evaluation-of-surfactants-as-steam-diverters-mobility-control-agents-in-light-oil-steamfloods

The National Energy Technology Laboratory is a U.S national laboratory under the Department of Energy Office of Fossil Energy. NETL focuses on applied research for the clean production and use of domestic energy resources

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National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL)

A series of experiments was performed to evaluate the effectiveness of commercially available surfactants for steam-foam EOR applications in light oil reservoirs. The experiments were performed in a 3-ft long, 1-1/2 in.-diameter cylindrical sandpack of about 1 darcy permeability. The sandpack and injected fluids were preheated to 430{degree}F at 155 psi. The main objective of these tests was to investigate the effectiveness of several surfactants in providing mobility control under a variety of conditions expected in light-oil steamfloods. Thus, maximum pressure-rise and foam-bank buildup/decay were noted as operating conditions were changed in a test or in various tests. Tests were performed with various oil types, sacrificial salts, injection rates, injection strategies, vapor-to-liquid fractions (VLF), and steam/N{sub 2} ratios (SNR).

Evaluation of surfactants as steam diverters/mobility control agents in light oil steamfloods: Effect of oil composition, rates and experimental conditions 