Application of Phase Behavior in Developing Oil Field Drag Reducer

Abstract

Surfactants and polymeric drag reducers were developed by studying phase behavior of surfactants. Surfactants forming worm like micelles in dilute region showed drag‐reducing properties. Surfactants with drag‐reducing property in diluted region were delivered from concentrated solution. The mixture of surfactants and cosurfactants was used to reduce the middle phase of hexagonal liquid crystal, which makes its transition to the worm‐like micelle phase during the dilution. In addition to this work, a polymeric drag reducer was also developed as a thermodynamic stable liquid concentrate within microemulsion phase regions.

Keywords:

• Drag reducer
• oil field chemical
• phase behavior