Preparation and performance evaluation of a novel temperature-resistant anionic/nonionic surfactant

Area of Science:

• Petroleum Engineering
• Materials Science
• Physical Chemistry

Background:

• Tight reservoirs present challenges for conventional oil extraction due to low permeability.
• Development of specialized surfactants is crucial for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in such formations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To synthesize and characterize a novel temperature-resistant anionic/nonionic surfactant (C8P10E5C).
• To evaluate the performance of C8P10E5C for enhanced oil recovery in tight reservoirs.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of C8P10E5C by incorporating polyoxyethylene and polyoxypropylene units.
• Characterization using FT-IR, 1H-NMR, and ESI-MS.
• Performance evaluation through surface tension, interfacial tension, adsorption, wettability, and emulsification tests.

Main Results:

• Successful synthesis of C8P10E5C confirmed by spectroscopic methods.
• C8P10E5C exhibits a critical micelle concentration (CMC) of 2.95 x 10^-4 mol/L and reduces surface tension to 30.57 mN/m.
• Demonstrates excellent temperature resistance, reducing oil-water interfacial tension to 10^-2 mN/m even at 110°C.
• Achieves a forced imbibition oil recovery of 65.8%, significantly higher than conventional surfactants.

Conclusions:

• C8P10E5C is a highly effective temperature-resistant surfactant for enhanced oil recovery.
• Its superior performance in reducing interfacial tension and improving oil recovery makes it suitable for challenging reservoir conditions.