Molecular insights into the synergistic mechanisms of hybrid CO2-surfactant thermal systems at heavy oil-water interfaces

Abstract

A hybrid thermal recovery process is a promising EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery) method and has been widely applied to post-steamed heavy oil reservoirs. Due to the complexity of High Temperature and High Pressure (HTHP) reservoir environments, Molecules Dynamics (MD) simulations are conducted to investigate the interfacial behavior between multiphase multicomponent fluids and heavy oil over a wide temperature range. We select CO2 and a cost-effective anionic surfactant, SDS (Sodium Dodecyl Sulfate), to build hybrid thermal systems. The interfacial behavior in different systems is characterized by the local density distribution, cluster analysis, hydrogen bond characters, solvent accessible surface area, and interaction energy. Systematic MD simulations reveal a two-step interfacial tension (IFT) reduction process stimulated by thermal migration. Both CO2 and SDS can achieve an IFT decrement with different mechanisms. Moreover, a co-addition of CO2 and SDS can further efficiently reduce the IFT. Average Reduced Density Gradient (aRDG) results reveal that a unique asphaltenes-SDS-CO2 structure improves the interfacial activities and mobility of the heavy oil phase through a bidirectional mass exchange mechanism, which ultimately realizes the most significant IFT decrement. Furthermore, an optimal concentration (10C–20S) in a hybrid thermal system is recommended because of its balanced performance. This work sheds insight into the synergistic effects of multiphase multicomponent thermal fluids on hybrid thermal systems, which will guide future field applications of hybrid thermal EOR processes.