Effect of Surfactant on Volume and Pressure of Generated CO2 Gas

Abstract

The experimental studies were conducted to estimate the effect of surfactant additives on the volume and the pressure of the CO2 gas generated according to the new proposed technology. An experimental device was designed and built specifically for these purposes. The designed setup allowed initiating and controlling the reaction between the "gas-yielding" (GY) and "gas-forming" (GF) agents proposed by this technology. The temperature was controlled, and the generated gas pressure and volume were recorded during the reaction process. Three types of surfactants were tested to estimate the effect on volume and pressure of generated CO2 gas. The preliminary experimental results on CO2 gas pressure measurements demonstrated that the gas pressure increases withsurfactant addition,decreasing the temperature, andincreasing salinity of the system. INTRODUCTION Dense phase gases (carbon dioxide, nitrogen, light hydrocarbons, etc.) are used to develop miscibility with crude oil in enhanced oil recovery processes. Due to the following reasons, carbon dioxide (CO2) flooding is considered the fastest-growing improved oil recovery method [1]: However, due to the low viscosity of dense CO2 (up to 20% of viscosity of oil), displacement front instabilities and a premature CO2 breakthrough is observed in many cases. In order to control the mobility of CO2 flooding, the gas injection is alternated with surfactant solution [1], which results in generation of foam (colloidal dispersion of gas in liquid). A thin intermediate boundary between the dispersed and continuous phases is called interface. The region that covers the thin film with two interfaces on its each side is called lamella. Each lamella has a link to other lamellae.

Approaches to the effective implementation of SWAG-technology and technology for intrastratal carbon dioxide generating

“…Gas pressure increases with the addition of a surfactant, a decrease in temperature and an increase in the salinity of the formation fluid [37]. In [38], these results were confirmed and the addition of polymer additives was proposed.…”

Evaluation of Fluorosurfactant Performance with Super-Critical CO2 Flooding for High Salinity Carbonate Reservoirs

“…CO 2 is effective in recovering oil from the reservoir because it promotes swelling of the oil, reduces the viscosity and vaporizes portions of crude oil as it is transported through the porous rock (Ghedan, 2009). However as CO 2 is highly mobile, this technique encounters problems of viscous fingering and gravity overriding, as the ability to control the mobility of CO 2 is limited (Bakhtiyarov and Shakhverdiev, 2007).…”

“…To overcome this problem, usage of CO 2 with surfactants has been found to be economically and technically viable (Bakhtiyarov and Shakhverdiev, 2007;Fjelde, Zuta and Hauge, 2009). Yet the efficiency of this system often decreases sharply during flooding as a result of contact with crude, adsorption of surfactants, high salinity formation water and high reservoir temperature (Fjelde, Zuta and Hauge, 2009;Schramm et al, 1991).…”