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Investigation of Different Ionic Liquids in Improving Oil Recovery Factor

Given the depletion of oil reservoir energy and the limited discovery of new reservoirs, petroleum researchers have begun seeking more efficient techniques to improve the use rate of oil; one of the most promising methods is Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (CEOR), which has been used over the last three decades.

Enhanced Oil Recovery is the process of increasing the amount of oil that can be recovered from an oil reservoir, usually by injecting a substance into an existing oil well to increase pressure, reduce the viscosity of the oil and change reservoir wettability. In recent times, chemicals called Ionic Liquids (ILs) have been used to enhance the oil recovery factor.

Many studies have measured the properties of ionic liquids at different concentrations mixed either with water or other solvents. These investigations discovered that some ionic liquid types are capable of increasing mixture viscosity. The main objective of this experimental work was to investigate the efficiency of introducing various types of Ionic Liquids, 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium Chloride [EMIM][Cl], 1-Benzyl-3-methylimidazolium Chloride [BenzMIM][Cl], and Trihexyltetradecylphosphonium Chloride [THTDPh][Cl] on the Recovery Factor (RF) of medium oil (Weyburn oil, 30.25 API°) at room temperature.

The series of flooding experiments were carried out by introducing a slug of IL mixtures. Further investigations have been conducted to examine the effect of ILs concentrations on the recovery mechanisms by measuring Surface Tension (SFT), pH, and viscosity of the displacing phases. Finally, the effect of these ILs in wettability alteration was examined.

The results showed that ILs proved to be efficient when used to enhance medium oil recovery. Regarding IL concentration, it was observed that the RF increased as the concentration of IL in the displacing phase increased. Moreover, the optimum concentration depended on the type of IL. Also, the findings indicated that [EMIM][Cl] was the most effective ionic liquid for enhancing medium oil recovery in comparison with the other three ILs.

Article by Ali Alarbah, et al, from University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada.

Full access: http://t.cn/E51GeCu
Image by FCAD Group, from Flickr-cc.

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