The application of surfactants and polymers in carbonate reservoirs has a high potential with emerging technology of the manufacture of these chemicals. Tertiary or enhanced oil recovery with chemicals (CEOR) will become more relevant with decreasing new exploration of oil deposits and high remaining oil saturations in huge carbonate oil reservoirs. However, in several oil deposits, high reservoir brine salinity and moderate to high reservoir temperature are encountered. Under such conditions, many chemicals will be insoluble or degrade fast. A selection of commercial and research surfactants and polymers has been investigated for their application under brine salinity of up to 18 percent by weight with significant hardness and a moderate reservoir temperature of 70 °C. Chemical systems were tested towards outcrop limestone rock samples and calcite platelets in combination with a crude oil, which was modified by different organic acids regarding its wetting potential. Wettability alteration from preferentially oil-wet core plugs was pursued with ethoxylated tertiary amines and quaternary ammonium compounds. The main mechanism of wettability alteration towards more water-wet was proposed as extraction of carboxylate anions from the oil phase and the solid samples into aqueous micelles. Thus, high surfactant concentrations would result in improved recovery. From screening of different surfactant combinations in tertiary core flooding, one promising system of an alkyl ether sulfate and hexadecyltrimethylammonium combined with a terpolymer (TP) from acrylic acid, ATBS and NVP is proposed for the examined conditions. Low to moderate adsorption of the single surfactants and their combination as well as a favorable, stabilized phase behavior when combined with the polymer emphasize the applicability of the system. However, long term stability can be an issue with respect to the sulfate surfactant degradation at 70 °C. Analysis of mixed ionic surfactant systems after adsorption testing has been successfully pursued with a combined TC/TNb-determination.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:DRESDEN/oai:qucosa:de:qucosa:92661 |
| Date | 16 August 2024 |
| Creators | Kühne, Jonathan |
| Contributors | Amro, Moh'd., Ganzer, Leonhard, Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg |
| Source Sets | Hochschulschriftenserver (HSSS) der SLUB Dresden |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion, doc-type:doctoralThesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/doctoralThesis, doc-type:Text |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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