Surfactant for Enhanced Oil

Recovery : Overview
Latar Belakang

Residual Oil 25 – 65% residual

15 – 25 % Additional
Tertiary Recovery of OOIP

10 – 20 % Addition
Secondary
Recovery of OOIP

10 – 30 % Recovery
Primary
of OOIP
Surfactant
• Surfaktan adalah komponen organik yang terdiri
dari dua struktur molekular yang berbeda, yaitu
hydrophilic dan hydrophobic

Sumber gambar : ElMofty O., 2012

Cara Kerja
• Surfaktan akan menurunkan tegangan permukaan
(interfacial tension/IFT) antara minyak dan air sehingga
memudahkan minyak mengalir di dalam reservoir1,2.
• IFT yang rendah perlu dijaga tetap sepanjang reservoir2.
• Wettability Alteration, terjadi kecenderungan perubahan
dari oil-wet menjadi water-wet

Sumber gambar : Surtek.com Sumber gambar : ElMofty O., 2012

Karakteristik dan Performansi

Dapat menurunkan IFT antara minyak dan air (di bawah 0.3
mN/m atau 0.01 mN/m)

Membentuk microemulsion

Aqueous & Thermal Stability

Tidak mudah teradsorpsi (berhubungan dengan salinitas air

injeksi)

Compatible dengan air injeksi

How to get and determine

Phase Behaviour Interfacial Tension Coreflooding Test

Initial Screening Screening Screening
Mengaplikasikan
Screening Memilih surfaktan larutan surfaktan
Screening awal
surfaktan secara yang dapat optimal terhadap
struktur surfaktan
visual menurunkan IFT contoh core
yang diinginkan
di bawah 0.3
mN/m (0.01
mN/m
berdasarkan
presentasi)
Initial Screening
Terkait dengan struktur-struktur surfaktan dan
hubungannya terhadap karakteristik dan kinerja
surfaktan.
Contoh :
- Solubility ratio meningkat dan optimum salinity
menurun dengan peningkatan hydrophobe
length
- Adding hydrophobe group lowers the optimum
salinity & add calcium tolerance
Phase Behaviour Screening (1)
• Mengamati pencampuran surfaktan dengan oil
& water injection
• Variabel yang berpengaruh : salinity, temperatur
• Hal yang diamati antara lain gel (apakah
terbentuk atau tidak), waktu saat , serta
mikroemulsi
• Emulsi yang terbentuk diharapkan mengikut
Type III Winsor
Phase Behaviour Screening (2)
Pipet surfactant slug formation in borosilicate glass
pipette with a flame-sealed bottom end

Record the level of aqueous surfactant solution

Add hydrocarbon/oil and/or argon (used to displace

volatile gas)

Place pipettes in oven at reservoir temperature

After reaching the desired test temperature, invert

pipettes several times to facilitate mixing

Observe & record phase volume over time

Agigate pipettes if it form s viscous gels or

macroemulsions
Phase Behaviour Screening (3)

Elmofty O., 2012

Phase Behaviour Screening (4)
Pengamatan yang dilakukan:
1. Seberapa cepat emulsion terpecah setelah
dicampur sempurna dan membentuk
mikroemulsi (equilibrium with oil and brine)
2. Tidak adanya makroemulsi
3. High Solubility Ratio (10 atau lebih)

Elmofty O., 2012

Interfacial Tension Screening
• Pengukuran IFT campuran surfaktan, air, dan
minyak
• Performansi dilihat ketika IFT memiliki ultra
low value (berkisar 10-2 mN/m)
IFT Measurement
• Spinning drop tensiometer

Oil and surfactant solution were mixed in glass test

tube

Shake to create an oil/water emulsion

Place the test tubes in rack for 14 days to allow the

solutions to reach equilibrium

IFT is measured using the Spinning Drop Tensiometer

Contoh Surfaktan
No Writer Paper Type of Surfactant Experiment
1 Levitt et al Identification and Branched alcohol propoxy - 0.5 Pore Volume SP
(2009) Evaluation of High- sulfates (APS), internal slug with 1%wt
Performance EOR olefin sulfonates, and surfactant
Surfactants branched alpha olefin concentration -->
sulfonates (AOS) Coreflood test
- High temperature
application (>60 C or 140 F) --
> prefer sulfonates

2 ElMofty, O Surfactant Enhanced Alfoterra 145-4S (sodium - 1% NaCl, 2000 ppm

(2012) Oil Recovery by salt of a monoalkyl C14-C15 (2%)surfaktan -->
wettability alteration branched propoxy sulphate, phase behaviour test
in sandstone reservoir density 1.01 g/ml, viscosity - 1% surfactant
4485 cSt at 20 C) concentration --
>coreflood test
Reference
• Emegwalu, C.C., 2009. Enhanced Oil Recovery: Surfactant Flooding As A
Possibility For Norne-E Segmen. Department of Petroleum Engineering &
Applied Geophysics NTNU.
• Elmofty, O., 2012. Surfactant Enhanced Oil Recovery by wettability alteration in
sandstone reservoir. Petroleum Engineering
• Levitt, D.B., et all. 2009. Identification and Evaluation of High-Performance EOR
Surfactants. SPE Reservoir Evaluation & Engineering
Backslide