A preliminary study of core surfactant flood
Year: 2007
Proceedings Title : Proc. Indon. Petrol. Assoc., 31st Ann. Conv., 2007
This study used surfactant of PKO (Palm Kernel Oil), called MES (Methyl Ester Sulfonate), as the IFT reducing agent. The purpose is to determine recoverable oil resulting from MES surfactant flooding.The core samples were obtained from Kondur and VICO Indonesia oil fields. The permeability and porosity ranges from 14.1 to 3599.1 mD and 11.5 to 29.6 %, respectively. Brine and crude oil were used as saturating fluids for the core samples.A standard core holder and a constant rate pump were used in conducting the experiments. Several MES concentrations of 1 to 5% in brine were prepared for core surfactant flooding. In addition, to increase the solubility of MES in brine, a mixture of MES and non-ionic surfactant was also prepared.Results of this surfactant injection on core plugs showed that among all the surfactant solution systems, the lowest surfactant concentration of 1% yielded the highest oil recovery of about 70%. This is because IFT of oil-1% surfactant solution was the lowest and the emulsion droplets formed were also the smallest as seen through microscopic observation. The large size of emulsion droplets formed during the oil displacement by 5%- surfactant solution might create emulsion blocking that resulting in low oil recovery.
Log In as an IPA Member to Download
Publication for Free.
or
Purchase from AAPG Datapages.