Investigation of the Effect of SCA Surfactant on Enhanced Oil Recovery Using Glass Micromodel

This research investigates the use of a glass micromodel to observe the effects of flooding with a microemulsion on oil recovery and wettability changes. Initially, the internal surface of the micromodel was converted to an oil wet state to better simulate reservoir conditions. Flooding with distilled water resulted in 75% oil recovery in the water wet state and 37% in the oil wet state. Surfactant flooding at the optimal concentration of 1 CMC yielded a 57% oil recovery. To further explore the potential of chemical flooding, the study focused on comparing the efficiency of microemulsion flooding to conventional EOR techniques. A Winsor I microemulsion was prepared using crude oil, sodium cocoyl alaninate, isobutanol, and distilled water. Experiments conducted without salt were successful, recovering 75% of the saturated crude oil. Adding various salts shifted the microemulsion to a Winsor III structure, which is most suitable for EOR. The key factors investigated were the water to oil ratio, cosurfactant to surfactant ratio, and critical micelle concentration. The results demonstrate the superior efficiency of microemulsion flooding, with the best recovery reaching 91%. The findings of this study can inform the design of enhanced oil recovery plans, contributing to more sustainable energy production.