Ultralow Interfacial Tension Research Articles

All-Aqueous Embedded 3D Printing for Freeform Fabrication of Biomimetic 3D Constructs.

All-aqueous embedded 3D printing, which involves extruding inks in an aqueous bath, has emerged as a transformative platform for the freeform fabrication of 3D constructs with precise control. The use of a supporting bath not only enables the printing of arbitrarily designed 3D constructs but also broadens ink selection for various soft matters, advancing the wide application of this technology. This review focuses on recent progress in the freeform preparation of 3D constructs using all-aqueous embedded 3D printing. It begins by discussing the significance of ultralow interfacial tension in all-liquid embedded printing and highlights the fundamental concepts and properties of all-aqueous system. The review then introduces recent advances in all-aqueous embedded 3D printing and clarifies the key factors affecting printing stability and shape fidelity, aiming to guide expansion and assessment of emerging printing systems used for various representative applications. Furthermore, it proposes the potential scope and applications of this technology, including in vitro models, cytomimetic microreactors, and soft ionic electronics. Finally, the review discusses the challenges facing current all-aqueous embedded 3D printing and offers future perspectives on possible improvements and developments.

Construction and Properties Evaluation of the Binary Flooding System Based on Lipid Peptide.

To enhance crude oil recovery under complex reservoir conditions and reduce the environmental impact of the oil displacement system, a biosurfactant lipid peptide (TH) was combined with four chemical surfactants. From these combinations, those capable of achieving an ultralow interfacial tension region (<10-2 mN/m) were selected. The selected surfactant mixtures were then combined with polyacrylamide (HPAM) to construct a surfactant-polymer binary oil displacement system. The results showed that TH/OAB(2:1), TH/OAB(3:1), and TH/EAO(3:1) could reduce IFT to the ultralow interfacial tension region. Compound surfactants are easier to form mixed micelles than single surfactants, and the EACN of TH/OAB(2:1) and TH/EAO(3:1) is consistent with EACNOil, which can achieve higher surface activity at lower concentrations. The three compound surfactants have a wide range of ultralow interfacial tension concentrations and excellent antidilution performance. TH/OAB(2:1) and TH/EAO(3:1) have better antiformation adsorption performance than TH/OAB(3:1), and the oil washing rate of TH/OAB(2:1) is up to 80.30%. TH and OAB have spatial complementarity, which can increase the molecular packing density at the oil-water interface and reduce the IFT. In CaCl2 and NaCl solutions, the IFT of the two binary flooding systems constructed by TH/OAB(2:1) and TH/EAO(3:1) and HPAM remained in the ultralow interfacial tension region, with excellent salt resistance. When aged in the reservoir for 90 days, the IFT slightly increased but the viscosity decreased significantly. Adding a viscosity retaining agent (JW) was required to maintain the viscosity of the system. In the simulated oil displacement experiment, the recovery improvement of the two binary oil displacement systems was higher than those of surfactant and polymer alone. This study provides a new idea for the alkali-free surfactant-polymer binary oil flooding system and provides theoretical support for the practical application of TH in tertiary oil recovery.

Adsorption Behavior of Different Components of a Polymer/Surfactant Composite Control System along an Injection-Production Channel in Sand Conglomerate Reservoirs.

Sandy conglomerate reservoirs have become an important replacement area for unconventional energy to increase reserves and production. The polymer/surfactant composite control flooding system can effectively alleviate the water flooding front breakthrough caused by the interlayer or plane heterogeneity of the sand conglomerate reservoir and is an effective production method to reduce the water cutoff of the well and increase the oil recovery. In the process of controlling the oil displacement process of the system, the chromatographic separation effect was found due to the different viscosities of each component and the adsorption difference between the components and the rock, which weakened the development effect of the reservoir. It is necessary to study the adsorption law of each component of the complex controlled displacement system along the injection-production channel in the sand conglomerate reservoir. In this study, the microstructure and mineral composition of sandy conglomerates were determined by scanning electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction tests. The main particle size distribution was counted through a rock particle sieving experiment. A new characterization method called the large-size core physical model was used. The composite control system of sulfonate and betaine was used as the surfactant component, and the adsorption degree of each component in the displacement process was analyzed. The experimental results showed that the mass fraction of the sandy conglomerate increased with the decrease in particle size. The particles with a size of less than 0.08 mm account for a relatively high proportion, with a mass fraction of 60%. The content of brittle minerals, such as quartz and feldspar, in the glutenite was relatively high, and micrometer-sized pores and fractures were developed. The main factors affecting the viscosity of the composite system were the concentration and molecular weight of the polymer. The increase of injection volume of the flooding system is conducive to the maintenance of ultralow interfacial tension migration to the deep core. In the displacement process, when the polymer molecular chain was cut to a certain extent, the effect of throat shear was also slowed due to the short molecular chain. However, the shortened polymer molecules were more easily adsorbed on the surface of rock particles and the adsorption rate increased. The adsorption capacity of each component gradually decreased with the increase of the injection volume and injection concentration. The relative content of the composite control system and crude oil affects the type of emulsion, which undergoes a corresponding transformation during the driving process from a water-in-oil emulsion to an oil-in-water one. The research results of this paper enrich the mechanism of enhancing oil recovery of sand conglomerate reservoirs by polymer-surfactant composite regulation technology.

Optimized interfacial tension and contact angle for spontaneous imbibition in low-permeable and oil-wet sandstone cores with light crude oil

Spontaneous imbibition is an important phenomenon of fluid transports in porous media, particularly in liquid environment with a certain range of interfacial tension and wettability. Meanwhile, the spontaneous imbibition could be enhanced with the additions of surfactants, through modifying the oil–water interfacial tension (IFT) and wettability. However, ultra-low IFT impairs the capillary pressure. Hence, appropriate ranges of the IFT and contact angle (CA), though lacking adequate investigations, are key to optimizing spontaneous imbibition. Here, a series of physical experiments were conducted to evaluate the spontaneous imbibition efficiency of surfactant solutions with wide-range IFTs (10−3–101 mN/m) in the porous media of permeability 11 mD, through designed interfacial property measurements with different surfactant concentrations. Besides, the inverse Bond number was employed to determine the optimized interfacial properties during the imbibition. Overall, the best imbibition-induced hydrocarbon recovery is reached at oil viscosity of 25.26 mPa·s, an IFT of 0.1–0.2 mN/m and a CA of 70–80°.

Development of surfactant formulation for high-temperature off-shore carbonate reservoirs.

The residual oil left behind after water flooding in petroleum reservoirs can be mobilized by surfactant formulations that yield ultralow interfacial tension (IFT) with oil. However, finding ultralow IFT surfactant formulations is difficult for high-temperature, off-shore, carbonate reservoirs. These reservoirs are often water-flooded with seawater (with a lot of divalent ions), which is often incompatible with many surfactants at high temperatures. The goal of this research is to develop a surfactant formulation for an off-shore carbonate reservoir at 100°C previously flooded by seawater. Surfactant-oil-brine phase behavior was studied for formulations, starting from a single surfactant to mixtures of surfactants and a co-solvent. Mixtures of three surfactants and one co-solvent were needed to produce ultralow IFT formulations for the oil of interest. The surfactant system with polymer mobility control was tested in crushed reservoir rock packs. The cumulative oil recovery was >99% for the surfactant-polymer (SP) flood with an optimal salinity gradient. The constant salinity SP floods with seawater increased oil recovery significantly beyond the water flood (cumulative oil recovery >91%), even though the recovery was lower than that of the optimal salinity gradient SP flood. Our experimental work demonstrates the effectiveness of the surfactant formulation for a high-temperature carbonate reservoir at seawater salinity.

Ethoxylated molybdenum disulphide based nanofluid for enhanced oil recovery

Despite advances in renewable energy sources, the world's current infrastructure and consumption patterns still heavily depend on crude oil. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is a crucial method for significantly increasing the amount of crude oil extracted from mature and declining oil fields. Nanomaterials have shown great potential in improving EOR methods due to their unique properties, such as high surface area, tunable surface chemistry, and the ability to interact at the molecular level with fluids and rock surfaces. This study examines the potential use of incorporating ethoxylated molybdenum disulfide with a unique three-dimensional flower-like morphology for overcoming the challenges associated with oil recovery from reservoirs characterized by complex pore structures and low permeability. The synthesized nanomaterial features a chemical composition that encompasses a polar ethoxy group linking molybdenum disulfide nanosheets and an alkylamine chain. The ethoxy group promotes interactions with water molecules through hydrogen bonding and electrostatic forces, disrupting the cohesive forces among water molecules and reduction surface tension at the oil–water interface. As a result, the nanomaterial achieves an ultra-low interfacial tension of 10−3 mN/m. Core flooding experiments demonstrate a significant oil recovery of approximately 70% at a concentration as low as 50 ppm. This research paves the way for the design and synthesis of advanced extended surfactant-like nanomaterials, offering a promising avenue for enhancing oil recovery efficiency.

Effect of permeability on displacement efficiency and dominant oil–displacement mechanism in surfactant flooding

Interfacial tension (IFT) reduction and emulsification are two important mechanisms of surfactant flooding. However, for light oil reservoirs with different permeabilities, whether which mechanism is more important in improving displacement efficiency remains unclear. In this study, surfactants with strong emulsifying properties and ultralow IFT were screened using an interfacial tensiometer and a self-developed emulsification performance tester. The ability of the two surfactants to improve displacement efficiency was compared through a series of core flooding experiments. Experimental results showed that the surfactant with ultralow IFT did not have strong emulsifying properties. With the decrease in permeability, the oil displacement efficiency improved by emulsification increased first and then decreased, whilst that improved by IFT reduction declined. Moreover, IFT reduction was the dominant mechanism to improve oil displacement efficiency in medium-high and ultralow permeability reservoirs, whilst emulsification was dominant in low permeability reservoirs. The comprehensive utilization of multiple mechanisms and the combination of technologies should be considered when surfactant flooding is used in reservoirs with ultralow permeability. This work advances our current understanding of surfactant flooding and provides a reference for the formulation of plans to enhance oil recovery in light oil reservoirs.

Optimizing acid microemulsions for cleaner gas production: A study on enhanced adsorption characteristics and implications in retardation

The ultralow interfacial tension between the oil and aqueous phases and the solubilization characteristics in microemulsion systems make them useful for surface cleaning and enhanced oil recovery applications. Microemulsions can form an adsorbed barrier on rock, reducing the acid-rock reaction rate. However, as acid retardation additives, the adsorption patterns of microemulsions are not clearly defined. In this study, microemulsions composed of various electrical surfactants, oil cores, and oil core additives were obtained, and their phase behaviors were investigated. Through adsorption and reaction experiments, cleaning microemulsions that enhance adsorption effects were identified, and their adsorption patterns and adaptability under flow conditions were evaluated. The results demonstrate that incorporating negatively charged polar compounds forms an enhanced adsorption microemulsion characterized by an average droplet size of less than 30 nm after mixing with the acid. The introduction of negatively charged polar compounds resulted in a 177 % increase in adsorption and an 81 % improvement in static retardation effect. Dynamic adsorption tests indicate that the pseudo-second-order model more accurately describes the kinetics of dynamic adsorption of microemulsions on rock surfaces. Under a fixed flow rate, the dynamic retardation rate increased with the concentration of the microemulsion. In practical acidification, the adsorption of microemulsions results mainly from combined electrostatic forces and fluid scouring, characterized by a continuous process of adsorption and desorption. Scanning electron microscope also confirmed that microemulsions can form an adsorptive film on the rock, reducing the acid-rock reaction rate. This study offers practical guidelines for the selection and application of retardation additives, aiming to enhance the ecological compatibility of chemical treatments in low-permeability limestone reservoirs.

A synergetic binary system of waste cooking oil-derived bio-based surfactants and its interfacial performance for enhanced oil recovery

Bio-based surfactants have garnered significant interest nowadays in wide applications particularly in the oil recovery field owing to their renewable property, outstanding surface/interface activity and eco-friendliness. The ultra-low interfacial tension between crude oil and brine is one of the key parameters for evaluating surfactants used in enhanced oil recovery. In this study, we developed a new binary surfactant system formulated by a bio-based zwitterionic surfactant (POA) and a bio-based nonionic surfactant (SOG), and the binary surfactant system exhibits a strong interfacial activity at a very low surfactant dosage. With the total surfactant concertation in a range of 0.1–3 g/L and the mass ratio of POA to SOG in a range of 5:5–9:1, the interfacial tensions of the binary system between crude oil and simulated formation brine could be significantly reduced to an ultra-low level (∼10−3 mN/m), indicating a strong synergistic effect between molecules in the binary system. Meanwhile, with the total surfactant concertation of 0.5 g/L and the mass ratio of POA to SOG of 7:3, the binary system demonstrates ultra-low interfacial tensions (∼10−3 mN/m) between crude oil and simulated formation brine at the temperature up to 80 ℃, NaCl up to 75 g/L and Ca2+ ions up to 20,000 mg/L, and the emulsification and oil film peeling ability are also improved compared with those of the individual POA and SOG. This study opens a new window for the binary bio-based surfactants and provides insights in designing and optimizing the cost-effective displacement systems for enhanced oil recovery with ensuring environmental sustainability.

Factors, Mechanisms, and Kinetics of Spontaneous Emulsification for Heavy Oil-in-Water Emulsions.

In challenging reservoirs where thermal recovery falls short, cold or chemical oil recovery methods are crucial. Spontaneous emulsification (SE), triggered by gentle disturbance, significantly enhances oil recovery. In elucidating SE mechanisms and kinetics, SE processes via direct contact between oil and aqueous phases without stirring were conducted. The effects of temperature, emulsifier concentration, pH, NaCl concentration, and the oil-to-water ratio on SE were investigated through droplet size analysis and turbidity measurements. Furthermore, the emulsification mechanism and derived emulsification kinetics based on turbidity data were obtained. The results underscore the feasibility of SE for oil-water systems, reducing viscous and capillary resistances without agitation. The emulsified oil mass increased with the temperature, pH, and aqueous-to-oil phase volume ratio while decreasing with the NaCl concentration. In this study, for GD-2 crude oil, the optimal emulsified oil amount occurred at a betaine surfactant (BetS-2) emulsifier concentration of 0.45%. Microscopic photo analysis indicated narrow particle size distributions and small droplets, which remained stable over time under various experimental conditions. A combined SE mechanism involving ultralow interfacial tension, interfacial turbulence due to Marangoni effects, and "diffusion and stranding" due to in situ emulsifier hydrophilicity, was speculated. Additionally, an analogous second-order kinetic equation for SE was proposed, indicating exceptional correlation with calculated and experimentally measured values. This study offers theoretical insight for enhancing oil recovery in chemical and cold production of heavy oil in oilfields.

An efficient method for imbibition in asphaltene-adsorbed tight oil-wet reservoirs

Spontaneous imbibition (SI) has been proposed as a crucial approach to enhance oil recovery in unconventional reservoirs. Previous research suggests that wettability alteration rather than oil-water interfacial tension (IFT) reduction is the key mechanism for imbibition oil recovery enhancement. However, our experimental results indicate that for asphaltene-adsorbed oil-wet surfaces it's challenging to substantially modulate wettability. In such oil-wet pores, the negative capillary force cannot function as an imbibition driving force, and hence, the method of altering wettability and maintaining the oil-water IFT at relatively high values to enhance imbibition efficiency is insufficiently applicable. When the capillary cannot work, reducing the IFT to ultra-low levels to induce the transformation of the imbibition pattern may be more effective for imbibition efficiency enhancement. In this paper, low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was employed to monitor the SI process. The results suggested that for the asphaltene-adsorbed oil-wet tight sandstone, the surfactants combined system with ultra-low oil-water IFT possessed the highest oil recovery, followed by the medium-IFT systems and high-IFT systems. The spontaneous formation of emulsion was observed when the IFT value was reduced to the ultra-low level. Oil droplets can pass through the small pores easily since the deformability of oil is greatly enhanced. The ultra-low IFT system transforms the imbibition pattern from capillary force-driven to gravity-driven, and exhibits the highest oil utilization rate in micropores, mesopores, and macropores among all imbibition agent systems, thereby having the highest total oil recovery. Consequently, the imbibition-enhancing potential of the ultra-low IFT system is considerable and deserves more attention, especially for the oil-wet pores that can hardly be altered to the water-wet state.

USE OF ETHOXYLATED ALCOHOLS WITH ANIONIC SURFACTANTS FOR ENHANCED RECOVERY

The article is devoted to the development of surfactant compositions, including a number of known anionic surfactants, in formulations with new types of nonionic surfactants - fatty alcohols with an increased degree of ethoxylation. The solubilizing properties of new types of fatty ethoxylated alcohols have been exploited during formulation development. A conductometric method was used to control the assembly of the formulations. After evaluating the stability of the resulting compositions, physicochemical properties were evaluated, including thermal stability and corrosiveness. The freezing point of the compositions was evaluated at temperatures down to minus 40 °C. The search for stable compositions was carried out for aggressive application conditions: at 90 ° C for models of mineralized formation waters having a total amount of dissolved salts in the range of 100-300 g/l. Ranges including critical concentrations of formulations at which colloidal structures are stable and exhibit maximum surface activity were evaluated. When determining the interfacial tension at the surfactant-hydrocarbon liquid solution boundary, a number of developed compositions showed ultra-low interfacial tension (less than 0.01 mN/m). Biodegradability was evaluated for compositions showing the best properties. According to the results of the assessment, biodegradability was more than 98 %, which reduces environmental risks. The results obtained by the authors show that a number of compositions collected by conductometric method are stable under aggressive conditions and can be used in the field of chemical methods for increasing oil recovery. The resulting compositions were adapted to reduce human factors in subsequent applications. The results reflect the potential of these approaches in adapting and selecting surfactant compositions for chemical waterflooding to enhance oil recovery. The development of technologies for the ethoxylation of higher fatty alcohols allows the manufacturability of processes for the production, collection and treatment of oil and gas. The development of practices for the use of new chemical technologies will expand the capabilities of subsoil users and reduce the risks associated with the use of large-scale chemical products.

Exploring the impact of surfactant types and formulation variables on the EACN of crude and model oils

Characterizing the hydrophobicity of oils remains a significant challenge for the academic and industrial scientific communities, striving to optimize the formulation of Surfactant/Oil/Water (SOW) systems. Various descriptors, including the required Hydrophilic-Lipophilic Balance (required HLB) and the Equivalent Alkane Carbon Number (EACN), have been proposed to characterize oil hydrophobicity. Indeed, it is already known that the EACN of crude oils can be rapidly determined through dynamic Phase Inversion Temperature-induced (PIT) experiments. The study herein presents an alternative method to characterize the EACN of crude and model oils through dynamic Salinity-induced Phase Inversion (SPI) using two reference SOW systems, one with the ionic extended surfactant propyl heptyl propoxylated sodium sulfate (i-C3C7PO4SO4Na) and the other with the nonionic surfactant decyl tetraethylene glycol ether (C10EO4). Results reveal that the EACN of crude and model oils strongly depend not only on the chosen formulation variable but also on the nature of the surfactant. Discrepancies in EACN values for crude oils range between −0.2 and 3.3 units. These differences are justified by several factors: the segregation of the polar fraction for crude oils and its dependence with temperature, the high solubility of the nonionic surfactant in polar oils and the differing structures of both surfactants at the interface that changes the effective packing parameter of the system. When inversing a crude oil at high salinity conditions using temperature as formulation variable, a weighted average EACN value obtained with salinity from the two surfactants yields more realistic results than the EACN obtained from PIT. These findings found a direct application in the enhanced oil recovery field in which the attainment of ultra-low interfacial tension is essential to have an efficient crude oil desaturation.

An Experimental Investigation into the Role of an In Situ Microemulsion for Enhancing Oil Recovery in Tight Formations

Surfactant huff-n-puff (HnP) has been shown to be an effective protocol to improve oil recovery in tight and ultratight reservoirs. The success of surfactant HnP for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process depends on the efficiency of the designed chemical formula, as the formation of an in situ microemulsion by surfactant injection is considered to be the most desirable condition for achieving an ultra-low interfacial tension during the HnP process. In this work, we conducted experimental studies on the mechanism of in situ microemulsion EOR in the Mahu tight oil reservoir. Salinity scan experiments were carried out to compare different surfactants with crude oil from the Mahu reservoir, starting with the assessment of surfactant micellar solutions for their ability to form microemulsions with Mahu crude oil and examining the interfacial characteristics. Subsequently, detailed micromodels representing millimeter-scale fractures, micron-scale pores, and nano-scale channels were utilized to study the imbibition and flowback of various surfactant micellar solutions. Observations of the in situ microemulsion system revealed the mechanisms behind the enhanced oil recovery, which was the emulsification’s near-miscibility effect leading to microemulsion formation and its performance under low-interfacial-tension conditions. During the injection process, notable improvements in the micro-scale pore throat heterogeneity were observed, which improved the pore fluid mobility. The flowback phase improved the channeling between the different media, promoting a uniform movement of the oil–water interface and aiding in the recovery of a significant amount of the oil phase permeability.

Experimental study of ultra-low IFT foam flooding for low permeability reservoirs

Foam flooding is an effective oil displacement technique to improve fluid sweep efficiency and increase oil recovery. The objective of this paper is to investigate the applicability of ultra-low IFT foam flooding for low permeability oil recovery under the conditions of WX reservoir block in Tuha oilfield (84°C, 86,072 mg/L). A modified amphoteric hydroxy sulfobetaine surfactant (Cn-HSB) was formulated as a foaming agent based on the principle of compatibility with crude oil that could achieve the ultra-low interfacial tension (IFT) and strong foamability simultaneously. This is shown to reduce the oil/water dynamic IFT (DIFT) to an ultra-low value of the order of 10−5 mN/m (0.10wt%), as well as produce a foam volume and half-life of 448 mL and 2567 s, respectively. In addition, results of IFT and foam quality tests indicate that the modified Cn-HSB has good thermal stability and excellent salinity-resistance. Moreover, the ultra-low IFT foam flooding has an ideal injectivity and oil displacement efficiency in low permeability porous media that can mobilize the trapped oil in k = 1.50 × 10−3μm2 with a threshold pressure gradient of 0.115 MPa/m. This improves oil displacement efficiency about 15%OOIP. Fundamental knowledge gained from this research gives insight into the application of ultra-low IFT foam flooding in low-permeability reservoirs under a combination of specific reservoir conditions.

Microemulsion phase behavior based on biodiesel and its performance in treating oil-contaminated soil

Biodiesel-based microemulsions have unique advantages in the treatment of petroleum-contaminated soils, thanks to their ultra-low interfacial tension and strong solubility. By studying the effects of different solvents, surfactants, and co-surfactants on the phase transition of the microemulsion, and comparing the effects of temperature, solid-liquid ratio, and treatment time on washing efficiency, we successfully obtained the composition of a biodiesel-based microemulsion system with high stability and optimized washing conditions. At the same time, the deactivation mechanism in the washing process of the microemulsion was analyzed. The experimental results showed that the biodiesel microemulsion, composed of SDBS as a surfactant and n-butanol as a co-surfactant, exhibited excellent washing stability. The optimized washing conditions were as follows: temperature of 35℃, 1:5 solid-liquid ratio, and 30-minute treatment time. Under these conditions, the oil removal rate reached as high as 73.6%. The reasons for the microemulsion inactivation may be as follows: (1) Composition loss of the microemulsion during the washing process leads to a reduction in washing efficiency; (2) During the washing process, solid particles formed a hard shell on the surface of the microemulsion droplets, reducing the washing efficiency; (3) Oil components eluted from the soil entered the oil phase of the microemulsion, changing the oil phase composition and resulting in decreased washing efficiency.

Ultralow interfacial tension achieved by extended anionic surfactants with a short hydrophobic chain

Extended surfactant is a new type of oil displacement agent with excellent performance in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). In this paper, the novel extended surfactants with short hydrophobe (ethylhexyl) have been studied. The dynamic interfacial tensions (IFTs) between extended surfactant (C8PxEyC) solutions and n-alkanes were measured by the spinning drop method. The effect of surfactant concentration, polyoxypropylene (PO) numbers, polyoxyethylene (EO) numbers and electrolyte on the IFTs were investigated. The experimental results show that the interfacial activity of the extended surfactants mainly depends on the PO groups, and the short hydrophobe extended anionic surfactant shows the similar behavior of reducing IFT to that of long alkyl chain one. The IFTs decrease with an increase of the PO numbers against n-alkanes, and an increase of the EO numbers leads to the destruction of the tight arrangement of the adsorption film because the size of EO group is smaller than that of PO group, which results in an increase of IFT. The addition of electrolyte can reduce the IFTs by weakening the electrostatic repulsion between surfactant molecules at the interface, but it has little effect on its HLB. The long EO chain of extended surfactant prevents divalent cation from binding two surfactant counterions, which results in the little effect on reducing IFT. This study is of great significance for the insight of extended surfactants and their application in high-salt reservoirs.

Research on EOR for ultralow interfacial tension foam in high-temperature and high-salinity reservoirs: flooding simulation and application in Shengli Oilfield

For high temperature and high salinity reservoirs, the foam formulation system is required to have better foaming capacity and foam stability under formation conditions in tertiary EOR. In order to obtain a new foam agent suitable for this type of oil reservoir, through the compounding and testing of 7 common oilfield foam chemical agents, 15 formulated foam agents are tested and screened. Then the foam displacement experiment of the dual sand packs model was established to simulate the new foam flooding process. The production dynamic of the high-permeability sand pack and the low-permeability sand pack was captured and analyzed, and EOR mechanism of the foam system in the heterogeneous reservoir was clarified. The experimental results show that the formulation of B4(anionic & nonionic combined surfactant) & FSN100(fluorinated surfactant) with a mass proportion of 2:3 (BF23) has the best performance in terms of foaming properties, low interfacial tension reduction, and oil washing efficiency. Furthermore, BF23 foam injection greatly increased the recovery factor from 36.7% to 61.6%, clearly displacing the remaining oil in the low-permeability pack. Finally, the new foam agent solution used in Shenger block of Shengli Oilfield shows its good value for enhanced oil recovery.

Hierarchical Emulsion Structure and Functionality Regulated by Coexisting Bicontinuous Microemulsion and Liquid Crystal Domains.

Since microemulsions are usually low viscosity fluids, enhanced rheological properties while maintaining their structure-derived functionality have long been desired from an industrial application point of view. However, for instance, it is practically difficult to thicken bicontinuous microemulsions (BCMEs) without perturbing their alternating domain structure or to emulsify oils using BCME having ultralow interfacial tension as an external phase. In this study, a methodology called a BCLC emulsification technique has been constructed to obtain oil-in-water emulsions stabilized by coexisting BCME and liquid crystal (LC) phases. The produced emulsions based on polyglyceryl-10 diisostearate, polyglyceryl-6 dicaprate, cetyl ethylhexanoate, and water are structurally scrutinized by means of small- and wide-angle X-ray scattering (SWAXS), freeze fracture transmission electron microscopy (FF-TEM), and scanning electron assisted dielectric microscopy (SE-ADM). The data provide experimental evidence that this methodology enables one to control the bending elasticity of the interfacial membranes and consequent long-range order of the BCME domains. Moreover, closely correlated with the interfacial membrane properties, submicrometer-sized fine oil droplets are supported by the LC networks and agglomerated into spongy or network-like phase-separation patterns. The resulting nonfluidic, jelly emulsions are particularly useful in cosmetics because of combined BCME-derived high cleansing performance and excellent usability owing to the enhanced viscosity. The thickening mechanisms are essentially different from those of common lamellar-gel-stabilized oil-in-water emulsions, which utilize crystalline lamellar gel networks as oil droplet stabilizers.

Studying the factors determining the ultralow interfacial tensions of betaine solutions against crude oil

Betaine surfactants reduce oil–water interfacial tension (IFT) to an ultralow level through the synergistic effects between the surfactants and the active components of crude oil. These surfactants exhibit potential for applications in chemical flooding. However, the synergistic effect is affected by the structure of betaine and the properties of the aqueous phase. In this study, the dynamic and equilibrium IFTs of a series of betaine surfactant solutions against crude oil were measured under different aqueous phase conditions. The results indicate that the sizes of the hydrophobic and hydrophilic groups of betaine considerably affect its ability to reduce the IFT against crude oil. In addition, the weak base sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) in formation water reacts with petroleum acid and considerably promotes the mixed adsorption of crude oil components at the interface. As a result, the synergistic effect of IFT reduction between betaine and crude oil is strongly enhanced. Therefore, betaine molecular size and aqueous-phase pH are two major factors affecting the synergistic effect between betaine and crude oil. This study provides theoretical and practical guidance for chemical flooding to achieve enhanced oil recovery.