Sharif Digital Repository

It is well established that the heavy oil components including asphaltenes and resins play vital roles on the interfacial tension (IFT) of acidic crude oil (ACO) and aqueous solutions. Therefore, this experimental work is designed to investigate the possible synergism between salt ions, resin, and asphaltene on the IFT of ACO/low and high salinity brines containing MgCl2/NaCl and CaCl2. The results demonstrate that a complex ion of MgCl2 - resin component created in the solution could occupy the sites at the interface at high MgCl2 concentration. However, the results show that on the contrary, the molecular arrangement of MgCl2 and asphaltene at low and high MgCl2 concentration could be... 

Although viability of low-salinity waterflooding (LSWF) at the laboratory scale has been proven, there are some challenges associated with its field application, which sheds uncertainties on its economic success. One of the challenges is the minimum required volume of low-salinity water, which should be injected to the reservoir due to the salt dispersion in porous media. Once the low-saline brine is injected into the reservoir, mixing of injected (low-salinity) and resident (high-salinity) brines occurs and the developed mixing zone grows continuously as the front moves from the injection well toward the production well. Increase in the salinity of the front reduces the efficiency of LSWF.... 

The strength of a newly formulated surfactant with an alkali and polymer (AS/ASP) to improve an acidic heavy oil recovery was laboratory evaluated by various flooding experiments. The comparative role of the parameters like chemical nature, surface wettability, salinity, temperature and injection scheme were explored at high temperature and pressure on Berea sandstone rocks. According to the results the anionic surfactant is capable of providing proper oil displacement under high salinity conditions around 15 wt%. Continuous monitoring of differential pressure response and effluents’ state clearly represented the formation of an emulsified oil in high saline solutions with both alkali and...