Investigation of Cationic Nonionic Blend to Alter Wettability for Carbonate Reservoirs

Abstract

Alteration of wettability for a carbonate reservoir is one of the complex challenges faced by petroleum engineers. Cationic surfactants are the only surface agents which have shown successful results with minor exceptions. Recently, surfactant blends has shown ability to posses stability at high temperatures with low Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC). The aim of this research work is to compare the ability of Cationic nonionic blends with cationic surfactants for improving recovery in carbonate reservoirs. The surfactant blends were chosen to alter wettability for a Carbonate core is Cetyltri Alkyl Bromide (CTAB) with Ethoxcylated Alcohol (EO). The concentration of cationic surfactant CTAB was selected based on Krafts point and for nonionic EO on phase separation process. The results were observed on core flooding apparatus. Surfactant blend has shown 0.75 pv (pore volume) of recovery with 2 pv of injection and CTAB of 0.55 pv with 3 pv injection