Influence of Henna Extracts on Static and Dynamic Adsorption of Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate and Residual Oil Recovery from Quartz Sand

Abstract

The application of surfactant flooding for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) promotes hydrocarbon recovery through reduction of oil–water interfacial tension and alteration of oil-wet rock wettability into the water-wet state. Unfortunately, surfactant depletion in porous media, due to surfactant molecule adsorption and retention, adversely affects oil recovery, thus increasing the cost of the surfactant flooding process. Chemical-based materials are normally used as inhibitors or sacrificial agents to minimize surfactant adsorption, but they are quite expensive and not environmentally friendly. Plant-based materials (henna extracts) are far more sustainable because they are obtained from natural sources. However, there is limited research on the application of henna extracts as inhibitors to reduce dynamic adsorption of the surfactant in porous media and improve oil recovery from such media. Thus, henna extracts were introduced as an eco-friendly and low-cost sacrificial agent for minimizing the static and dynamic adsorption of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) onto quartz sand in this study. Results showed that the extent of surfactant adsorption was inversely proportional to the henna extract concentration, and the adsorption of the henna extract onto the quartz surface was a multilayer adsorption that followed the Freundlich isotherm model. Precisely, the henna extract adsorption on quartz sand is in the range of 3.12–4.48 mg/g (for static adsorption) and 5.49–6.73 mg/g (for dynamic adsorption), whereas the SDS adsorption on quartz sand was obtained as 2.11 and 4.79 mg/g at static and dynamic conditions, respectively. In the presence of 8000 mg/L henna extract, SDS static and dynamic adsorption was significantly reduced by 64 and 82%, respectively. At the same conditions, the residual oil recovery increased by 9.2% over normal surfactant flooding. The study suggests that the use of henna extracts as a sacrificial agent during SDS flooding could result in the reduction of static and dynamic adsorption of surfactant molecules on quartz sand, thus promoting hydrocarbon recovery from sandstone formations.

Impact of Methylene Blue on Enhancing the Hydrocarbon Potential of Early Cambrian Khewra Sandstone Formation from the Potwar Basin, Pakistan

“…First, the samples are placed on a flat surface in the optical cell (3,8), and then the n-decane solution (as a representative hydrocarbon) is injected via a high-precision ISCO syringe pump (2) (Teledyne ISCO D-260; pressure accuracy = 0.01%) to fill the IFT cell at the required pressure and temperature. A brine droplet with an average size of 6.2 μL ± 0.6 μL is then injected through a precise needle controlled by another ISCO pump (1).…”

“…The global energy demand is rising and projected to increase significantly in the upcoming years , and may even increase by around 60% by 2040, primarily due to population growth, urbanization, and economic development in many countries. − Crude oil is the principal source of energy worldwide, and the increasing number of depleted oil reservoirs (containing approximately 70% of the remaining crude oil) requires immediate attention. , Hence, the development of innovative production enhancement strategies is essential in order to cope with the increasing energy demand and to optimize recovery from existing hydrocarbon fields. , Several enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods, such as chemical EOR and thermal EOR, are used to increase the recovery and sweep efficiency during water flooding and gas injection. − In this respect, the wettability of the rock is an essential parameter for improving the trapped oil recovery and sweep efficiency. , However, subsurface formations are naturally contaminated with organic acids, which renders them hydrophobic − and leads to the early breakthrough of injected fluid, which leaves behind large volumes of hydrocarbons. , …”

“…The global energy demand is rising and projected to increase significantly in the upcoming years 1 , 2 and may even increase by around 60% by 2040, primarily due to population growth, urbanization, and economic development in many countries. 3 − 5 Crude oil is the principal source of energy worldwide, and the increasing number of depleted oil reservoirs (containing approximately 70% of the remaining crude oil) requires immediate attention. 6 , 7 Hence, the development of innovative production enhancement strategies is essential in order to cope with the increasing energy demand and to optimize recovery from existing hydrocarbon fields.…”