted from leaves using a spray-drying method and the interfacial tension (IFT) between saponin–water–oil was determined. For interfacial tension measurements the pendant drop method was used. A typical pendant drop apparatus is presented in this article. The algorithms used to infer interfacial tension from the geometrical profile of the pendant drop are described in detail; in particular, a new method for evaluation of the value of the radius at the apex of the drop, necessary for calculation of interfacial tension, is presented. Saponin caused a reduction in interfacial tension from 48 to 9 dyn/cm, which can be decreased to ultralow IFT by the addition of salt and alcohol. According to the results, saponin can be used as a surface-active agent for enhanced oil recovery.     

Dynamic Interfacial Tension Between Crude Oil and Novel Surfactant Flooding Systems Without Alkali

Abstract

The surface tensions of tetradecylmethylnaphthalene sulfonate (TMNS) surfactant aqueous solution and the dynamic interfacial tension (DIT) between crude oil, from Shandong Shengli oil field of China, and the surfactant solution without alkaline, was measured. Results indicate that the TMNS surfactant had great capability and efficiency of lowering the solution surface tension. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) is 0.001 mass% and the surface tension at this concentration is 28.19 mN.m^?1. It was also found that the TMNS surfactant is greatly effective in reducing the interfacial tensions and can lower the tension of crude oil-water interface to ultra-low at very low concentration, 0.002 mass%, without alkali and other additives. Both chromatogram separation of flooding and breakage of stratum are avoided effectively. The lower salinity is favorable for the flooding systems, lowering the DIT. The synthesized TMNS surfactant flooding systems without alkali and sodium chloride, decreasing the cost of oil recovery and avoiding the stratum being destroyed, would have a great prospect for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).     

Recent advances in application of nanotechnology in chemical enhanced oil recovery: Effects of nanoparticles on wettability alteration,interfacial tension reduction,and flooding

Chemical methods of enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) are applied for improving oil recovery from different kinds of oil reservoirs due to their ability for modifying some crucial parameters in porous media, such as mobility ratio (M), wettability, spreading behavior of chemical solutions on rock surface and the interfacial tension (IFT) between water and oil. Few decades ago, the surfactant and polymer flooding were the most common CEOR methods have been applied for producing the remained hydrocarbon after primary and secondary recovery techniques. Recently, more attention has been focused on the potential applications of the nanotechnology in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). For this purpose, many studies reported that nanoparticles (NPs) have promising roles in CEOR processes due to their ability in changing oil recovery mechanisms and unlocking the trapped oil in the reservoir pore system. This paper presents a comprehensive and up-to-date review of the latest studies about various applications of nanoparticles (NPs) within the surfactant (S), polymer (P), surfactant-polymer (SP), alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) and low salinity waterflooding processes, which exhibits the way for researchers who are interested in investigating this technology. The review covers the effects of nanoparticles on wettability alteration, interfacial tension reduction and oil recovery improvement, and discusses the factors affecting the rock/fluid interaction behavior in porous media through the nanofluid flooding.     

临南油田弱碱性水表面活性剂驱油体系研究

为适应临南油田注弱碱性水开发需要,研发弱碱性水条件下的驱油表面活性剂对于油田增产增注具有重要意义。临南油田采出水为中性水,pH值6.89,矿化度44118 mg/L;处理水为弱碱性水,pH值7.88,矿化度39116 mg/L。通过测试不同类型表面活性剂与原油间的界面张力,优选出脂肪醇醚磺酸盐和烷醇酰胺类非离子表面活性剂构成的复合体系CDS6,探讨了溶液介质对界面张力的影响,优化了注入段塞和注入浓度。优化的复合体系CDS6组成为：0.1% CEOS6+0.2% CDA01。以中性水和弱碱性水作为介质时,CDS6体系与原油间的界面张力分别为5.84×10^-3和1.70×10^-3 mN/m,弱碱性水与CDS6复配具有较好的降低界面张力的协同作用。物模驱油实验结果表明,弱碱性水配制的CDS6驱油效率高于中性水。在注入量0.4 PV时,0.3% CDS6弱碱性水溶液的驱油效率为57.33%,比水驱提高10.66%。     

以大庆减压渣油为原料的高效、廉价驱油表面活性剂OCS的制备与性能研究

针对现有三元复合驱油体系化学剂费用投入大，经济效益差的缺点，以廉价的大庆减压渣油为原料在实验室内合成出廉价的驱油用表面活性剂OCS，并初步评价了所得OCS样品的性能。结果表明，OCS表面活性剂制备重复性好，性能稳定。OCS表面活性剂具有优异的降低原油一地层水界面张力的能力，在NaOH存在条件下，能在较宽的碱浓度范围内使大庆四厂原油的油-水界面张力降至10^-3mN／m。在Na2CO3存在条件下，能在较宽的碱浓度范围内使大庆四厂原油、华北油田古一联原油及胜利孤东采油厂原油的油-水界面张力降至10^-3mN／m。在无碱条件下，对于大港油田枣园1256断块原油，当OCS表面活性剂含量达到0．1％时，油-水界面张力即可降至10-3^mN／m。对大庆四厂原油的驱油试验结果表明，OCS表面活性剂、碱和聚合物三元复合体系(ASP)的驱油效率比水驱提高20％以上。     

无碱二元体系的黏弹性和界面张力对水驱残余油的作用

三元复合驱含碱驱油体系会大幅度降低聚合物溶液的黏弹性,引起地层粘土分散和运移、形成碱垢及导致地层渗透率下降。为此提出利用不加碱可形成超低界面张力的聚合物/甜菜碱表面活性剂二元复合体系驱油。通过流变性实验及微观模型驱油实验,分析了表面活性剂对聚合物表面活性剂二元复合体系黏弹性的影响和聚合物表面活性剂二元复合体系的黏弹性及界面张力对采收率的影响。对聚合物表面活性剂二元复合体系提高水驱后残余油采收率机理的研究表明:在驱替水驱后残余油过程中,聚合物表面活性剂二元复合体系利用了聚合物溶液的黏弹特性和表面活性剂的超低张力界面特性,水驱后残余油以油丝和乳状液形式被携带和运移,随着二元驱油体系的黏弹性的增加和界面张力的降低,水驱后二元驱后的采收率增加,降低界面张力的驱油效果(指达到超低)比提高体系的黏弹性的效果更明显。     

表面活性剂对超低渗透油藏渗流特征的影响

针对超低渗透岩心,通过宏观驱替实验研究不同界面张力的表面活性剂对单相启动压力、油水两相启动压力、相对渗透率曲线、降压效果及提高采收率效果的影响,分析表面活性剂对超低渗透油藏渗流规律的影响。研究结果表明,随驱替液界面张力的降低,单相启动压力明显降低。油水两相启动压力实验中,在油水两相相同流速比下,随界面张力的降低,油水两相启动压力梯度逐渐降低,含水饱和度逐渐增大。从束缚水饱和度到残余油饱和度,随含水饱和度的增加,油水两相启动压力梯度先缓慢下降,后迅速下降。相渗曲线实验中,随表面活性剂质量分数的增加,油水两相渗流区增大,油相相对渗透率增大,残余油下水相相对渗透率增加,残余油饱和度降低,油气采收率升高,水相(端点以内)渗透率基本没有变化。表面活性剂段塞驱替实验中,岩心一次水驱后,注入表面活性剂可明显降低超低渗透岩心的注入压力、提高岩心采收率,且油水界面张力越低,降压效果越好,提高采收率幅度越大。     

弱碱水复合驱提高采收率实验

针对中原油田实施“水质改性技术”后其注入水已由弱酸性变为弱碱性（pH≥8.0）和马寨卫95块油藏矿化度及Ca²⁺、Mg²⁺含量高、原油酸值低的特点,提出了在改性注入弱碱水中复配抗盐性表面活性剂等实施弱碱水复合驱提高油层采收率的观点。通过表面活性剂在弱碱水中溶解性及其复合体系油水界面张力的研究;确立了适用于卫95块油层生产条件的复合驱配方体系。驱油实验表明,JJ867、JJ869两种复合驱配方体系可分别提高采收率9.3%和14.3%.     

Dynamic Interfacial Tension Between Crude Oil and Novel Surfactant Flooding Systems Without Alkali

The surface tensions of tetradecylmethylnaphthalene sulfonate (TMNS) surfactant aqueous solution and the dynamic interfacial tension (DIT) between crude oil, from Shandong Shengli oil field of China, and the surfactant solution without alkaline, was measured. Results indicate that the TMNS surfactant had great capability and efficiency of lowering the solution surface tension. The critical micelle concentration (cmc) is 0.001 mass% and the surface tension at this concentration is 28.19 mN.m^-1. It was also found that the TMNS surfactant is greatly effective in reducing the interfacial tensions and can lower the tension of crude oil-water interface to ultra-low at very low concentration, 0.002 mass%, without alkali and other additives. Both chromatogram separation of flooding and breakage of stratum are avoided effectively. The lower salinity is favorable for the flooding systems, lowering the DIT. The synthesized TMNS surfactant flooding systems without alkali and sodium chloride, decreasing the cost of oil recovery and avoiding the stratum being destroyed, would have a great prospect for enhanced oil recovery (EOR).     

S7断块驱油用阴/非离子表面活性剂性能评价

针对S7断块低渗透油藏特征,开发出驱油用阴/非离子表面活性剂SHSA-JS,并对其进行性能研究。结果表明,在温度为83℃,SHSA-JS溶液浓度窗口为0.05%~0.6%,注入水矿化度为1 000~25 000 mg/L、二价离子(Ca2+,Mg2+)含量为2 410 mg/L的条件下,SHSA-JS可使油水界面张力达到10-2mN/m数量级;储层净砂和石英砂对0.3%SHSA-JS溶液的静态吸附量分别为4.50 mg/g和0.32 mg/g;静态洗油效率在41.8%以上,0.3%SHSA-JS溶液注0.4 PV孔隙体积后可在水驱基础上平均提高采收率7.71%。该表面活性剂可满足S7断块低渗透油藏对驱油用表面活性剂的要求。     

Wettability Modification of Fractured Carbonates Using Sodium Metaborate Part II: History Match Results and Sensitivity Simulations

Abstract

Chemical-based wettability modification has become important for the worldwide abundance of fractured carbonates with the potential to enhance water imbibition to expel more oil from a matrix to the fractures. A systematic experimental and modeling approach on the combined benefit of wettability alteration for enhanced water imbibition and interfacial tension reduction is presented. Brine, alkali, and alkali–surfactant solutions are injected sequentially to improve oil recovery from a fractured mixed-wet carbonate core. The experiment was successfully modeled with a 3D chemical flooding reservoir simulator with wettability alteration capability. Part I discussed the laboratory results and presented the modeling approach and the waterflood history match results. The history match procedure and results for wettability modification using an alkali agent and interfacial tension (IFT) reduction with surfactant are discussed in this article. Sensitivity simulations to some key parameters are also presented.     

内酯型槐糖脂生物表面活性剂性能评价

为寻找可应用于三次采油的新型生物表面活性剂,以内酯型槐糖脂生物表面活性剂为驱油剂,系统评价了其临界胶束浓度、表面活性、界面活性、乳化性能及耐温耐盐能力,并通过室内物理模拟驱油实验研究了其驱油效率.结果表明:内酯型槐糖脂生物表面活性剂的临界胶束浓度为100 mg/L,具有良好的表面和界面活性及乳化性能,其乳化性能比石油磺酸盐稳定;具有较强的耐温耐盐能力,适用于高温高盐的油藏环境;内酯型槐糖脂表面活性剂的有效驱油质量浓度为10 mg/L,随着其质量浓度的增加,驱油效率成倍增加,当其质量浓度达到10 000 mg/L时,可提高采收率7.15％,具有良好的驱油性能.通过实验还发现石英砂对内酯型槐糖脂表面活性剂的吸附量较少,说明其是比较经济的生物表面活性剂.     

华北油田京11断块三元复合驱配方研究

针对华北油田京11断块油藏原油黏度低、酸值低、水驱采收宰高和储集层黏土含量高等特点，优选得到适合于该油藏的最佳低浓度弱碱三元复合体系：2SY重烷基苯磺酸盐表面活性剂(0．15%)／Na2C03(0．5%)／SY(1．5g／L)。采用实验方法，系统研究京11断块环境因素对该三元复合体系的界面张力性质、流交性以及表面活性剂和碱剂吸附损耗的影响，结果表明：该体系对矿化度、多价金属离子浓度变化以及稀释效应等环境因素影响的耐受性较强。物理模型驱油效率试验结果表明：在水驱至含水98%后，相继注入0．3倍孔隙体积最佳三元复合体系主段塞和0．2倍孔隙体积1．2g／L聚合物溶液保护段塞，可提高采收率21%以上。图3表6参7