Thermal stimuli-responsive surfactants for enhanced oil recovery

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2025026977-A1
Application number	US-202418910054-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 9, 2024
Priority date	Mar 3, 2023
Publication date	Jan 23, 2025
Grant date	—

Abstract

This disclosure relates to thermal stimuli-responsive surfactant mixtures useful for reducing water/oil interfacial tension at high temperatures and increasing water/oil interfacial tension at low temperatures. The disclosure also relates to methods of using the surfactant mixtures for enhanced oil recovery applications.

First claim

1 - 15 . (canceled)

16 . An aqueous solution comprising:
about 0.01 wt % to about 1 wt % of a thermal stimuli-responsive surfactant mixture comprising: an anionic surfactant selected from the group consisting of alkylphenol ethoxylate carboxylate (APEC), sodium alkyl ethoxylate carboxylate (AEC), sodium alkylphenol ethoxylate sulfate (APES) and sodium alkyl ethoxylate sulfate (AES); and a cationic surfactant selected from the group consisting of dodecyltrimethylammonium bromide (DTAB), dodecyltrimethylammonium chloride (DTAC), tetradecyltrimethylammonium bromide (TTAB), tetradecyltrimethylammonium chloride (TTAC), cetyltrimethylammonium bromide (CTAB), and cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC); wherein at least one of the anionic surfactant or cationic surfactant comprises one or more nonionic groups; and water.

17 . The aqueous solution of claim 16 , comprising about 0.2% of the thermal stimuli-responsive surfactant mixture.

18 . The aqueous solution of claim 16 , wherein the ratio of anionic surfactant to cationic surfactant is between 2:1 and 7:1.

19 . The aqueous solution of claim 16 , wherein the water is selected from seawater, produced water, tap water, distilled water, deionized water, brine, or any combination thereof.

20 . The aqueous solution of claim 16 , wherein the aqueous solution reduces interfacial tension between the aqueous solution and oil in a reservoir of a subterranean formation to about 10 −2 mN/m or lower at temperatures of about 60° C. to about 200° C. and increases interfacial tension between the aqueous solution and oil in a reservoir of a subterranean formation produced fluid to about 0.1 mN/m or higher at temperatures of about 20° C. to about 50° C.

21 . A method of enhanced oil recovery, the method comprising:
introducing the aqueous solution of claim 16 into a reservoir of a subterranean oil formation; and recovering a hydrocarbon from the subterranean oil formation.

22 . The aqueous solution of claim 16 , wherein the anionic surfactant is APEC.

23 . The aqueous solution of claim 16 , wherein the cationic surfactant is DTAB.

24 . The aqueous solution of claim 16 , wherein the surfactant mixture comprises an anionic surfactant that is APEC and a cationic surfactant that is DTAB.

25 . The aqueous solution of claim 20 , wherein the reservoir temperature is about 60° C. to about 120° C.

26 . The aqueous solution of claim 20 , wherein the reservoir temperature is about 60° C. to about 90° C.

27 . The aqueous solution of claim 20 , wherein the interfacial tension between the aqueous solution and oil in the reservoir is about 10 −3 mN/m or lower.

28 . The aqueous solution of claim 20 , wherein the interfacial tension between the aqueous solution and oil produced in the produced fluid is about 0.1 mN/m or higher.

29 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the anionic surfactant in the thermal stimuli-responsive surfactant mixture is APEC.

30 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the cationic surfactant in the thermal stimuli-responsive surfactant mixture is DTAB.

31 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the thermal stimuli-responsive surfactant mixture comprises an anionic surfactant that is APEC and a cationic surfactant that is DTAB.

32 . The method of claim 21 , wherein the aqueous solution reduces interfacial tension between the aqueous solution and oil in the reservoir of the subterranean formation to about 10 −2 mN/m or lower at temperatures of about 60° C. to about 200° C. and increases interfacial tension between the aqueous solution and oil in a produced fluid to about 0.1 mN/m or higher at temperatures of about 20° C. to about 50° C.

33 . The method of claim 32 , wherein the reservoir temperature is about 60° C. to about 120° C.

34 . The method of claim 32 , wherein the reservoir temperature is about 60° C. to about 90° C.

35 . The method of claim 32 , wherein the interfacial tension between the aqueous solution and oil in the reservoir is about 10 −3 mN/m or lower.

36 . The method of claim 32 , wherein the interfacial tension between the aqueous solution and oil produced in the produced fluid is about 0.1 mN/m or higher.

Assignees

• Saudi Arabian Oil Co

Inventors

• Xu Limin
• Han Ming
• Huang Tianping

Classifications

• C09K8/584 Primary

  characterised by the use of specific surfactants · CPC title