Surfactant Flooding

Introduction

• A surfactant reduces the oil-water

interfacial tension and increases
the oil displacement efficiency.

• Surfactant flooding has been

employed mostly in light oil
reservoirs, but could also be
considered in the case of
moderately viscous oils.
 What is Surfactant ?
Surfactant is the appreviation of:

“surface active agant material

Why use the Surfactant in the EOR

To reduce the surface tension between the residual oil and the
water and rock
 Surfactant Flooding Method

Advantages:
Very efficient method. (In lab , gives high recovery)

Disadvantages:
High cost
WHY ?
• Cost of chemical products.

• Losses of surfactant in the reservoir due to chemical reactions

with the salt water inside the formation.
 Statement of the problem
It is very important to improve the economy of the surfactant
method.
HOW ?

Could be achieved by two methods:

A) Since the surfactant cost represents a great value in the total
cost of the methods , so it is very useful to try to reduce the cost
of surfactant :
1- Use minimum suitable slug concentration
2- Use mixture of surfactants

B) Reduce losses of surfactant in the formation

 Types of Surfactants

Anionic Surfactant Cationic Surfactant Nonionic Surfactant Amphoterics Surfactant

Negative Charge Positive Charge No Charge Contain two or more of
the other classes
Examples of Common Surfactants
a) Sodium dodecyl sulfate:
C C C C C C O
-
C C C C C C O S O Na+
O
b) Commercial petroleum sulfonates:
O
-
R S O Na+

O
R=hydrocarbon group (nonpolar)
Behavior of the Anionic Surfactant in the Aqueous Phase:

In an aqueous solution (water), it behaves as:

H2O
S Na S- + Na+

(Monomer)

A typical anionic surfactant monomer is decomposed

in distilled water into:
1- nonpolar (lypophile) portion

2- polar (hydrophile) portion.

These two portions give “tadpole”
symbol
 Vapor Phase

Liquid Phase

Different structures of the micelle inside the aqueous solution

 Monomers Micelles
Surfactant monomer concentration

Critical micelle
concentration
(CMC)

Total surfactant concentration

Surfactant concentration Vs monomer concentration
 CMC
Concentration
Property

Turbidity

Conductivity
Surface tension

Concentration

Variation or change in the physical properties of the surfactant

after the CMC concentration
 Schematic of a Surfactant Polymer
Flood

Drive Polymer Micellar Oil Unwept

water buffer slug bank zone
 Characterization of Surfactant:
1-Density : (1006 gm/lit)

2-M.Wt : (440 gm/mol)

3- Chemical composition :

Element Ca++ Mg++ Na+ SO4-- Cl- C H N

Concentration
17.35 1.72 546.7 500 71 279 52 traces
(ppm)

4- Its critical Micell Concentration, CMC

5- its Agglomeration Number, N
6-Solubality Product, Ps
Determination of chemical properties:

1- CMC determination

a - By surface tension

b - By Resistivity

2- Product of solubility (Ps)

- By drawing its solubility Curve in fresh water in presence
of CaCl2
 Used Martials
1- Surfactant
-Anionic Surfactant , Sulfonate group, its chemical and physical
properties unknown
2- Fresh water

3- Sea Water
- It is prepared in the lab with the following composition “same
as in Gulf area”
Total
- ++ -- - ++ ++ +
Element Cl SO 4 CO 3 HCO 3 Ca Mg Na Salinity as
NaCl

Concentration
23735 3225 30 183 601 1520 13490 39195
(ppm )
CMC Determinations
 0.80
Conductivity (1/ohm.m)

0.70
0.60
0.50
0.40
0.30
0.20
0.10
CMC = 0.55 mol/lit
0.00
0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20 1.40 1.60 1.80 2.00
Surfactant concentration (mol/lit)

Variation of conductivity with surfactant concentration

 35.50
Surface tension (dyne/cm)

35.00

34.50

34.00

33.50

33.00

32.50

32.00 CMC = 0.55 mol/lit

31.50
0.00 0.20 0.40 0.60 0.80 1.00 1.20 1.40 1.60 1.80 2.00

Surfactant concentration (mol/lit)

Variation of surface tension with surfactant concentration
Determination of the
Solubility
Curve in CaCl2
Product of solubility (Ps)
In the solution:

CaCl2 Ca++ + 2Cl-

SNa S- + Na+ (Pure Surfactant)

2S- + Ca++ S2-Ca++ precipitate

Ps = S2 * Ca++

Log (Ps) = 2Log(S-) + Log Ca++

Log (Ca++) = Log (Ps) - 2 Log (S-)

Y = a -b X
Salt water Salt water Salt water Salt water Salt water Salt water Salt water
0.1mol/lit 0.2mol/lit 0.3mol/lit 0.4mol/lit 0.5mol/lit 0.6mol/lit 0.7mol/lit

Surfactant
Solution
0.1mol/lit

Salt water Salt water Salt water Salt water Salt water Salt water Salt water
0.1mol/lit 0.2mol/lit 0.3mol/lit 0.4mol/lit 0.5mol/lit 0.6mol/lit 0.7mol/lit
Surfactant
Solution
0.2mol/lit
 Typical Precipitation
Curve (Pure Surfactant)
Salt Concentration

CMC point
Straight line
have slope = -2

Surfactant Concentration
Total calcium concentration (mol/lit) 10.00

Precipitated Region
1.00

Solubility Region

CMC = 0.55 mol/lit

0.10
0.10 1.00
Total surfactant concentration (mol/lit)
Logarithmic plot of the total concentration of calcium, in solution,
needed to give a precipitate phase as a function of the total
surfactant concentration. (Below and above the CMC)
 Screening Criteria

• Sandstone reservoir
• Temperature 200ºF or
less
• Permeability greater
than 20 md
• Residual oil saturation
higher than 20-25% at the
start of the project.
• Formation water salinity less
th 200 000
End of this section