Surfactant flooding is one of the Enhanced Oil Recovery EOR) methods that can be used to improve oil recovery through the injection of surfactants into the reservoir. Its application requires a formulation that is suitable for the characteristics of the oil and formation water, as well as evaluation through laboratory testing before being implemented in the field.
A study published in Scientific Reports discusses the implementation of surfactant flooding small-scale in a waxy oil reservoir in Tanjung Field, Indonesia. The study connects the formulation and evaluation of surfactants in the laboratory with coreflood testing and field implementation in Zone A, which has remaining oil significant.
Formulation and Laboratory Testing
This study used an Alkyl Ethoxy Carboxylate surfactant that was formulated and optimized based on the characteristics of the oil and formation water from Tanjung Field.
The optimization resulted in an interfacial tension (IFT) of 0.042 mN/m, compared to the initial oil-brine IFT of 18.3 mN/m. The formulation also demonstrated IFT stability during a thermal stability test at a temperature of 63 °C for three months.
The evaluation was then continued through coreflood testing using sample native core. Injection of a surfactant slug of 0.2 pore volume (PV) at a surfactant concentration of 2.0 wt.% resulted in a 25% increase in oil recovery.
Implementation of Surfactant Flooding Design in the Field
For the field test, an injector-producer pair was selected based on good connectivity and close proximity. This selection was made to achieve a faster response while maintaining testing cost efficiency.
The surfactant was continuously injected for four days, beginning on January 19, 2016, followed by water injection. Production was monitored until March 2017, targeting an effective reservoir pore volume of 10,625 bbl.
Results and Research Collaboration
Implementation of surfactant flooding resulted in a threefold increase in oil production rate and a cumulative oil gain of 7,025 bbl. The total testing cost was recorded at USD 61,812, including chemical and operational costs.
This study involved Lab EOR ITB through the authors' research affiliations. OGRINDO ITB was also acknowledged in the publication for its support through access to experimental equipment and facilities that supported the research.
The results of this study demonstrate how laboratory evaluation and field testing can form part of the implementation of surfactant flooding to support improved oil recovery in the Tanjung Field case study.
Scientific Publication
This study was published in Scientific Reports under the title:
“Surfactant flooding in waxy oil reservoir in Tanjung field, Indonesia: a case study of successful small-scaled field implementation.”
Read the full publication here.
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OGRINDO ITB and Lab EOR ITB are open to research development, laboratory testing, and collaboration in the field of Enhanced Oil Recovery and related oil recovery technologies.
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