ASSESSMENT OF THE POTENTIAL OF NATURAL SURFACTANT IN CARBONATE RESERVOIR
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Date
2023
Authors
Sabirova, Aruzhan
Zhuniskenov, Yermukhan
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
School of Mining and Geosciences
Abstract
One of the main drawbacks of chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) is to reduce the excessive use of chemicals. Recently, natural surfactants got recognition in CEOR since they are environmentally friendly, less toxic, and cheaper than traditional synthetic surfactants. However, the applicability of natural surfactants has yet to be tested under different conditions; thus, the research focuses on the natural saponin synthesized from the flaxseed oil available in Kazakhstan and its effect on efficiency of the available synthetic oil, octane.
The primary extraction method was conducted by the saponification of the flaxseed oil. The study used the IFT-700 apparatus, which uses the pendant drop method to determine the interfacial tension (IFT) between surfactant and oil. The salinity variation between 0 and 35,000 ppm of NaCl resulted in critical micelle concentration (CMC) values of about 6 wt% for the solution with distilled water (DIW) and 2.5 wt% for the brine surfactant solution. The effect of temperature on the rheological properties of the natural surfactant solution was measured in the range of 25–55 °C. Interfacial tension alteration with oil at the CMC values for DIW and brine surfactant solutions was observed, with 76.36 and 48.54% IFT alteration, respectively. The core flooding with surfactant solutions resulted in an oil recovery of 72% for DIW and 74.6% for the brine solution.
This study presented the potential of the extracted natural surfactant for the CEOR application as a low-cost and more accessible alternative to the traditionally used surfactants. Technically, the natural surfactants need more studies for their performance under salinity and temperature. However, the study is a direction to unmask the potential of Kazakhstan natural resources to fulfil its oil industry chemical needs.
Description
Keywords
Type of access: Open Access, chemical enhanced oil recovery, Carbonate Reservoir
Citation
Sabirova, A. Zhuniskenov, Y. (2023). Assessment of the Potential of Natural Surfactant in Carbonate Reservoir. School of Mining and Geosciences