Publications

Surfactants in the petroleum industry are used for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). EOR is a method used in the later stages (tertiary stage) of oil recovery. Compared with other surfactants, such as petroleum-based surfactants, Sodium Ligno Sulfonate (SLS) is a surfactant that consists of raw materials that is commonly available, considered as surfactant with relatively low cost, and it is environmentally friendly. However, there are also drawbacks that must be addressed with SLS. One of the drawbacks is its poor ability to lower the Interfacial Tension (IFT). The modified SLS formed in this study is expected to meet the criteria for IFT values below 10-4 mN/m. SLS is further modified so that it can improve the recovery of petroleum in old reservoirs. In this study, after going through a series of tests using Method Round IFT capillaries, modified SLS can reach values of IFT 10-4 mN/m on variations in temperature, time, ratio of reactants, and addition of certain co-surfactants. A series of core flooding tests was conducted to determine the ability of the oil traits (Allen, 1993). From these test results, the modified SLS in this study can be continued to the next stage: a pilot plant test.