Surfactant loss control in chemical flooding: Spectroscopic and calorimetric study of adsorption and precipitation on reservoir minerals. Quarterly technical progress report. October 1, 1994--December 31, 1994

Abstract

The aim of this research is to elucidate the mechanisms underling adsorption and surface precipitation of flooding surfactants on reservoir minerals. The adsorption and desorption behaviors of tetradecyltrimethyl ammonium chloride (TTAC) and pentadecylethoxylated nonylphenol (NP-15) mixtures as reported earlier were rather complex and to better understand the interactions involved fluorescence spectroscopy and ultrafiltration were used during this report period to probe the microstructure of the adsorbed layer and to determine individual surfactant monomer concentration respectively. It was observed that pyrene was solubilized in mixed aggregates (hemimicelles) of a 1:1 TTAC:NP-15 mixture at the alumina-water interface over a wider concentration range than for TTAC alone. It was also observed that the adsorbed aggregate of a 1:1 TTAC:NP-15 mixture is as hydrophobic as the mixed micelle in solution. This is contrary to what was observed for the adsorption of TTAC alone: pyrene was preferentially solubilized in the TTAC micelles rather than the adsorbed aggregate. The preference of pyrene for the mixed adsorbed aggregates over individual aggregates is relevant to the application of surfactant mixtures in enhanced oil recovery and solubilization. The adsorption/desorption behavior of surfactants is directly related to the monomer concentration of the surfactant, hence it is important to monitor changes in monomer concentration during the adsorption and desorption processes. Ultrafiltration techniques were used to monitor the monomer concentration in solution and at the interface to determine the partitioning of the surfactants to the solid-liquid interface.