Mineral-Surfactant Interaction for Minimum Reagents Precipitation and Adsorption for Improved Oil Recovery

Somasundaran, P.

Columbia University

关键词: Limestone;    Gypsum;    02 Petroleum;    Aluminium Oxides;    Polymers;   

DOI  :  10.2172/902900
RP-ID  :  None
RP-ID  :  FC26-03NT15413
RP-ID  :  902900

美国|英语

来源: UNT Digital Library

【 摘 要 】

In this project, fundamental studies were conducted to understand the mechanisms of the interactions between polymers/surfactants and minerals with the aim of minimizing chemical loss by adsorption. The effects of structures of the surface active molecules on critical solid/liquid interfacial properties such as adsorption, wettability and surface tension in mineral/surfactant systems were investigated. The final aim is to build a guideline to design optimal polymer/surfactant formula based on the understanding of adsorption and orientation of surfactants and their aggregates at solid/liquid interfaces. During this period, the wettability of alumina was tested using two-phase extraction at different pHs. The results were explained using the adsorption data obtain previously. It was found that the wettability is determined by both the nano-structure of the hemimicelles and the surface coverage. It was found that pH plays a critical role in controlling the total adsorption and the mineral wettability. At pH 4, the alumina surface remains hydrophilic in the surfactant concentration range tested because of the low surface coverage, even though hemimicelles are formed. Adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on alumina and silica, the component minerals reservoir rocks, was conducted at different pHs. The adsorption of SDS on silica is negligible, while the adsorption on alumina is high due to the different charge of the latter. Tests of adsorption of a modified polymer S-19703-35HT on alumina were also conducted at different pHs. Adsorption density decreases with pH. The results suggest that alkaline pH range is more cost-effective for a SDS/polymer system because of the low adsorption density. A new term, reagent loss index (RLI), was used to analyze the adsorption data for different surfactants and minerals. It was shown that the chemical loss is very high in the case of SDS on gypsum and limestone, while it is low in the case of silica. The mixed Dodecyl maltoside (DM)/C12SO3Na system was also evaluated using this standard term. It is fairly easy to find the optimal conditions, including mixing ratio and pH, for minimum chemical loss using polymer/surfactant mixtures.