Evaluation of Chemicals Interaction with Heavy Crude Oil through Water/Oil Emulsion and Interfacial Tension Study

Abstract

A newly-designed surfactant was formulated to tolerate the harsh conditions of oil reservoirs, including high salinity of the formation brine and temperature. The specific emulsion and interfacial tension (IFT) behavior of this new surface active agent were investigated by performing emulsion stability tests, emulsion size analysis, and IFT behavior in the presence of four different types of alkalis. Image processing was utilized to analyze the droplet size distribution using microscopic images of the samples. The results show that depending on the composition of the mixtures, the optimum phase region and interfacial tension behavior change considerably. Solutions containing a higher percentage of the surfactant (around 1 wt %) show good emulsification capability at different salinities; however, adding any selected alkali to these mixtures reduces the optimum range of salinity tolerance. Mixtures of the surfactant and triethanolamine exhibit optimum three-phase region at higher salinity conditions compar...