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    Experimental Evaluation of Surfactant Application to Improve Oil Recovery

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    LIU_ku_0099M_11751_DATA_1.pdf (9.748Mb)
    Issue Date
    2011-09-16
    Author
    Liu, Zhijun
    Publisher
    University of Kansas
    Format
    272 pages
    Type
    Thesis
    Degree Level
    M.S.
    Discipline
    Chemical & Petroleum Engineering
    Rights
    This item is protected by copyright and unless otherwise specified the copyright of this thesis/dissertation is held by the author.
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    Abstract
    The objective of this research was to identify high performance surfactant formulations and design efficient core floods for a limestone reservoir with high salinity formation brine. Microemulsion phase behavior experiments were conducted to identify best chemicals formulation (including surfactants, alcohol, alkali, polymer and electrolyte) for core flood test. A successful formulation should be one clear stable phase at reservoir conditions, fluid microemulsion phase, fast equilibration and high solubilization ratio. Formulations with glycol ether alcohols were easier to achieve one clear stable phase than formulations with sec-butanol. Primary surfactant-to-cosurfactant ratio and alcohol concentration were fine tuned to obtain fluid microemulsion phase and sufficiently high solubilization ratio. Core floods with optimized formulation validated its high oil recovery efficiency (95-99%) in Berea sandstone cores with synthetic formation brine. The effect of surfactant slug size, surfactant slug/polymer drive viscosity and formation brine composition was discussed to design more efficient core flood. The properties of the aqueous phase from chemical flood, e.g. total dissolved solids, viscosity and pH were measured to help understand oil displacement process in the core during the chemical flood. Core floods in Indiana limestone cores yielded low oil recovery (27-41%) suffering from large dispersion of the core. Recommendations were made to improve oil recovery on future limestone core floods and field application.
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/1808/8378
    Collections
    • Engineering Dissertations and Theses [1055]
    • Theses [3828]

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    Contact KU ScholarWorks
    785-864-8983
    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    785-864-8983

    KU Libraries
    1425 Jayhawk Blvd
    Lawrence, KS 66045
    Image Credits
     

     

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