Dynamic Interfacial Tension between Crude Oil and Dodecylmethylnaphthalene Sulfonate Surfactant Flooding Systems

Abstract

The surface tension of surfactant aqueous solutions and dynamic interfacial tensions (DIT) between crude oil, offered from Shengli Oil Field in China, and surfactant flooding systems, and the single-component dodecylmethylnaphthalene sulfonate (DMNS) surfactant, developed in our laboratory, were measured. In the present report, both buffered alkali and no alkali flooding systems were investigated. It was found that DMNS surfactant possessed great capability and efficiency of lowering the solution surface tension and the critical micelle concentration (cmc) is 0.002 mass% and the surface tension at this concentration is 29.39 mN.m⁻¹. It was also found that the DMNS surfactant is also greatly effective in reducing the interfacial tensions and can lower the tension of crude oil-water interface to ultra-low at very low surfactant concentration and an optimum range of sodium chloride. The lower alkali concentration is favorable for lowering DIT. The higher alkali concentration needs a higher surfactant concentration for oil flooding systems lowering DIT. Moreover, the results indicate that there obviously exists both synergism and antagonism among the surfactant, alkali and inorganic salt. The added surfactant play an important role in reducing DIT, and the prepared DMNS surfactant possesses great capability and efficiency in lowering the interfacial tension between oil and water. The salt-modified surfactant flooding systems without alkali, decreasing the cost of oil recovery and avoiding the stratum being destroyed would have a great prospect for enhanced oil recovery.

Keywords:

• dodecylmethylnaphthalene sulfonate
• enhanced oil recovery
• interfacial tension
• surface tension

Acknowledgment

The authors of this paper would like to express thanks to financial support of 973 National Key Basic Research Development Program.