WO2022036361A1 - Formulation de mousse 3 en 1 pour récupération améliorée d'huile comprenant une régulation de la conformité, une tension interfaciale ultra-faible et une altération de la mouillabilité - Google Patents

Formulation de mousse 3 en 1 pour récupération améliorée d'huile comprenant une régulation de la conformité, une tension interfaciale ultra-faible et une altération de la mouillabilité Download PDF

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WO2022036361A1
WO2022036361A1 PCT/US2021/071156 US2021071156W WO2022036361A1 WO 2022036361 A1 WO2022036361 A1 WO 2022036361A1 US 2021071156 W US2021071156 W US 2021071156W WO 2022036361 A1 WO2022036361 A1 WO 2022036361A1
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Prior art keywords
nanosurfactant
surfactant
zwitterionic
composition
mixture
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PCT/US2021/071156
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English (en)
Inventor
Ayrat GIZZATOV
Shehab Alzobaidi
Amr ABDEL-FATTAH
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Saudi Arabian Oil Company
Aramco Services Company
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Priority claimed from US16/990,653 external-priority patent/US11078405B2/en
Application filed by Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Aramco Services Company filed Critical Saudi Arabian Oil Company
Publication of WO2022036361A1 publication Critical patent/WO2022036361A1/fr

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    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • C09K—MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
    • C09K8/00—Compositions for drilling of boreholes or wells; Compositions for treating boreholes or wells, e.g. for completion or for remedial operations
    • C09K8/58—Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids
    • C09K8/584—Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids characterised by the use of specific surfactants
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • C09K—MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
    • C09K8/00—Compositions for drilling of boreholes or wells; Compositions for treating boreholes or wells, e.g. for completion or for remedial operations
    • C09K8/58—Compositions for enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons, i.e. for improving the mobility of the oil, e.g. displacing fluids
    • C09K8/594—Compositions used in combination with injected gas, e.g. CO2 orcarbonated gas
    • C—CHEMISTRY; METALLURGY
    • C09—DYES; PAINTS; POLISHES; NATURAL RESINS; ADHESIVES; COMPOSITIONS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR; APPLICATIONS OF MATERIALS NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • C09K—MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
    • C09K2208/00—Aspects relating to compositions of drilling or well treatment fluids
    • C09K2208/10—Nanoparticle-containing well treatment fluids

Definitions

  • This disclosure relates to nanoparticle compositions that are stable under high salinity and high temperature conditions. This disclosure is also directed to methods of producing these nanoparticle compositions and their use for improved and enhanced oil recovery applications.
  • One way to mitigate the loss of surfactants is to increase the amount of surfactants in water, either by increasing the concentration of a given slug size of surfactants or increasing the slug size of a given concentration of surfactants, to deliver enough surfactants to the oil/water interface.
  • Other approaches use sacrificial chemicals to passivate the rock surface and minimize surfactant adsorption. Overall, the approaches fail to maintain a constant concentration of surfactant over an extended period in the formation. These techniques also increase the cost of current surfactant-enhanced oil recovery techniques.
  • Embodiments disclosed and described here address the shortcomings in the art such as lack of long term stability of EOR compositions under conditions of high salinity and high temperature.
  • Embodiments include a nanosurfactant-containing composition suitable for injection into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation for enhanced recovery operations.
  • the EOR composition includes nanoparticles containing a sulfonate surfactant, a zwitterionic co-surfactant, and mineral oil. These nanosurfactants are delivered as aqueous compositions containing cations, such as sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
  • the sulfonate surfactant and the zwitterionic co-surfactant form nanoparticles having a particle diameter ranging from about 10 nanometers (nm) to 100 nm.
  • the nanoparticles are stable under high salinity and high temperature conditions. In certain embodiments, a substantial portion of the nanoparticles are stable for at least three months at temperatures of at least 100 degrees Celsius (°C).
  • the sulfonate surfactant can be selected from the group consisting of an alkyl sulfonate, an alkyl aryl sulfonate, and combinations thereof.
  • the sulfonate surfactant is petroleum sulfonate.
  • the zwitterionic co-surfactant can contain cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.
  • Embodiments disclosed and described here include methods for recovering hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon-bearing formation.
  • One such method includes introducing into the hydrocarbon-bearing formation a fluid containing nanoparticles.
  • the nanoparticles are formed by mixing effective amounts of a sulfonate surfactant, a zwitterionic co-surfactant, and mineral oil.
  • the method further includes driving the fluid through the hydrocarbon-bearing formation to displace hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon-bearing formation; and recovering the displaced hydrocarbons.
  • the sulfonate surfactant and the zwitterionic co-surfactant can form nanoparticles having a particle diameter ranging from about lO nm to 100 nm.
  • the nanoparticles are stable under high salinity and high temperature conditions. In certain embodiments, a substantial portion of the nanoparticles are stable for at least three months at temperatures of at least 100 °C.
  • the sulfonate surfactant can be selected from the group consisting of an alkyl sulfonate, an alkyl aryl sulfonate, and combinations thereof.
  • the sulfonate surfactant can contain petroleum sulfonate.
  • the zwitterionic co-surfactant can contain cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.
  • Embodiments disclosed and described here include methods for producing nanosurfactant-containing fluids suitable for injection into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation for enhanced recovery operations.
  • One such method includes the steps of mixing a first aqueous mixture containing a sulfonate surfactant and a second aqueous mixture containing a zwitterionic co-surfactant in a reactor to form a third aqueous mixture.
  • a fourth aqueous mixture containing cations is mixed with the third aqueous mixture in the reactor to produce a fluid containing nanosurfactants with a particle diameter ranging from about 10 nm to 100 nm and containing the sulfonate surfactant and the zwitterionic co-surfactant.
  • the first aqueous mixture containing the sulfonate surfactant further contains mineral oil and fresh water.
  • the sulfonate surfactant can be selected from the group consisting of an alkyl sulfonate, an alkyl aryl sulfonate, and combinations thereof.
  • the first aqueous mixture containing the sulfonate surfactant can further contain petroleum sulfonate, mineral oil, and fresh water.
  • the second aqueous mixture is produced by mixing the zwitterionic co-surfactant in fresh water.
  • the fourth aqueous mixture containing cations is sea water.
  • the zwitterionic co-surfactant can contain cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.
  • the petroleum sulfonate in the fluid containing nanosurfactants can range from 0.1 to 0.25 weight percent.
  • the mineral oil in the fluid containing nanosurfactants can range from 0.002 to 0.02 weight percent.
  • the zwitterionic cosurfactant in the fluid containing nanosurfactants can range from 0.1 to 0.2 weight percent.
  • Another method for producing nanosurfactant-containing fluids includes the steps of mixing a petroleum sulfonate surfactant, mineral oil, and a zwitterionic co-surfactant with fresh water in a reactor; introducing an aqueous salt solution to the reactor; and operating the reactor to produce nanoparticles containing the petroleum sulfonate surfactant, the mineral oil, and the zwitterionic co-surfactant and having a particle diameter ranging from about 10 nm to 100 nm.
  • These nanoparticles are stable under high salinity and high temperature conditions. In certain embodiments, a substantial portion of the nanoparticles are stable for at least three months at temperatures of at least 100 °C.
  • the zwitterionic co-surfactant can contain cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.
  • Embodiments of the disclosure provide a method of producing hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon-bearing formation.
  • the method includes the step of preparing a nanosurfactant composition.
  • the method includes the step of introducing the nanosurfactant composition and a gaseous component into the hydrocarbon-bearing formation such that a nanosurfactant-based foam is generated to displace the hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon-bearing formation.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foam reduces interfacial tension between the hydrocarbons and the saline water.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining a sulfonate surfactant, an oil, and fresh water to form a first mixture.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining a zwitterionic co-surfactant and the fresh water to form a second mixture.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining the first mixture and the second mixture to form a third mixture.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining the third mixture and saline water to form the nanosurfactant composition.
  • the saline water includes divalent cations.
  • the nanosurfactant composition includes a nanoassembly.
  • the nanoassembly has a hydrophobic interior and a hydrophilic exterior.
  • the hydrophobic interior includes the sulfonate surfactant, a hydrophobic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant, and the oil.
  • the hydrophilic exterior includes a hydrophilic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant.
  • the hydrophilic portion of the zwitterionic cosurfactant stabilizes the nanoassembly by interacting with the divalent cations present in the saline water.
  • the oil facilitates containment of the sulfonate surfactant in the hydrophobic interior of the nanoassembly.
  • the nanoassembly has a diameter ranging between 10 nm and 100 nm.
  • the sulfonate surfactant is petroleum sulfonate.
  • the petroleum sulfonate includes an alkyl sulfonate, and alkyl aryl sulfonate, and combinations of the same.
  • the nanosurfactant composition has a sulfonate surfactant content ranging between 0.05 wt % and 0.25 wt %.
  • the zwitterionic co-surfactant includes a sulfobetaine, a carboxybetaine, and combinations of the same.
  • the zwitterionic co-surfactant is cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine. In some embodiments, the zwitterionic co-surfactant is lauryl betaine. In some embodiments, the nanosurfactant composition has a zwitterionic co-surfactant content ranging between 0.01 wt % and 0.25 wt %.
  • the oil is mineral oil. In some embodiments, the gaseous component includes nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and combinations of the same.
  • the fresh water has a total dissolved solids concentration less than 3,000 ppm. In some embodiments, the saline water has a total dissolved solids concentration greater than 10,000 ppm.
  • Embodiments of the disclosure also provide nanosurfactant-based foam composition suitable for injection into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation for enhanced oil recovery operations.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foam composition includes a gaseous component and a nanosurfactant composition.
  • the nanosurfactant composition includes a nanoassembly and an aqueous environment.
  • the nanoassembly includes a hydrophobic interior and a hydrophilic exterior.
  • the hydrophobic interior includes petroleum sulfonate, a hydrophobic portion of a zwitterionic co-surfactant, and mineral oil.
  • the hydrophilic exterior includes a hydrophilic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant.
  • the aqueous environment includes divalent cations.
  • the hydrophilic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant is configured to stabilize the nanoassembly by interacting with the divalent cations present in the aqueous environment.
  • the mineral oil is configured to facilitate containment of the petroleum sulfonate in the hydrophobic interior of the nanoassembly.
  • the nanoassembly has a diameter ranging between 10 nm and 100 nm.
  • the zwitterionic co-surfactant includes a sulfobetaine, a carboxybetaine, and combinations of the same.
  • the zwitterionic cosurfactant is cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.
  • the zwitterionic cosurfactant is lauryl betaine.
  • the gaseous component includes nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and combinations of the same.
  • Embodiments of the disclosure also provide a method of enhanced oil recovery.
  • the method includes the step of preparing a nanosurfactant composition.
  • the method includes the step of introducing the nanosurfactant composition and nitrogen gas into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation such that a nanosurfactant-based foam is generated to displace hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon-bearing formation.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foam reduces interfacial tension between the hydrocarbons and the saline water.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining petroleum sulfonate, mineral oil, and fresh water to form a first mixture.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine and the fresh water to form a second mixture.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining the first mixture and the second mixture to form a third mixture.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining the third mixture and saline water to form the nanosurfactant composition.
  • the saline water includes divalent cations.
  • the nanosurfactant composition includes a nanoassembly.
  • the nanoassembly has a hydrophobic interior and a hydrophilic exterior.
  • the hydrophobic interior includes the petroleum sulfonate, a hydrophobic portion of the cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, and the mineral oil.
  • the hydrophilic exterior includes a hydrophilic portion of the cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.
  • the hydrophilic portion of the cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine stabilizes the nanoassembly by interacting with the divalent cations present in the saline water.
  • the mineral oil facilitates containment of the petroleum sulfonate in the hydrophobic interior of the nanoassembly.
  • Embodiments of the disclosure also provide a method of enhanced oil recovery.
  • the method includes the step of preparing a nanosurfactant composition.
  • the method includes the step of introducing the nanosurfactant composition and nitrogen gas into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation such that a nanosurfactant-based foam is generated to displace hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon-bearing formation.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foam reduces interfacial tension between the hydrocarbons and the saline water.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining petroleum sulfonate, mineral oil, and fresh water to form a first mixture.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining lauryl betaine and the fresh water to form a second mixture.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining the first mixture and the second mixture to form a third mixture.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is formed by the step of combining the third mixture and saline water to form the nanosurfactant composition.
  • the saline water includes divalent cations.
  • the nanosurfactant composition includes a nanoassembly.
  • the nanoassembly has a hydrophobic interior and a hydrophilic exterior.
  • the hydrophobic interior includes the petroleum sulfonate, a hydrophobic portion of the lauryl betaine, and the mineral oil.
  • the hydrophilic exterior includes a hydrophilic portion of the lauryl betaine.
  • the hydrophilic portion of the lauryl betaine stabilizes the nanoassembly by interacting with the divalent cations present in the saline water.
  • the mineral oil facilitates containment of the petroleum sulfonate in the hydrophobic interior of the nanoassembly.
  • FIG. 1 is a drawing showing how size exclusion and chromatographic effects enable nanosurfactants to reach the oil-water interfaces.
  • FIG. 2 shows photographs demonstrating the components used in the preparation of the nanosurfactant compositions, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 3 is a photograph of a cryo-transmission electron microscopy (cryo-TEM) image of the nanosurfactant, according to an embodiment.
  • FIGS. 4A and 4B are photographs of nanosurfactant-containing fluids after 4 months at room temperature and following incubation in the oven at 100 °C, respectively, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of the particle size of the nanoparticles in nanosurfactant mixture during heating followed by cooling, according to an embodiment.
  • FIGS. 6A, 6B, and 6C are graphical representations of the particle size of the nanoparticles at different dilutions of the nanosurfactant mixture during heating followed by cooling, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 7 is a graphical representation of the results from the interfacial tension (IFT) evaluation of the zwitterionic co-surfactant alone (STRX) and when it is present as part of the nanosurfactant mixture (NS STRX), according to an embodiment.
  • IFT interfacial tension
  • FIG. 8 is a graphical representation of the results from the IFT evaluation of the nanosurfactant mixture before and after being maintained at 100 °C for over 4 months, according to an embodiment.
  • FIGS. 9A and 9B are graphical representations of the results from the IFT evaluation of different concentrations of the co-surfactant alone (STRX) and when present as part of the nanosurfactant mixture (NS STRX), according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 10 is a photograph showing the various nanosurfactant samples with different ratios of the zwitterionic co-surfactant to petroleum sulfonate.
  • FIG. 10 shows seven samples whose labeling correspond to sample numbers provided in Table 6.
  • FIG. 11 is a graphical representation of the results from the IFT evaluation of a nanosurfactant mixture with mineral oil and nanosurfactant mixtures without the mineral oil.
  • FIG. 12 is a graphical representation of the results from the IFT evaluation of the supernatant, which was obtained following filtration to remove the precipitate formed by the reaction between seawater and the petroleum sulfonate surfactant.
  • FIGS. 13A - 13E are photographs showing the various steps of the preparation of a soluble fraction of petroleum sulfonate mixed with sea water, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 14 is a graphical representation of the results obtained following interfacial tension evaluation of the seawater alone (shown as blue line labeled SW on the graph) and the nanosurfactant mixture with petroleum sulfonate surfactant, zwitterionic co-surfactant, and mineral oil mixed with sea water (shown as green line labeled STRX on the graph).
  • FIG. 15 is a schematic illustration for the phase behavior experimental setup, according to an embodiment.
  • FIGS. 16A - 16D are photographic images under normal light and under ultraviolet (UV) light of the zwitterionic co-surfactant alone and the nanosurfactant mixture with zwitterionic co-surfactant in contact with crude oil; and both mixtures being incubated at 100 °C for one week.
  • UV ultraviolet
  • FIG. 17 is a schematic illustration for the phase behavior experimental setup, according to an embodiment.
  • FIGS. 18A and 18C are photographic images under normal light and FIGS. 18B and 18D are photographic images under UV light of the seawater alone (SW) and the nanosurfactant mixture with a zwitterionic co-surfactant (STRX), all samples being incubated with a second layer of a mixture of petroleum sulfonate and oil.
  • FIGS. 18A and 18B are photographs of the samples taken before heating and FIGS. 18C and 18D are photographs of the samples taken after heating at 100 °C for 1 hour.
  • FIGS. 19A is a proton nuclear magnetic resonance (' H NMR) spectrum of the nanosurfactant mixture and each of its individual ingredients. Regions of the spectrum in FIG. 19A that are highlighted as a red rectangle and a green rectangle are enhanced and shown separately in FIGS. 19B and 19C, respectively.
  • ' H NMR proton nuclear magnetic resonance
  • FIGS. 20A and 20B are 1 H NMR spectra of samples of the nanosurfactantcontaining fluid collected before and after contact with powdered Arab-D outcrop rock, respectively, according to an embodiment.
  • FIGS. 21A and 21B are 1 H NMR spectra of samples of a fluid containing the zwitterionic co-surfactant collected before and after contact with powdered Arab-D outcrop rock, respectively, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 22 is a series of difference spectra based on the 1 H NMR spectra of samples of a fluid containing the zwitterionic co-surfactant collected before and after contact with powdered Arab-D outcrop rock, respectively, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 23 is a difference spectrum based on the X H NMR spectra of samples of the nanosurfactant-containing fluid collected before and after contact with powdered Arab-D outcrop rock, respectively, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 24 is a graphical representation of the adsorption of active ingredients onto rock from different compositions — the zwitterionic co-surfactant alone (STRX control), the petroleum sulfonate alone (NS EOR-2095), the nanosurfactant mixture with the petroleum sulfonate and the zwitterionic co-surfactant (NS STRX), and the nanosurfactant mixture with the petroleum sulfonate, the zwitterionic co-surfactant, and mineral oil (NS min oil), according to an embodiment.
  • STRX control the zwitterionic co-surfactant alone
  • N EOR-2095 the nanosurfactant mixture with the petroleum sulfonate and the zwitterionic co-surfactant
  • NS min oil mineral oil
  • FIG. 25 is a graphical representation of the active ingredients that remain in solution from different compositions — the zwitterionic co-surfactant alone (STRX control), the petroleum sulfonate alone (NS EOR-2095), the nanosurfactant mixture with the petroleum sulfonate and the zwitterionic co-surfactant (NS STRX), and the nanosurfactant mixture with the petroleum sulfonate, the zwitterionic co-surfactant, and mineral oil (NS min oil), according to an embodiment.
  • STRX control the zwitterionic co-surfactant alone
  • N EOR-2095 the nanosurfactant mixture with the petroleum sulfonate and the zwitterionic co-surfactant
  • NS STRX the nanosurfactant mixture with the petroleum sulfonate and mineral oil
  • NS min oil mineral oil
  • FIGS. 26A and 26B are photographs of test tubes containing compositions of the nanosurfactant mixture with the petroleum sulfonate, the zwitterionic co-surfactant, and mineral oil, before and after a seven day incubation period.
  • FIG. 26C is a graphical representation of the results from an IFT evaluation of the nanosurfactant mixture with the petroleum sulfonate, the zwitterionic co-surfactant, and mineral oil.
  • FIG. 27 is a diagrammatic representation of the composite arrangement of core plugs for the coreflooding experiments, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 28 is a schematic illustration of the automatic coreflooding system, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 29A is a graphical representation of the results from the coreflooding recovery experiment using a nanosurfactant mixture, according to an embodiment
  • FIG. 29B is a zoomed-in version of a select section of FIG. 29A.
  • FIG. 30 is a schematic illustration of a nanoassembly included in a nanosurfactant composition, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 31 is a photographic image of sample nanosurfactant compositions under white brackground light, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 32 is photographic image of sample nanosurfactant compositions under ambient brackground light, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 33A is a graphical representation showing mobility reduction in a sand pack by co-injecting carbon dioxide and the nanosurfactant composition, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 33B is a graphical representation showing mobility reduction in a sand pack by coinjecting carbon dioxide and the nanosurfactant composition, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 35A is a graphical representation showing nitrogen-based foam heights of sample nanosurfactant compositions over time at ambient temperature and pressure, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 35B is a graphical representation showing nitrogen-based foam heights of sample nanosurfactant compositions over time at 90 °C and ambient pressure, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 35C is a graphical representation showing carbon dioxide-based foam heights of sample nanosurfactant compositions over time at ambient temperature and pressure, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 36 is a graphical representation showing oil-water IFT values for a nanosurfactant composition having crude oil as a light phase, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 37 is a photographic image showing emulsion formation at 90 °C using a crude oil-suspended nanosurfactant composition, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 38 is a photographic image showing oil recovery by imbibition and wettability alteration using a nanosurfactant composition, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 39A is a photographic image showing two glass tubes filled with crude oil, according to an embodiment.
  • FIG. 39B is a photographic image showing oil recovery by wettability alteration using a nitrogen-based foam including a nanosurfactant composition, according to an embodiment.
  • Embodiments of this disclosure describe nanoparticle compositions that are stable under high salinity and high temperature conditions. More specifically, these compositions include petroleum sulfonate-based nanoparticles that are used for improved and enhanced oil recovery applications.
  • the description may use the phrases “in certain embodiments,” “in an embodiment,” or “in embodiments,” which may each refer to one or more of the same or different embodiments.
  • the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and the like, as used with respect to embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous.
  • the term “effective amount” refers to at least that amount of nanosurfactant or nanosurfactant components necessary to bring about a desired result, such as, for example, enhanced oil recovery or improved stability at high temperatures or improved stability for longer periods of time and at relatively high temperatures.
  • salinity refers to the amount of total dissolved solids (TDS) in the water and is measured in parts per million (ppm).
  • high salinity conditions refers to fluid conditions where the TDS concentration ranges from 30,000 ppm to 220,000 ppm. In certain embodiments, high salinity conditions include fluid conditions with the TDS concentration ranging from 60,000 ppm to 150,000 ppm.
  • high temperature conditions refers to fluid or reservoir conditions where the temperature ranges from 75 °C to 150 °C. In certain embodiments, high temperature conditions include fluid or reservoir conditions with the temperature ranging from 100 °C to 120 °C.
  • Embodiments include nanosurfactant formulations and use of these formulations with long-term stability at high salinity and high temperature conditions.
  • Nanosurfactants described here are nanoparticle compositions containing a sulfonate surfactant, a zwitterionic co-surfactant, and an oil.
  • the nanosurfactants enable more economical oil recovery as compared to conventional surfactants by reducing the amount of surfactants lost by adsorption onto the rock surfaces. These compositions deliver surfactants more efficiently to the oil-water interfaces.
  • Embodiments include aqueous suspensions of petroleum sulfonate-based nanoparticles with long-term stability at high salinity and high temperature conditions.
  • formulations contain small amounts of a class of zwitterionic co-surfactants (a surfactant with both anionic and cationic centers in the same molecule) that have no easily hydrolysable chemical bonds. These formulations are compatible with salty and hard water, in particular tolerant to high concentrations of sodium chloride and divalent cations.
  • zwitterionic surfactants used in these formulations is cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine or betaine surfactants, such as SURFATEX CBSTM, obtained from Surfactants International, LLC, headquartered in Allendale, New Jersey, USA; PETROSTEP® SB, PETROSTEP® CG-50, and Amphosol® CG-50 from Stepan, headquartered in Northfield, Illinois, USA; and ColaTeric CBS-HP from Colonial Chemical Inc., headquartered in South Pittsburgh, Tennessee.
  • cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine or betaine surfactants such as SURFATEX CBSTM, obtained from Surfactants International, LLC, headquartered in Allendale, New Jersey, USA
  • PETROSTEP® SB PETROSTEP® CG-50
  • Amphosol® CG-50 from Stepan, headquartered in Northfield, Illinois, USA
  • ColaTeric CBS-HP from Colonial Chemical Inc.
  • formulations offer several advantages, such as colloidal and chemical stability at high salinity and high temperature for several months, substantial reduction of crude oil/seawater interfacial tension, ability to form an emulsion very rapidly upon contact with crude oil without any mechanical mixing. As demonstrated by experimental data from a lab-scale coreflooding setting, these formulations show appreciable increase in oil recovery beyond seawater flooding.
  • the formulations described here include sulfonates, mineral oil, and a class of cosurfactants that have no easily hydrolysable chemical bonds.
  • a nanosurfactant mixture was formulated using zwitterionic co-surfactants with petroleum sulfonate surfactants in the presence of mineral oil.
  • the term “petroleum sulfonate” refers to a mixture containing sulfonated benzenoids (both alkyl aryl and aryl), and cycloaliphatic and paraffinic (alkyl) hydrocarbons in various ratios to one another depending on the nature of the source of the petroleum fraction.
  • Petroleum sulfonates can include alkyl xylene sulfonates, alkyl aryl sulfonates, alpha-olefin sulfonates, and combinations thereof.
  • An example of a commercially- available product that contains petroleum sulfonate is PETRONATE® EOR-2095 sodium sulfonate (EOR-2095) from Chemtura Corporation (headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA) or PETRONATE® sodium sulfonates from Sonnebom LLC (headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey, USA). Petroleum sulfonates are not stable by themselves in sea water.
  • Embodiments disclosed here include compositions suitable for injection into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation for enhanced recovery operations.
  • One such composition includes a sulfonate surfactant, a zwitterionic co-surfactant, and mineral oil.
  • the effective amounts of each of the sulfonate surfactant and the zwitterionic co-surfactant range from 0.1 to 0.9 wt % of the nanosurfactant mixture. In certain embodiments, the effective amounts of each of the sulfonate surfactant and the zwitterionic co-surfactant range from 0.1 to 0.5 wt % of the nanosurfactant mixture. In certain embodiments, the total amount of the sulfonate surfactant and the zwitterionic co-surfactant ranges from 0.2 to 1 wt % of the nanosurfactant mixture. In certain embodiments, the amount of mineral oil ranges from 0.002-0.02 wt % of the nanosurfactant mixture. In certain embodiments, the amount of mineral oil ranges from 0.002-0.01 wt % of the nanosurfactant mixture. In certain embodiments, the amount of mineral oil is approximately 0.005 wt % of the nanosurfactant mixture.
  • the weight percent ratio of sulfonate/zwitterionic surfactants can range from 0.3 to 3. In certain embodiments, the weight percent ratio of sulfonates/zwitterionic surfactants can range from 0.3 to 2.5. In certain embodiments, the weight percent ratio of sulfonates/zwitterionic surfactants can range from 0.3 to 2.0. In certain embodiments, the weight percent ratio of sulfonates/zwitterionic surfactants can range from 0.3 to 1.5. In certain embodiments, the weight percent ratio of sulfonates/zwitterionic surfactants can range from 0.3 to 1.0. In certain embodiments, the weight percent ratio of sulfonates/zwitterionic surfactants can range from 0.5 to 1.5.
  • the weight percent ratio of sulfonates/zwitterionic surfactants can range from 0.5 to 1. In certain embodiments, the weight percent ratio of sulfonates/zwitterionic surfactants can range from 0.5 to 0.8. In certain embodiments, the weight percent ratio of sulfonates/zwitterionic surfactants can range from 0.75 to 0.80.
  • Embodiments disclosed here include methods for recovering hydrocarbons from a hydrocarbon-bearing formation.
  • One such method includes introducing into the hydrocarbon- bearing formation a fluid containing effective amounts of a sulfonate surfactant, a zwitterionic co-surfactant, and mineral oil; driving the fluid through the hydrocarbon-bearing formation to displace hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon-bearing formation; and recovering the displaced hydrocarbons.
  • the sulfonate surfactant and the zwitterionic co-surfactant can form nanoparticles having a particle diameter ranging from about lO nm to 100 nm.
  • the petroleum sulfonate-based nanoparticles in seawater-based formulations have particle diameters ranging from about 10 nm to 60 nm.
  • a zwitterionic co-surfactant such as cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, a petroleum sulfonate surfactant, such as sodium alkylbenzene sulfonates, and seawater were combined to form a colloidally and chemically stable formulation.
  • these nanosurfactant formulations were colloidally and chemically stable for more than six months at 100 °C.
  • Stability refers to the ability of the particles to remain as part of the nanosurfactant composition without aggregating or displaying reduced sticking to the rock surfaces. Stability does not refer to the stability of the individual components.
  • the seawater-crude oil IFT was reduced by two to three orders of magnitude.
  • Certain embodiments showed reduced interfacial tension measured in milliNewtons per meter (mN/m) with crude oil at 90 °C and rapid formation of an emulsion at 100 °C without any mechanical mixing. Furthermore, in certain embodiments, the size of the formed nanoparticles was small (less than 50 nm) in comparison to pore diameters typically encountered in petroleum-bearing carbonate formations. The size of the nanoparticles was small and decreased to about 15 nm after increasing the temperature from 25 °C to 90 °C. The size remained unchanged when the suspension is cooled back to 25 °C. This indicates the enhanced stability of the formulation under oil reservoir conditions, and even when different temperatures are encountered in the reservoir.
  • the surfactant molecules are formulated into nano-sized particles, the loss of surfactants is mitigated and the delivery of surfactants to the oil phase is enhanced.
  • nanosized particles can migrate long distances and efficiently deliver the surfactant to the entrapped or upswept oil for enhanced mobility.
  • Petroleum sulfonate surfactants are inexpensive, readily available surfactants, and provide an exceptional performance for oil recovery applications. However, the sulfonates are only soluble in fresh water, and they form insoluble gummy precipitates in seawater. The precipitates consist of petroleum sulfonate salts of the naturally occurring divalent metal cations in seawater.
  • the surfactant When delivered as part of the nanoparticle composition, the surfactant is released in the presence of oil, otherwise it remains intact within the water phase.
  • This approach is efficient and economical in delivering surfactants in targeted oil recovery applications.
  • the nanoparticles are small enough to travel through the reservoir without straining. The sorption of these particles onto the rock matrix is not significant, and they are stable for periods of time exceeding their travel time to the oil-water interface. Flow of these aqueous nanoparticle compositions through the reservoir is different from the flow of foam compositions. These aqueous nanoparticle compositions easily permeate into low permeability zones, while the foam compositions do not have similar capability. Moreover, these aqueous nanoparticle compositions do not block the high permeability zones of a reservoir.
  • Embodiments formulated using petroleum sulfonate surfactants, zwitterionic cosurfactants, and mineral oil with did not suffer from the disadvantages described in the prior paragraph. Due to the co-existence of immiscible components (oil and water) in the nanosurfactant solution, the configuration of nanosurfactants formed in seawater is fundamentally different than just a mixture (or a blend) of surfactant molecules.
  • the nanosurfactants are emulsions of nano-sized oil droplets that contain the petroleum sulfonate. The droplets are in turn stabilized by the co-surfactant molecules, which are not easily hydrolyzed in seawater.
  • Embodiments disclosed here include methods for producing nanosurfactant compositions suitable for injection into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation for enhanced recovery operations.
  • One such method includes the steps of mixing a sulfonate surfactant and a zwitterionic co-surfactant in the presence of freshwater or deionized water.
  • the sulfonate surfactant contains 2 wt % to 20 wt % of mineral oil. If the sulfonate surfactant does not contain the required amount of mineral oil, then external mineral oil is added to the sulfonate surfactant. If required, the various fluids are diluted with freshwater or deionized water to the desired concentrations.
  • the method further includes introducing an aqueous salt solution with cations to the reactor to the freshwater mixture of sulfonate surfactant and zwitterionic co-surfactant to produce a nanosurfactant composition containing nanoparticles with a particle diameter in a range of from about lO nm to 100 nm and the sulfonate surfactant and the zwitterionic co-surfactant at about 0.2-1 wt %.
  • These nanoparticles are stable under high salinity and high temperature conditions. A substantial portion of the nanoparticles is stable for at least three months at temperatures of at least 100 °C.
  • the sulfonate surfactant is selected from the group consisting of an alkyl sulfonate, an alkyl aryl sulfonate, and combinations thereof.
  • the sulfonate surfactant is a petroleum sulfonate salt.
  • the petroleum sulfonate nanoparticles in seawater-based formulations have particle diameters ranging from about 10 nm to 60 nm.
  • the zwitterionic co-surfactant contains cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.
  • Another method of producing nanosurfactant compositions includes mixing the sulfonate surfactant with the zwitterionic co-surfactant in the presence of fresh water.
  • the resulting mixture contains water in an amount ranging from 80 wt % to 98 wt % and the total amount of surfactants ranging from about 2 wt % to 20 wt %.
  • water containing cations such as seawater, is introduced to form nanosurfactant compositions with the total amount of surfactants ranging from about 0.2 wt % to 1 wt %.
  • the cations include one or more of sodium, calcium, magnesium, and potassium.
  • the cations-containing water has a TDS concentration ranging from 50,000 ppm - 150,000 ppm.
  • the nanosurfactant compositions contain 0.1-0.25 wt % of petroleum sulfonates, 0.002-0.02 wt % of mineral oil, and 0.1-0.2 wt % of a zwitterionic co-surfactant. These nanosurfactant compositions are stable under reservoir conditions.
  • An example of reservoir conditions includes a TDS concentration ranging from 60,000 ppm to 150,000 ppm and a reservoir temperature ranging from 100 °C to 120 °C.
  • nanosurfactant compositions are different from the fracturing fluids that contain zwitterionic and ionic surfactants.
  • the fracturing fluids contain 10 wt % to 20 wt % of the zwitterionic surfactants and the methods of production of these fracturing fluids do not permit the formation of the nanoparticles.
  • the fracturing fluids contain large amounts of surfactants to increase fluid viscosity, the fracturing fluids do not pass through the pores but instead fracture the rocks of the reservoir.
  • nanosurfactant compositions containing surfactants ranging from about 0.2 wt % to 1 wt % of the fluid used for improved or enhanced oil recovery.
  • the fluid containing the nanosurfactants passes through the pores.
  • the salts contained in the seawater force the surfactant and co-surfactant to form nanoparticles and stabilize these nanoparticles.
  • the fluid containing the nanoparticles passes through the pores easily and delivers the active surfactants to mobilize oil and enhance recovery.
  • the nanosurfactant composition includes oil-containing nanoassemblies.
  • the nanoassembly is essentially an oil-based micelle surrounded by the zwitterionic co-surfactant (the hydrophilic heads of the zwitterionic cosurfactant are represented by the bright spheres).
  • the nanoassembly includes a hydrophobic interior and a hydrophilic exterior.
  • the hydrophobic interior includes the mineral oil.
  • the hydrophobic interior also includes the hydrophobic portion of the sulfonate surfactant and the hydrophobic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant.
  • the hydrophilic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant forming the hydrophilic exterior of the micelle interacts with the saline aqueous environment to stabilize the nanoassembly. Specifically, the hydrophilic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant interacts with the divalent cations present in the saline aqueous environment.
  • the sulfonate surfactant is contained within the hydrophobic interior. In alternate embodiments, the hydrophilic portion of the sulfonate surfactant (represented by the dark sphere) is shielded by adjacent hydrophilic portions of the zwitterionic co-surfactant.
  • the hydrophilic portion of the sulfonate surfactant which may be due to steric hinderance by the hydrophilic portion of the zwitterionic cosurfactant, sparingly or does not participate in the stabilization of the nanoassembly with the exterior saline aqueous environment.
  • the mineral oil in the hydrophobic interior facilitates the containment of the sulfonate surfactant in the hydrophobic interior of the nanoassembly.
  • Embodiments provide nanosurfactant compositions suitable for injection into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation for enhanced recovery operations.
  • a non-limiting example nanosurfactant composition includes a sulfonate surfactant, a zwitterionic co-surfactant, mineral oil, and saline water.
  • the nanosurfactant composition has a sulfonate surfactant content ranging between about 0.05 wt % and about 0.25 wt %. In some embodiments, the nanosurfactant composition has a zwitterionic co-surfactant content ranging between about 0.01 wt % and about 0.25 wt %. In some embodiments, the nanosurfactant composition has an oil content ranging between about 0.002 wt % and about 0.02 wt %.
  • Embodiments include nanosurfactant compositions and use of these compositions with long-term stability at high salinity and high temperature conditions.
  • the nanosurfactant compositions include nanoassemblies including a sulfonate surfactant, a zwitterionic cosurfactant, and an oil (such as mineral oil).
  • the hydrophobic interior of the nanoassembly includes the mineral oil, the hydrophobic portion of the sulfonate surfactant, and the hydrophobic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant.
  • the hydrophilic exterior of the nanoassembly includes the hydrophilic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant.
  • Such nanosurfactant compositions are capable of generating and stabilizing foams using gaseous components such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foams can be used in porous media, and are capable of providing conformance control functionality in reservoirs, ultralow crude oil-brine IFT, and wettability alteration of the reservoir rock surfaces.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foams can improve sweep efficiency in reservoirs during a miscible gas (corresponding to carbon dioxide) injection or an immiscible gas (corresponding to nitrogen) injection.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foams are capable of reducing the permeability in certain reservoirs having high permeability zones providing enhanced horizontal and vertical sweep efficiency.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foams are capable of preventing gravity override of the gas and limiting viscous fingering of the gas.
  • the nanosurfactant composition present in the lamellae of the foam is capable of providing reduced crude oil-water IFT. Reducing the IFT between crude oil and brine (or water) leads to increased oil recovery.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is capable of altering the wettability of an oil-wet rock surface to a water-wet rock surface, resulting in enhanced imbibition in tight formations.
  • the nanosurfactant composition can be co-injected or slug injected with gaseous components such as carbon dioxide and nitrogen, to generate foam at desired downhole locations.
  • the sulfonate surfactant can include petroleum sulfonate.
  • Petroleum sulfonate can include alkyl sulfonates, alkyl aryl sulfonates, alkyl xylene sulfonates, and alpha-olefin sulfonates, and combinations of the same.
  • Non-limiting examples of a commercially-available product that contains petroleum sulfonate include PETRONATE® EOR-2095 sodium sulfonates and PETRONATE® HL/L sodium sulfonates.
  • the zwitterionic co-surfactant can include a sulfobetaine (or a sultaine) and a carboxybetaine (or a betaine).
  • the sulfobetaine can include an alkyl sultaine, an alkyl hydroxy sultaine, an alkylamidopropyl sultaine, and an alkylamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.
  • the carboxybetaine can include an alkyl betaine and an alkylamidopropyl betaine.
  • Non-limiting examples of the sulfobetaine include capryl sultaine, cetyl hydroxysultaine, lauryl hydroxysultaine, myristyl hydroxysultaine, coco-sultaine, cocohydroxy sultaine, lauryl sultaine, myristyl sultaine, cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, erucamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, lauramidopropyl hydroxysultaine, myrisamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, oleamidopropyl hydroxysultaine, and tallowamidopropyl hydroxysultaine.
  • Non-limiting examples of the carboxybetaine include betaine, lauryl betaine, behenyl betaine, myristyl betaine, cetyl betaine, oleyl betaine, coco-betaine, strearyl betaine, decyl betaine, tallow betaine, hydrogenated tallow betaine, cocamidopropyl betaine, erucamidopropyl betaine, lauramidopropyl betaine, myrisamidopropyl betaine, oleamidopropyl betaine, and tallowamidopropyl betaine.
  • the molecular structure of the sulfobetaine is shown in Formula (I): where R is an alkyl group or an alkylamidopropyl group, both having 1 to 30 carbons in the alkyl chain, and R’ is a hydrogen atom or a hydroxyl group.
  • the molecular structure of the carboxy betaine is shown in Formula (II): where R is an alkyl group or an alkylamidopropyl group, both having 1 to 30 carbons in the alkyl chain.
  • Non-limiting examples of a commercially available product that contains the sulfobetaine or carboxybetaine include SURFATEX CBSTM, PETROSTEP® SB, PETROSTEP® CG-50, Amphosol® CG-50, and ColaTeric CBS-HP.
  • a gaseous component is used to generate the nanosurfactantbased foam.
  • the gaseous component may include nitrogen, air, argon, carbon dioxide, and combinations of the same.
  • nitrogen or carbon dioxide is used as the gaseous component, in any quality readily available.
  • the petroleum sulfonate, the mineral oil, and fresh water are combined to form a first mixture.
  • the zwitterionic co-surfactant and fresh water are combined to form a second mixture.
  • the first mixture and the second mixture are combined to form a third mixture.
  • the third mixture and saline water are combined to form the nanosurfactant composition.
  • the saline water includes divalent cations where the hydrophilic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant interacts with the divalent cations present in the aqueous saline environment to stabilize the nanoassembly.
  • the mineral oil facilitates the containment of the petroleum sulfonate in the hydrophobic interior of the nanoassembly.
  • a gaseous component is introduced to the nanosurfactant composition to generate a nanosurfactant-based foam.
  • the nanosurfactantbased foam is used for enhanced oil recovery.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foam can be generated on the surface.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foam can be generated in situ, where the nanosurfactant composition is prepared on the surface and is introduced downhole with the gaseous component to form a foam downhole.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foam is introduced into a hydrocarbon-bearing formation.
  • the hydrocarbon-bearing formation can include carbonate-based rocks.
  • the nanosurfactant-based foam is driven through the hydrocarbon-bearing formation such that the nanoassembly makes contact with and displaces hydrocarbons from the formation by reducing the interfacial tension between the hydrocarbons and the saline water included in the nanosurfactant composition.
  • PETROSTEP® SB and SURFATEX® CBS were chosen for further experimentation with different sulfonates (EOR-095, BIOSOFT S101®, NACCANOL 90G®, G-3300®, ENORDET 0342®, ENORDET 0352®, ENORDET 0242®).
  • These surfactant and co-surfactant formulations were evalutated in seawater as well as in low salinity Arab-D brine.
  • the stability and properties of the nanosurfactant compositions are dependent on type of the sulfonates used as the core of the nanostructured entity.
  • the properties of the nanosurfactants are affected by factors such as co-surfactant type, salt concentration, type of petroleum sulfonate/altemative, oil content, and amount. Based on these tests, EOR-2095 and SURFATEX® CBS were selected for conducting further analysis.
  • Table 1 Provided below in Table 1 is an example of the composition of the synthetic seawater.
  • the different compounds were added in grams as shown in Table 1 to make one liter of synthetic seawater.
  • FIG. 2 shows an example of a method for the preparation of the nanosurfactant mixture.
  • a process for the preparation of nanosurfactant (stock solution) using a zwitterionic co-surfactant and petroleum sulfonate with mineral oil A 5% stock solution of EOR-2095 surfactant was prepared by dissolving commercial 50 g of EOR- 2095 in 900 milliliters (mL) of deionized water and adjusting the volume to 1,000 mL with more deionized water once the dissolution is complete.
  • a 4% stock solution of the zwitterionic co-surfactant was prepared by dissolving 40 g of the STRX commercial co-surfactant in 900 mL of deionized water and adjusting the volume to 1,000 mL with more deionized water once the dissolution is complete. About 100 mL of the 5% EOR-2095 stock and 125 mL of the 4% co- surfactant stock were mixed and 1,000 mL of synthetic seawater was added followed by vigorous mixing. The nanosurfactant mixture does not include any hydrolyzed polyacrylamides.
  • the ratio of petroleum sulfonate to the zwitterionic co-surfactant can be varied and optimized to meet the desired properties of the final product.
  • Cryo-TEM was used to study the morphology of the nanosurfactant samples.
  • About 20 microliters (pL) of the nanosurfactant mixture samples were deposited without dilution onto copper C-flat holey carbon grids (Product code: CF-1.2/1.3-4C-T-50 from Electron Microscopy Sciences).
  • the samples were blotted and frozen on a Gatan CP3 Cryoplunge in liquid ethane cooled with liquid nitrogen.
  • Samples were mounted on the autoloader of an FEI Tecnai Arctica Field Emission Cryo-TEM (available at Center of Nanoscale Systems, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA). Low electron dose images were taken under 200 kilovolts accelerating voltage.
  • spherical particles with dimeters ranging from 15 to 40 nm were observed for the nanosurfactant fluid. This result confirmed the size of the nanosurfactant particles being in the range required for better transportability in tight reservoir rocks.
  • FIG. 4A shows the nanosurfactant suspension after being stored for 4 months at room temperature
  • FIG. 4B shows the nanosurfactant suspension following incubation in the oven at 100 °C after 4 months.
  • the nanosurfactant suspensions were still as stable as the suspensions at room temperature, as seen by the lack of phase separation. The color and turbidity of the oven-incubated and room-temperature samples did not change significantly.
  • DLS Dynamic Light Scattering
  • FIG. 5 is a graphical representation of the particle size of the nanosurfactant particles with the petroleum sulfonate and the zwitterionic co-surfactant as measured during the heating and cooling cycles.
  • the size of the nanosurfactant particles with the zwitterionic co-surfactant decreases with increasing temperature and remains small after cooling. Similar behavior was observed at different seawater dilutions as shown in FIGS. 6A - 6C.
  • FIGS. 6A - 6C are graphical representations of the particle size of the nanosurfactant particles when diluted with seawater as measured during the heating and cooling cycles.
  • FIG. 6A shows the particle size of the nanosurfactant particles in the fluid that was not diluted with any further seawater.
  • FIG. 6B shows the particle size of the nanosurfactant particles in the fluid that was diluted with seven parts of seawater and
  • FIG. 6C shows the particle size of the nanosurfactant particles in the fluid that was diluted with fifteen parts of seawater.
  • IFT reduction One of the most important characteristics that determine the efficiency of a surfactant treatment in EOR is the IFT reduction.
  • the IFT between crude oil and an aqueous solution i.e. nanosurfactant-containing fluid
  • M6500 spinning drop interfacial tensiometer
  • the solution to be tested was filled in a capillary tube and a drop of filtered UTMN crude oil (from Uthmaniyah oil field) was spun at about 4,000 revolutions per minute (rpm) at 90 °C.
  • the diameter of the oil droplet was recorded every 5 minutes for around 30 minutes and used to calculate the IFT based on known density deference, temperature, speed, and the drop diameter.
  • p 0 density of oil in g/cm 3
  • n refractive index of the aqueous solution
  • the IFT was measured for nanosurfactant samples and for fluids containing the zwitterionic co-surfactant alone.
  • Table 2 and FIG. 7 show the IFT results for the nanosurfactant samples and for the zwitterionic co-surfactant alone.
  • Extremely low IFT was observed for nanosurfactant sample as compared to the fluid containing the zwitterionic co-surfactant alone.
  • These results signify that the reduction in IFT is mainly due to the cumulative functionality of the petroleum surfactant, the zwitterionic co-surfactant, and the mineral oil. This significant reduction of IFT results in better capillary action, and thus better mobilization of oil by the flood fluids compared to conventional surfactants.
  • the results also signify the key role of petroleum sulfonates, which could only be made stable in seawater via transformation into nanosurfactants, and consequently used in oil recovery applications at high temperature and elevated salinities.
  • interfacial tension evaluation was conducted after the nanosurfactant composition was kept in the oven for more than 4 months at 100 °C. About 5 mL of the sample was taken from the tube and the rest of the sample was sealed tightly and returned to the oven. The results were compared with the IFT values for the same sample that was measured previously before being incubated in the oven. Table 3 and FIG. 8 show the IFT results for the nanosurfactant composition before (two independent runs) and after being in the oven at 100 °C for more than four months. As mentioned previously, the stability experiments revealed that the nanosurfactant composition was stable during this period. The IFT values of the nanosurfactant composition are almost identical (within acceptable measurements error), confirming the long-term functionality and thermal stability of the nanosurfactant composition.
  • FIGS. 9A and 9B The results are summarized in FIGS. 9A and 9B.
  • the IFT between seawater and crude oil mostly decreases when the concentration of the zwitterionic co-surfactant decreases.
  • FIG. 9B the IFT between seawater and crude oil decreases almost monotonically with decreasing concentration of the nanosurfactant mixture, while it reaches a minimum with nanosurfactant mixture at about 1:4 dilution.
  • the lower the IFT the larger the capillary number, so the nanosurfactant fluid has an increased ability to mobilize the oil with seawater.
  • the IFT values of the nanosurfactant composition are about two orders of magnitude lower than the IFT values of a fluid with the zwitterionic co-surfactant alone.
  • EOR-2095 To evaluate the role of mineral oil on IFT, a clear brown solution of EOR-2095 (2.5 wt %) was formed by mixing 2 g of oil-free petroleum sulfonate with 19.5 mL of deionized water. Mineral oil was intentionally removed from EOR-2095. The sample was sonicated using a probe sonicator for few minutes followed by using the ultrasonic bath for around 40 minutes with heating the sample at 60 °C.
  • This oil-free petroleum sulfonate (2.5 wt %) was used with the zwitterionic co-surfactant (4 wt %) and seawater to prepare two samples with the ratios 1:1:10 and 1 : 1.25 : 10 for petroleum sulfonate: the zwitterionic co-surfactant: seawater.
  • the IFT was measured for theses samples for around 30 minutes and compared to the IFT for the zwitterionic co-surfactant-nanosurfactant (stock).
  • Table 7 [00107] The presence of mineral oil improves the IFT performance of the nanosurfactant by approximately 4-5 times. Mineral oil facilitates the formation of nano-emulsion droplets and containment of the petroleum sulfonates. Also, this suggests that doping the petroleum sulfonates with different types and amounts of oil may play an important role.
  • a solution of 5 wt % petroleum sulfonates was prepared by mixing 50 g of EOR- 2095 with 950 mL deionized water, as shown in FIG. 13A. The mixture was stirred for about 10 minutes to ensure complete dissolution. About 10 g of petroleum sulfonates/deionized water was added to 50 mL seawater to form precipitates of calcium and magnesium petroleum sulfonate (FIGS. 13B and 13C). The mixture was kept for some time, then the precipitates were filtered and dried under vacuum in the desiccator for several days. After drying, 0.5 g of the waxy sample, as shown in FIG.
  • FIG. 13D was mixed with 5 mL of UTMN crude oil forming petroleum sulfonates/oil, as shown in FIG. 13E.
  • the IFT values of the petroleum sulfonates/oil mixture and seawater only as well as seawater containing the zwitterionic co-surfactant were measured.
  • FIG. 14 shows that the IFT values for the oil-seawater (SW) is greater in the presence of the zwitterionic co-surfactant. This result confirms that the reduction of the oilseawater IFT is not due to any soluble fraction of petroleum sulfonate that may coexist in the nanosurfactant composition.
  • FIG. 16A shows the phase behavior results under normal light for the nanosurfactant composition after being incubated in the oven at 100 °C for one week.
  • FIG. 16B shows the phase behavior results under normal light for the fluid containing the zwitterionic co-surfactant alone after being incubated in the oven at 100 °C for one week.
  • FIGS. 16C and 16D show the images of the samples in FIGS. 16A and 16B, respectively, when exposed to UV light.
  • FIG. 17 shows a schematic of the experimental set up. About five (5) mL the zwitterionic co-surfactant was added in a cylindrical pressure tube with air-tight Teflon lids, followed by the addition of 5 mL of petroleum sulfonates and oil carefully over it. The tubes were incubated in the oven at 100 °C without any mechanical mixing and were checked and photographed with and without being exposed to UV light (365 nm) over different time intervals. The same procedure was followed with seawater, which was prepared as a control sample.
  • FIGS. 18A and 18B show the phase behavior of the zwitterionic co-surfactant and seawater using petroleum sulfonates/oil immediately after set up. After 1 h of incubation at 100 °C, the zwitterionic co-surfactant solution was cloudy.
  • FIGS. 18C and 18D show the phase behavior of the zwitterionic cosurfactant and seawater using petroleum sulfonates/oil after one hour at 100 °C.
  • control samples were separate tubes of 10 mL of the nanosurfactant solution and 10 mL of the zwitterionic co-surfactant solution. Tubes were shaken 10 times and placed in the oven for 24 hours at 100 °C. Samples were removed from the oven and 3 mL from the supernatant were collected in centrifuge tubes. Samples were centrifuged for 30 minutes at 3,000 rpm, and about 2 mL of the supernatant (uppermost layer) was collected from each centrifuge tube into separate clean test tubes. Nuclear magnetic resonance measurements were done on the supernatant samples. As shown in FIGS. 19A-19C, the J H NMR spectra for five different formulations with suppressed/removed H2O signal are present.
  • the first spectrum from the top is EOR-2095 oil fraction/CDCh for the mineral oil fraction which was removed from EOR-2095 sample and dissolved in deuteriated chloroform.
  • the second spectrum from the top is EOR-2095/10% D2O for commercial EOR-2095 dissolved in 10% deuterium oxide (D2O) in water.
  • the third spectrum from the top is STRX/10% D2O for Surfatex CBS dissolved in 10% deuterium oxide in water.
  • the fourth spectrum from the top is oil-free EOR-2095/10% D2O for EOR-2095 with originally present mineral oil removed from it and EOR-2095 fractions dissolved in 10% D2O in water.
  • the last spectrum is NSS20150614 / 10% D2O for nanosurfactant formulations in 10 wt % deuterium oxide in water.
  • the nanosurfactant mixture (spectrum at the bottom) has two regions (presented by the left hand side and right hand side dashed rectangles), where the signals of the individual ingredients (peaks at 3-4 ppm coming from Surfatex CBS and 6.6-8.0 ppm from EOR-2095) did not overlap and could be integrated with sufficient accuracy.
  • FIG. 19B and FIG. 19C are expanded visualizations of the 'H NMR spectra between 6.3 and 8 ppm and between 0 and 4.2 ppm, respectively.
  • the tubes were cooled to room temperature and 3 mL aliquots of the supernatants were withdrawn. The aliquots were placed in disposable polyethylene centrifuge test tubes and centrifuged at 3,000 rpm for 30 minutes. Aliquots of the resulting supernatants (0.9 mL) were withdrawn using an Eppendorf micropipette and mixed with a standard solution of maleic acid (0.1 mL, 0.10 g of maleic acid in 11.08 g of D2O) as an internal reference in scintillation vials. Then about 0.7 mL aliquots of the mixed solutions were transferred to the nuclear magnetic resonance tubes for measurements.
  • a standard solution of maleic acid 0.1 mL, 0.10 g of maleic acid in 11.08 g of D2O
  • the J H NMR spectra were measured on Bruker Avance spectrometer operating at 400 MHz. To suppress the water peak, each spectrum was induced with an excitation sculpting pulse sequence using the standard (zgespg) program from the Bruker pulse library. A 4,000 Hz acquisition window centered at the peak of the water signal (about 4.7 ppm) was used and 64 scans were collected for each sample with a 3 second delay between the scans. The integral of maleic acid (sharp singlet at 6.45 ppm) was given the value of 1,000 for every sample and the other integrals were referenced to it. As shown in FIGS.
  • the residual amounts of EOR-2095 and the zwitterionic co-surfactant were determined by dividing the corresponding integral values for the rock exposed samples by the integral values for the control samples (Safter/Sbefore), where is Sa corresponds for amount of EOR-2095, Sb for amount of Surfatex CBS, and Sc for combined amount of EOR-2095 with Surfatex CBS.
  • FIGS. 20A and 20B are 'H NMR spectra of samples of the nanosurfactant composition collected before and after contact with powdered Arab-D outcrop rock, respectively.
  • the loss of surfactants due to adsorption when using the nanosurfactant composition (STRX-NS) was quantified from these 1 H NMR spectra.
  • FIG. 23 is a difference spectrum based on the 'H NMR spectra of samples of the nanosurfactant-containing fluid before and after contact with powdered Arab-D outcrop rock, respectively.
  • FIGS. 21A and 21B are 'H NMR spectra of samples of a fluid containing the zwitterionic co-surfactant collected before and after contact with powdered Arab-D outcrop rock, respectively.
  • FIG. 22 is a series of difference spectra based on the 1 H NMR spectra of samples of a fluid containing the zwitterionic co-surfactant collected before and after contact with powdered Arab-D outcrop rock, respectively.
  • the red line is the spectrum for surfactant solution before exposure to rock and the blue line is the spectrum for surfactant solution after exposure to rock.
  • the green line is the difference spectrum that supports the measurement of the amount of surfactant retained on the powdered Arab-D outcrop.
  • Nuclear magnetic resonance results in FIGS. 21A and 21B showed significant difference between loss values for integrals B and C in the pure the zwitterionic co-surfactant sample, indicating that components of the surfactant containing long aliphatic chain (C11H23 on average, integral C) are adsorbed preferentially.
  • the signals in areaB (2.8-4.0 ppm) correspond to the short diamine link derived fromN,N-dimethyl-l,3- propanediamine, the aliphatic protons of the hydroxy sulfonate head group derived from 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropane sulfonic acid and byproducts derived from the same amine and sulfonic acid.
  • FIGS. 24 and 25 and Table 9 summarize the results. As shown in Table 9, when the zwitterionic co-surfactant control was used alone, there was about 16% loss due to adsorption. When the nanosurfactant was used without the zwitterionic co-surfactant but still containing the petroleum sulfonates, then there was a 3% loss due to adsorption.
  • FIG. 24 shows the adsorption of the active ingredients onto the rock grains in mg/g and FIG. 25 on a percentage basis for the same samples.
  • FIG. 26C is a graphical representation of the results from the IFT evaluation of the nanosurfactant mixture with the petroleum sulfonate, the zwitterionic co-surfactant, and mineral oil. It is also important to note that in FIG. 26C, there is an increase in IFT to 0.43 mN/m caused by removing the mineral oil as compared to the previously reported IFT value of 0.3 mN/m for the zwitterionic co-surfactant-nanosurfactant containing mineral oil data. This result signifies the importance of the mineral oil in aiding the reduction of the IFT induced by the nanosurfactant mixture containing the zwitterionic co-surfactant, and also points out the possibilities of using different oils.
  • the nanosurfactant formulation containing the zwitterionic co-surfactant was subjected to further evaluation of oil recovery using several core plugs (17) from Arab-D reservoir. Routine core analysis was conducted and the petrophysical parameters, such as dimensions, porosity, permeability and pore volume were measured. For the first composite, three core plugs were selected based on their permeability, computed tomography (CT) scan and nuclear magnetic resonance data. The plugs were arranged as shown in FIG. 27. A schematic illustration of the experimental instrumentation 2800 is shown in FIG. 28. Four different vessels 2801, 2802, 2803, and 2804 are part of the instrumentation 2800.
  • CT computed tomography
  • the vessels 2801, 2802, 2803, and 2804 were filled up with dead oil, live oil, synthetic seawater, and nanosurfactant composition, respectively, and the flow of these fluids is controlled by a flow control module 2805.
  • the coreflooding experiment was performed using core sample holder 2806 at reservoir temperature (90 °C) with a flow rate of 0.5 cubic centimeter per minute. During the test, the differential pressure, oil, and water production were recorded in 30 second intervals. This data was used to calculate the incremental oil recovery.
  • the experimental instrumentation 2800 includes a delta pressure module 2807, capable of delivering low delta pressure, or medium delta pressure, or high delta pressure, and in fluid communication with the core sample holder 2806.
  • the experimental instrumentation 2800 also includes an air inlet 2808 and a water inlet 2809 that are supplied to a confining pressure module 2810.
  • This module 2810 is in fluid communication with the core sample holder 2806.
  • Effluent from the core sample holder 2806 is supplied to a sample analysis module 2811.
  • separators, back-pressure modulators, filters, pressure and temperature sensors, valves, pumps, heating elements and cooling elements that are in fluid communication with various components of the experimental instrumentation 2800 and are known to one of ordinary skill in the art.
  • FIG. 29A shows the oil recovery results using the nanosurfactant composition.
  • FIG. 29B shows the expanded view of the core flooding results after the original oil-in-place recovery. Around 70% of original oil-in-place was recovered by seawater flooding. After injecting the nanosurfactant formulation, about 7% of additional oil was recovered. The incremental increase in oil recovery took place shortly after injecting the nanosurfactant slug, but at a low rate. Later, when the flow rate was increased to 2 mL/min, there was a significant increase in the rate of oil recovery.
  • Petroleum sulfonate was formulated by the following process. 60 mL of crude oil (API gravity of 35, viscosity of 10 cP at 30 °C, 27% aromatics content) was placed in a syringe pump. 10 mL of 60% fuming sulfuric acid was placed in a sulfur tri oxi de (SO3) generation reactor. Sulfur trioxide gas was generated by bubbling nitrogen gas in the fuming sulfuric acid at 24 °C. The crude oil and the nitrogen/sulfur tri oxi de gas were co-injected into a vertical polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) reactor having a 0.13 inch inner diameter and a 0.25 inch outer diameter at a rate where over-sulfonating and solid formation were prevented.
  • PTFE vertical polytetrafluoroethylene
  • the nitrogen gas rate was set at 130 mL/min using an air flow meter while the crude oil injection rate was set at 0.6 mL/min using a syringe pump.
  • the crude oil drops are forced to deform against the tube wall and form a thin layer of sulfonated crude oil.
  • the sulfonated crude oil (that is, the petroleum sulfonate) was collected at the bottom of the PTFE reactor in a flask while excess tail gas was scrubbed.
  • 1.5 times the volume of isopropyl alcohol was added to the production flask and 35 wt % aqueous sodium hydroxide was added dropwise while mixing until pH 7 was reached. The neutralized mixture was then filtered using filter paper.
  • the solvents from the product were further removed using a rotary evaporator and the thick product was collected.
  • deionized water was added and placed in a separation funnel until two phases were recognized.
  • the water phase containing the petroleum sulfonate product was collected.
  • the petroleum sulfonate had a sulfonate content ranging between 61 wt % and 63 wt %.
  • the mixture had a mineral oil content ranging between 31 wt % and 35 wt %.
  • Sample nanosurfactant compositions including the petroleum sulfonate (formulated as shown in Example 8). the zwitterionic co-surfactant, and the mineral oil, were formulated by the following process.
  • the petroleum sulfonate of Example 8 was used as the source for the petroleum sulfonate and the mineral oil.
  • a petroleum sulfonate mixture was prepared by dissolving the petroleum sulfonate of Example 8 in deionized water.
  • An aqueous zwitterionic co-surfactant solution was prepared by dissolving cocamidopropyl hydroxy sultaine in deionized water.
  • the petroleum sulfonate mixture and various quantities of the aqueous zwitterionic co-surfactant solution were vigorously mixed to form suspensions.
  • Synthetic seawater (as shown for example in Table 1, having a TDS concentration of about 66,000 ppm) and each of the suspension were vigorously mixed to form the sample nanosurfactant compositions that may or may not include the stabilized nanoassemblies.
  • the sample nanosurfactant compositions had an oil content ranging between about 0.002 wt % and about 0.02 wt %.
  • the sample nanosurfactant compositions had properties as shown in Table 10.
  • FIG. 31 shows a photographic image of the sample nanosurfactant compositions under white background light.
  • Samples 1-4 are shown in order from the left hand side to the right hand side of FIG. 31.
  • Samples 1 and 2 are relatively opaque while Samples 3 and 4 are relatively transparent.
  • the opacity of the samples corresponds to the degree of stabilization of the nanoassemblies.
  • Samples 3 and 4 include stabilized nanoassemblies where the hydrophilic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant interacts with the exterior saline aqueous environment while the petroleum sulfonate does not.
  • Sample 1 does not include the zwitterionic co-surfactant, and therefore the petroleum sulfonate alone does not form stable nanoassemblies.
  • Sample 2 includes the zwitterionic co-surfactant, but the quantity of the zwitterionic co-surfactant is not sufficient to form a stable and transparent nanosurfactant composition.
  • Sample nanosurfactant compositions including the petroleum sulfonate (formulated as shown in Example 8). the zwitterionic co-surfactant, and the mineral oil, were formulated by the following process.
  • the petroleum sulfonate of Example 8 was used as the source for the petroleum sulfonate and the mineral oil.
  • a petroleum sulfonate mixture was prepared by dissolving the petroleum sulfonate of Example 8 in deionized water.
  • a number of aqueous zwitterionic co-surfactant solutions were prepared by dissolving various types and quantities of sulfobetaines and carboxybetaines in deionized water.
  • the petroleum sulfonate mixture and each of the aqueous zwitterionic co-surfactant solutions were vigorously mixed to form suspensions.
  • Synthetic seawater (as shown for example in Table 1, having a TDS concentration of about 66,000 ppm) and each of the suspensions were vigorously mixed to form the sample nanosurfactant compositions that may or may not include the stabilized nanoassemblies.
  • the sample nanosurfactant compositions had an oil content ranging between about 0.002 wt % and about 0.02 wt %.
  • the sample nanosurfactant compositions had properties as shown in Table 11
  • FIG. 32 shows a photographic image of the sample nanosurfactant compositions (Samples 5 -9) under ambient background light. Samples 5 -9 are shown in order from the left hand side to the right hand side of FIG. 32. As can be seen, Sample 8 are relatively opaque while Samples 5-7 and 9 are relatively transparent. Without being bound by any theory, the opacity of the samples corresponds to the degree of stabilization of the nanoassemblies. Samples 5 -7 and 9 include stabilized nanoassemblies where the hydrophilic portion of the zwitterionic co-surfactant interacts with the exterior aqueous saline environment while the petroleum sulfonate does not. Conversely, Sample 8 includes the zwitterionic co-surfactant, but the quantity of the zwitterionic co-surfactant lacks to form a stable and transparent nanosurfactant composition.
  • FIG. 33A is a graphical representation showing mobility reduction in the 50 Darcy sand pack by co-injecting carbon dioxide as the gas phase component and the nanosurfactant composition (or water) as the liquid phase component.
  • the horizontal axis represents the gas fraction in volume percent.
  • the vertical axis represents the pressure drop in psi.
  • the square data points represent sand pack flooding studies conducted using carbon dioxide and Sample 6 as the nanosurfactant composition.
  • the triangular data points represent sand pack flooding studies conducted using carbon dioxide and water.
  • the circular data points represent sand pack flooding studies using only water.
  • FIG. 33B is a graphical representation showing mobility reduction in the 27 Darcy sand pack by co-injecting carbon dioxide as the gas phase component and the nanosurfactant composition (or water) as the liquid phase component.
  • the horizontal axis represents the gas fraction in volume percent.
  • the vertical axis represents the pressure drop in psi.
  • the square data points represent sand pack flooding studies conducted using carbon dioxide and Sample 5 as the nanosurfactant composition.
  • the triangular data points represent sand pack flooding studies conducted using carbon dioxide and water.
  • the circular data points represent sand pack flooding studies using only water.
  • the nanosurfactant composition is capable of generating a greater quantity of foam than using only the zwitterionic co-surfactant.
  • FIG. 34A is a photographic image showing nitrogen-based foam stability of the sample nanosurfactant compositions (Samples 10, 5, 11, and 6 are shown in order from the left hand side to the right hand side) at time zero (that is, immediately after vigorously shaking the nanosurfactant compositions).
  • FIG. 34B is a photographic image showing nitrogen-based foam stability of the sample nanosurfactant compositions (Samples 10, 5, 11, and 6 are shown in order from the left hand side to the right hand side) after 200 min.
  • FIG. 34C is a magnified dark field photographic image of a nitrogen-based foam containing Sample 5 showing spider web lamellae after 1,000 min.
  • FIG. 35A is a graphical representation showing nitrogen-based foam heights of the sample nanosurfactant compositions over time at ambient temperature and pressure.
  • the horizontal axis represents time in min.
  • the vertical axis represents the foam height relative to time zero in percent.
  • the square data points represent the foam height of Sample 5.
  • the triangular data points represent the foam height of Sample 6.
  • the circular data points represent the foam height of Sample 10.
  • the star-shaped data points represent the foam height of Sample 11.
  • FIG. 35B is a graphical representation showing nitrogen-based foam heights of the sample nanosurfactant compositions over time at 90 °C and ambient pressure.
  • the horizontal axis represents time in min.
  • the vertical axis represents the foam height relative to time zero in percent.
  • the square data points represent the foam height of Sample 5.
  • the triangular data points represent the foam height of Sample 6.
  • the circular data points represent the foam height of Sample 10.
  • the star-shaped data points represent the foam height of Sample 11.
  • the nitrogen-based foams of Samples 5 and 6 at 90 °C are less stable than that at ambient temperature. Without being bound by any theory, the stability of the nitrogen-based foams at elevated temperatures may be negatively affected by the faster rate of water evaporation.
  • FIG. 35C is a graphical representation showing carbon dioxide-based foam heights of the sample nanosurfactant compositions over time at ambient temperature and pressure.
  • the horizontal axis represents time in min.
  • the vertical axis represents the foam height relative to time zero in percent.
  • the square data points represent the foam height of Sample 5.
  • the triangular data points represent the foam height of Sample 6.
  • the circular data points represent the foam height of Sample 10.
  • the star-shaped data points represent the foam height of Sample 11.
  • the carbon dioxide-based foams of Samples 5 and 6 at ambient temperature are less stable than the nitrogen-based foams of Samples 5 and 6 at ambient temperature. Without being bound by any theory, the lesser foam stability of the carbon dioxide-based foams than the nitrogen-based foams may be due to the miscibility of carbon dioxide in water.
  • FIG. 36 is a graphical representation showing oil-water IFT values between the crude oil and the nanosurfactant composition.
  • the horizontal axis represents the concentration of the nanosurfactant composition in logiofwt %].
  • the vertical axis represents the IFT in mN/m.
  • the crude oil-brine IFT at 90 °C decreased (in a rate less than before the CMC was met) according to the right hand side linear regression line (based on the circular data points).
  • the least IFT value obtained was about 0.0014 mN/m at about 0. 13 wt %, corresponding to Sample 5 of Example 10.
  • FIG. 37 is a photographic image showing emulsion formation at 90 °C using the crude oil-suspended nanosurfactant composition.
  • the right hand side vial represents crude oil suspended in Sample 5 of Example 10 (corresponding to the least IFT value of 0.0014 mN/m) forming an emulsion.
  • the left hand side vial represents crude oil suspended in Sample 10 of Example 10 (0.03 wt % zwitterionic co-surfactant in the absence of the petroleum sulfonate), exhibiting immiscibility between the oil phase and the aqueous phase.
  • the crude oil-suspended Sample 5 nanosurfactant composition was maintained at 90 °C for as long as a month, and IFT measurements were taken after a day, a week, and a month. After a day, the IFT value was maintained at about 0.0014 mN/m. After a week, the IFT value was about 0.0020 mN/m. After a month, the IFT value was about 0.0028 mN/m. The results show that the nanosurfactant composition maintains relatively low degrees of crude oil-brine IFT values for a prolonged period at elevated temperatures, making it suitable for enhanced oil recovery.
  • FIG. 38 is a photographic image showing oil recovery by imbibition and wettability alteration using the nanosurfactant composition.
  • the left hand side vial represents the carbonate rock submerged in Sample 5.
  • the right hand side vial represents the carbonate rock submerged in Sample 10.
  • the nanosurfactant composition of Sample 5 was capable of recovering crude oil contained within the carbonate rock, which is shown as the dark layer on the surface of the transparent liquid. In comparison, crude oil recovery was not observed in the right hand side vial using Sample 10.
  • FIG. 39B is a photographic image showing oil recovery by wettability alteration using a nitrogen-based foam including the nanosurfactant composition.
  • the lower glass tube represents the result of passing 4 mL of the nitrogen-based foam of Example 13 including the nanosurfactant composition of Sample 5 to the crude oil-filled glass tube.
  • the upper glass tube represents the results of passing 4 mL of the nitrogen-based foam of Example 13 including Sample 10 (in the absence of petroleum sulfonate) to the crude oil-filled glass tube.
  • passing the nitrogen-based foam including Sample 5 resulted in recovering substantially all of the crude oil that was previously filled in the glass tube such that the glass tube became transparent.
  • Ranges may be expressed here as from about one particular value and to about another particular value. Where the range of values is described or referenced here, the interval encompasses each intervening value between the upper limit and the lower limit as well as the upper limit and the lower limit and includes smaller ranges of the interval subject to any specific exclusion provided. Where a method comprising two or more defined steps is recited or referenced here, the defined steps can be carried out in any order or simultaneously except where the context excludes that possibility. While various embodiments have been described in detail for the purpose of illustration, they are not to be construed as limiting, but are intended to cover all the changes and modifications within the spirit and scope thereof.

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  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
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  • Organic Chemistry (AREA)
  • Emulsifying, Dispersing, Foam-Producing Or Wetting Agents (AREA)
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Abstract

Des modes de réalisation de la présente divulgation concernent des compositions et des procédés appropriés pour l'injection d'une composition de mousse à base de nanotensioactif dans une formation contenant des hydrocarbures pour des opérations de récupération améliorées. La composition de mousse à base de nanotensioactif comprend un composant gazeux et des nanoensembles. Les nanoensembles contiennent un tensioactif de sulfonate de pétrole, de l'huile minérale et un co-tensioactif zwitterionique.
PCT/US2021/071156 2020-08-11 2021-08-11 Formulation de mousse 3 en 1 pour récupération améliorée d'huile comprenant une régulation de la conformité, une tension interfaciale ultra-faible et une altération de la mouillabilité WO2022036361A1 (fr)

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Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2013158567A1 (fr) * 2012-04-15 2013-10-24 Cesi Chemical, Inc. Formulations de tensio-actif pour injection de mousse
WO2013184116A1 (fr) * 2012-06-07 2013-12-12 Rhodia Operations Applications et procédés de stabilité de mousse accrue
US20180346798A1 (en) * 2017-03-09 2018-12-06 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Nanosurfactants for improved and enhanced oil recovery applications

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
WO2013158567A1 (fr) * 2012-04-15 2013-10-24 Cesi Chemical, Inc. Formulations de tensio-actif pour injection de mousse
WO2013184116A1 (fr) * 2012-06-07 2013-12-12 Rhodia Operations Applications et procédés de stabilité de mousse accrue
US20180346798A1 (en) * 2017-03-09 2018-12-06 Saudi Arabian Oil Company Nanosurfactants for improved and enhanced oil recovery applications

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