STUDY OF SURFACTANTS FOR ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY: DETERMINATION OF INTERFACIAL TENSION AND PHASE BEHAVIOUR OF SELECTED SURFACTANTS

The depletion of natural oil resources raises a major challenge to major oil producers in
the perseverance of the global economy, in spite of increasing resource consumption and
geo-political instability. In order to compensate the challenges faced, there is a need to
improve the current oil production techniques and intensify oil production capability.
Applications of engineering and technology are crucial in order to make the
attempts possible, and the development of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques is
one of study of interest to increase the current oil production efficiency. Chemical EOR
is a derivative of the EOR methods and this technique is considered successful as it
applies the usage of surfactants in lowering the interfacial tension of the oil and the rock,
thus boosts oil production capability. Ergo, physical-chemical properties are the area of
interest that is investigated, and extensive experimental works would be the main
medium of this study. The properties that are being documented are the determination of
the interfacial tension and study of phase behavior of the surfactants that are commonly
used in the petroleum industry.
The experimental works are carried out in Petronas Research and Scientific
Studies (PRSS), located in Bangi. Spinning drop method is the method used in
determination of the interfacial tension, in collaboration with the given equations and
correlations. Critical Micelle Concentration is also determined by plotting the surfactantinterfacial
tension curve. As for the determination of phase behavior, the method is
carried out by simulating the surfactant samples in reservoir temperatures in a specialized
oven and it is left by a specified time. The results are collected from respective
experiments and analyzed in accordance and viability to the theory.
In overall, experimental works verified the reduction ofthe interfacial tension and
yield desirable phase behavior results. However, there is a need to improve the
experimental works and also the fundamental background specifically the physical
chemistry mechanics (interfacial tension and phase behavior theory) for the interest of
academic research and study.