Evaluation of ionic effect of green surfactants on interfacial tension reduction under reservoir conditions for enhanced oil recovery*
B. Haq A , J. Liu A and K. Liu BA UWA.
B CSIRO.
The APPEA Journal 51(2) 727-727 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ10107
Published: 2011
Abstract
Ions play a vital role in surfactant chemistry of EOR. The ionic effects of green surfactants are not yet well characterised, but they are biodegradable and environmental friendly, and have great potential for EOR. This study characterises some green anionic and non-ionic surfactants through the determination of the interfacial tension (IFT) of each group and the combined effect of the green surfactants with alcohols on IFT and micro emulsions; and the oil recovery factor through laboratory experiments.
Alky Polyglucosides (APG) was selected from the non-ionic group, which can produce ultra low IFT. APG surfactants are produced from coconut/palm oil, corn, potato or wheat residues. Biosurfactants produced by a microbe called Bacillus mojavensis was taken from the anionic group.
This study has found that the APG surfactants are completely and quickly biodegradable and environmentally friendly. APG surfactants show low long-term aquatic toxicity for bacteria, favourable for fish and acceptable effects are on Daphnia and Algae. Our laboratory tests have confirmed that APG PG 8166 can reduce IFT from 12 to 3.16 dyne/cm at 40 ppm under laboratory ambient condition and from 12 to 4.32 dyne/cm at a reservoir condition of 50°C and 1000 psi. In contrast, the biosurfactant at 40 ppm decreased IFT from 12 to 4.14 dyne/cm at the same reservoir condition.
Temperature appears to have little effect on the IFT of APG surfactants. There is no significant reduction in the IFT values when APG at 10 ppm combined with the pentanol at concentrations of 15 – 120 ppm.
Bashirul Haq is a part-time lecturer and PhD scholar at UWA. Mr Haq was associate lecturer at the School of Oil and Gas Engineering, and then the School of Mechanical and Chemical Engineering at UWA from 2006 to 2008. Previously, he worked for the Department of Petroleum and Mineral Resources Engineering (PMRE) at BUET Bangladesh from 2001 to 2006. He received a master of science in petroleum engineering and a bachelor of science in chemical engineering from Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He was the treasure of SPE Bangladesh Section in 2006. |
Jishan Liu is currently a professor at The University of Western Australia. He has authored or co-authored about 100 technical papers in a wide range of areas from coal mine dewatering to coalbed methane extraction to CO2 sequestration. His current interests include CO2 enhanced gas recovery and CO2 sequestration in coal seam. |
Keyu Liu is a principal research scientist and research team leader of the Fluid History Analysis group at CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering in Perth. His principal research areas are clastic sedimentology, hydrocarbon migration and charge history of petroleum reservoirs and laboratory experiments on enhanced oil recovery. Keyu obtained a BSc from China Ocean University, an MSc from the University of Sydney and a PhD from the Australian National University. Member: AAPG, SPE, AGU, IAS, PESA. |
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