Evaluation of the Low Tension Flood Process
for High-Salinity Reservoirs-Laboratory
Investigation Under Reservoir Conditions
Hani Murtada, * SPE, U. of Clausthal
Claus Marx, SPE, U. of Clausthal
Abstract
In northwest Gennany, oil reservoirs are characterized
by high-salinity brines with up to 23% TDS. For such
salinity conditions, fatty alcohol derivatives with 4.5
ethene oxide (EO) units were found to lower the inter-
facial tension (1FT) drastically and to mobilize residual
oil almost completely.
Intensive flood experiments under reservoir conditions
with the use of sandpacks 2 m in length allowed optimiz-
ing the low-tension process for an oil field that was con-
sidered a possible candidate. A combination of surfac-
tant slug followed by a tailored mobility buffer showed
best results in tenns of additional oil recovery and proc-
ess duration. A preflush of low-concentration aqueous
polymer solution brought a decisive further increase in
additional oil recovery.
Results obtained for the slug process indicated that
variables such as 1FT, surfactant concentration, flooding
velocity, and pressure gradient influence the low-tension
process in a combined manner.
Oil produced in the oil bank showed alteration in prop-
erties, compared with the oil used to saturate the pore
space.
Introduction
This paper summarizes the concept, development, and
results of a low-tension flood process for the high-
salinity reservoirs in northwestern Gennany with the use
of surfactants. The objectives were: (1) to design an ap-
propriate surfactant flooding process for mobilizing
residual oil in reservoirs in northwest Gennany such that
a pronounced lowering of 1FT between the oil and
aqueous phase is achieved, (2) to conduct investigations
on the main parameters influencing the process, and (3)
to perfonn practically oriented laboratory flooding ex-
'Now with Veba Oel A.G.
0197-7520/82/0012-8999$00.25
Copyright 1982 Society of Petroleum Engineers of AI ME
DECEMBER 1982
periments for optimizing the process for real oil
reservoirs.
Most oil reservoirs in the Federal Republic of Ger-
many (FRG) are characterized by extremely unfavorable
conditions of salinity. Besides the high sodium chloride
content, the reservoir brines have remarkably high con-
centrations of calcium and magnesium salts. Typical
values are 50 to 250 g/dm 3 NaCl and 4 to 20 g/dm 3
Ca + + _ No surfactants suitable for such saline en-
vironments were known before 1975.
Reserve Situation in the FRG
Because it is not likely that new oil fields will be
discovered in the FRG, the domestic oil industry is striv-
ing to develop new technologies for enhancing oil
recovery after termination of primary and secondary pro-
duction phases. I
For highly saline conditions such as those prevailing in
northwestern Gennan oil fields, the development of ef-
fective surfactants was necessary. In addition to being
soluble in original reservoir water, these surfactants must
lower the 1FT drastically and must completely mobilize
the residual oil remaining in the porous medium after
previous water flooding. A modification of original
reservoir brines by eventual conditioning or by
preflushing in-situ fonnation water was not intended.
Such measures had proved effective in the laboratory but
not in the field. 2,3
Oil production statistics from 1978 show that about
22 % OOlP in the FRG already has been produced. Ac-
cording to these statistics, it is expected that a further
10 % OOlP will be produced with conventional recovery
processes (e.g., waterflooding). Of the OIP remaining
(target for tertiary recovery, about 68% OOlP), approx-
imately 15 % should be recoverable by EOR processes
currently known or to be developed. Thus, the total re-
covery would be increased to 47%. The remaining 54 %
will not be recoverable, according to current estimates.
831
 TABLE 1-EOR STATUS IN THE FRG (1978)

Low Viscosity, High Viscosity

<30 mPa·s >30 mPa·s·
(10 6 tons) (%) (10 6 tons) (%)
Oil in place 300 100 500 100
Cumulative production 130 43.3 46 9.2
(Dec. 1979)
Remaining oil 170·· 56.7 454 t 90.8
Potential EOR methods chemical thermal

• Also up to few thousand mPa' s .

• • Distributed among 80 oil fields.
t Only a few oil fields.

TABLE 2-COMPOSITION OF BRINES sodium salt) and a polymer [hydroxyethy1cellulose

IN SYSTEM A/DOGGER BETA (HEC)] to one oil field (5 to 9). This field has an average
Floodwater
reservoir temperature of 56°C and a light crude (1-1-0 =4.1
Reservoir Water
mPa·s). The composition of the brine in this system
Density at 20°C 1.131 to 1.141 1.132 to 1.147
pH 5.8 to 6.8 5.0 to 6.5 (called "AlDogger beta") is given in Table 2.
Resistivity, n· m 6.0 to 7.9 5.2 to 6.9
Working Concept
Cations, mg/L
72,000 to 80,300
To achieve the objectives described in the Introduction,
Na + 71,200 to 80,000
' it was important (1) to determine the influential
Ca 2+ 3,240 to 4,705 3,483 to 5,115
Mg2+ 390 to 1,082 441 to 1,143 parameters and (2) to optimize the surfactant flooding
Kt+ 289 to 425 300 to 500 process. The following working concept (Fig. 1) was
8r2+ 151t0215 157 to 380
Ba 2+ 2 to 80 2 to 19
developed.
Fe 2+ 3 to 46 23 to 75
Fe 3 + 1 to 4 1 to 2
E 75,276 to 86,557 76,405 to 87,534 Determination of Main Influential Parameters
Because of the many decisive variables involved in sur-
Anions, mg/L
factant flooding, these parameters were kept constant as
CI'- 121,239 to 134,736 121,085 to 134,450
HC0 3 2- 34 to 232 116 to 256 possible during the flooding experiments: system-
80 4 2- 9 to 392 13 to 434 specific parameters (crude oil, brine, pressure, and
B0 3 3- 93 to 176 59 to 60 temperature), porous medium, and flooding conditions
Br 192 to 379 1 to 55 and procedure.
I 1 to 6
121,567 to 135,915 121,273 to 139,261
A detailed survey of the flooding conditions, together
E
with the corresponding numerical values, is presented in
TD8, mg/L 196,843 to 222,472 197,678 to 226,795 Table 3.
By means of continuous flooding with aqueous surfac-
tant solutions, the most important influential parameters
Current Status of EOR in the FRG were investigated first on the basis of their significance
in mobilizing residual oil. These include, among others:
Application of EOR techniques in German oil fields is surfactant concentration, C T, flooding velocity, vf, and
especially important in view of the relatively low oil- residual oil saturation after water flooding, Sor 1 •
recovery factor mentioned. In the following, a brief The flooding experiments were conducted ~uch that
description of current status and anticipated development one influential parameter was varied over an appropriate
of EOR processes in the FRG is given. range while the others were kept constant.
The situation in the FRG until the end of 1978 is sum- Results described by Burkowsky 5,6 show that
marized in Table 1. It is obvious that in domestic reser- temperature decisively influences 1FT and, thus,
voirs with low-viscosity oil (1-1- < 30 mPa' s), a recovery mobilization of residual oil when surfactant is added to
factor of almost 50 % OOlP can be achieved by primary the system.
and secondary production methods. In contrast, only
15.6% OOIP is recoverable with the same methods in
fields with intermediate to high oil viscosity. Table 1 Optimization of the Surfactant Flooding Process
also indicates developmental trends anticipated in the ap- With the information gained from the continuous
plicable EOR processes. The high residual oil content in flooding experiments, the surfactant flooding process
reservoirs of the latter type suggests that EOR processes then was optimized. These optimization criteria were in-
may come into widespread use. The chances for thermal vestigated: minimizing flood volume employed, in
EOR processes thereby may be more favorable. 4 multiples of Vp , for a given flooding velocity, and
For the FRG, an enhancement of oil recovery by 15% minimizing the quantity of surfactant employed.
implies additional oil recovery of about 1089 x 10 6 Mg. Whereas the first optimization criterion (least PV) in-
This paper evaluates application of the surfactant volves especially the time factor, the second criterion
flooding process by use of a surfactant (C 12114/fatty (least C T x PV) concerns chiefly the active substance
alcohol polyglycolether/4.5EOlmethylcarboxylate/ cost.

832 SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL

 During the optImization procedure, continuous TABLE 3-SURFACTANT FLOODING TESTING
flooding with the surfactant solution was not considered, OF SURFACTANT IN POROUS MEDIA
but rather the surfactant solution, measured in fractions System-Specific Parameters
of PV (surfactant slug), and its effect in conjunction with Reservoir brine
auxiliary measures, such as the use of a mobility buffer. Degassed reservoir oil
From the working concept, an investigation program Average reservoir
was designed; a survey of this program is presented in temperature, fR
Tables 4A and 4B. Average reservoir pressure,
PR
Experimental Procedure Flooding Pipe
Apparatus L=700 mm
The objectives specified in the working concept, with D=50 mm
respect to determination of the main parameters influenc-
ing the surfactant flooding process and the optimization Standard Sand pack
of this process, required use of specially designed Grain size, mm 0.03 to 0.15
flooding facilities that permit approximating the field Porosity, % 48 to 50
conditions. Permeability, darcies 4.0 to 4.4
The flooding facilities consist of three main com- Surface area, m 2 /g 0.526
Connate water saturation, % PV 24 to 28
ponents: flooding apparatus, flooding model, and equip- Initial oil saturation, % PV 72 to 76
ment for recording of data. The working principle of the
flooding facility is shown schematically in Fig. 2. The Flooding Conditions
main components of the facility are described briefly in Flooding velocity, * mid 7.3
the following. Surfactant concentration, * mg/L 1,000 to 50,000

Flooding Sequence
Flooding Apparatus. The flooding apparatus is de- Inject 1.5 PV reservoir brine--+S of ,1
signed for a maximal operating pressure of 150 kPa and Inject n PV aqueous surfactant solution--+S of ,2
has metering pumps at both the inlet and the outlet of the
Flooding Results
porous medium. By means of a pressure regulator, the
experimental pressure, whose level corresponds to that t:..E = S Of,1 -S of,2
of the average reservoir pressure, is kept constant in the SO;
porous medium. For a constant production rate at the
producing pump, the injection rate by the injection pump * Main variables in the flooding experiment.

is regulated such that the pressure level on the injection

side can be raised or lowered to compensate any eventual
change in rate. Thus, for a predetermined pressure level
and constant production rate, the pressure gradient is
established spontaneously within the porous medium
during water- and surfactant flooding.
The pressure gradient required for operation of the
producing pump is established by means of a pressuriz-
ing valve. After depressurization through this valve, the
produced oil and water are collected in graduated
cylinders that revolve on a sample collector.
Flooding Model. For the flood-technology investiga-
tions, the systems of flooding pipes shown in Fig. 2 were
inserted between the injection and production sides of
the flood apparatus. To vary the length/diameter ratio of
the porous medium, flooding pipes of constant diameter
were joined in series. The flooding pipes are provided
with sockets for measuring differential pressure and elec-
trical resistivity. For visual examination of the porous
medium, a longitudinally split flooding pipe consisting
of two halves was used.
Data Recording. To assess the flooding experiments,
differential pressure and variation of electrical resistivity
in the porous medium were recorded. For this purpose,
t.p and Ro were measured simultaneously over equal
length intervals of the porous medium. The subdivision
of the entire flooding distance into intervals for measure-
ment permitted plotting t.p - and Ro - profiles. By
comparing the profiles recorded at definite time inter-
DECEMBER 1982
vals, bank formation can be recognized, and propagation
in the porous medium can be pursued.
Porous Medium. The clean sandstone in the original
reservoir was simulated by means of a loose, edge-
rounded quartz sand of grain size 0.03 to 0.15 mm. This
sand fraction was chosen because of good agreement
with the original rock with respect to grain shape, size,
size distribution, and mineralogical composition. A few
characteristic data for both sand types are compiled in
Table 5. Whereas the values of the porosity and
permeability of the sandpacks prepared with the loose
sand are about twice as high as those for the original
sandstone, the surface area is approximately equal for
both. Siw values are markedly lower in the reservoir
rock than in the sand packs.
Establishment of Saturation Conditions. The sand-
packs were saturated with original reservoir brine, which
subsequently was displaced down to the connate water
saturation by degassed crude oil at the average
temperature and pressure of the system. This resulted in
an average connate water saturation of 25 to 30 % PV.
The oil was displaced subsequently by floodwater to
establish residual oil saturation, Sor 1. This amount
averaged 30 to 35%; an average water'cut of 97 to 99%
thereby was measured. The surfactant solution subse-
quently was injected into the porous medium, either con-
tinuously or as a slug.
833
 TABLE 4A-SURFACTANT FLOODING OPTIMIZATION PROGRAM-FIRST
ST AGE (PV = minimum)

Flooding Conditions
Phase 1: Optimization of Surfactant Concentration Constant Variable
0, FLO Cr
system vf
PR, TR
Sor,1
Phase 2: Optimization of Surfactant Slug Size
0, FLO Vs
system Vf
PR' TR
Sor,1
Phase 3: Optimization of Polymer Cr
Concentration in the Mobility Buffer
0, FLO Cp
systElm Vf
PR' TR
Sor,1
Phase 4: Optimization of Polymer Slug Size Cr,V s

0, FLO Ps
system vf
PR' TR
Sor1
C r , V~, C p

TABLE 4B-SURFACTANT TABLE 5-CHARACTERISTIC DATA FOR SANDSTONES USED

FLOODING OPTIMIZATION IN FLOODING EXPERIMENTS
PROGRAM-FIRST STAGE
(PV x C r = minimum) Loose Sand Used
Dogger-Beta To Prepare
PVxC r Sandstone Sandpacks
PV Injected Vf Grain shape rounded rounded
Grain size, mm 0.02 to 0.4 0,03 to 0,15
~ -- 150 100
--
50 (mid)
Surface area, m 2/g 0.3 to 0.5 0,52 to 0,58
50 0.3 0,33 0.1 7,3 Porosity, % 17 to 30 48 to 50
3,6 Permeability, md 200 to 4,000 4,000 to 4,200
30 0,5 0,33 0,17 1.8 6 to 10 25 to 30
SiW' % PV
10 1,5 1,0 0,5 O,g Mineral composition, %
0.45 Quartz 85 82
5 3,0 2,0 1,0 0,25 Muscovite + illite 1 2
Kaolinite 2 2
Plagioclase 1 2
K-feldspar 7 11
Carbonate 3
Heavy mineral 1

Flooding Results injected continuously at a given flooding velocity into

Determination of Essential Parameters
Influencing Surfactant Flooding Process
The flooding experiments were performed according to
the working concept, and these decisive parameters were
varied: surfactant concentration, C T, average flooding
velocity, vf, and residual oil saturation after water
flooding, Sor, I . The influence of these parameters on the
residual oil mobilization is discussed in the following,
Effect of Surfactant Concentration
To determine the effect of surfactant concentration on
additional oil recovery, surfactant solutions with I to 50
g/dm 3 surfactant were investigated. The corresponding
flooding experiments were conducted according to the
continual flooding principle under standard test condi-
tions (Appendix A). With these conditions maintained
constant, a surfactant solution of known concentration is
834
the porous medium, whose initial oil saturation was
established at the residual oil saturation, Sor I, after
previous flooding with reservoir water. '
In Fig. 3, 1FT is plotted as a function of temperature
for selected concentrations of surfactant. On these
~rves, the average reservoir temperature in the system,
T(56°C), is designated by D. As referred to the ordinate
(a, in mN/m), T R lies almost at one level of the 1FT.
The 1FT behavior shown in Fig. 3, according to
Burkowsky,6 exhibits a minimum at a temperature
T min =59.5°C for C T = 100 mg/dm 3 , for instance. As
shown in the figure, the position of T min is dependent on
the surfactant concentration, and it shifts to lower
temperatures with increasing surfactant concentration,
with simultaneous displacement toward lower values
of a,
In Fig. 4A, additional oil recovery is plotted as a func-
tion of surfactant concentration and of other
SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL
 highCT

- continuous flood ·characterization

-{
lowCT

PV=min
surfactant flooding -
;- first
;- highCT stage
-{
PV,CT =min

- slug flood - - - - 1 optimization -

-i
~ lowCT '-
second
stage
:~"
preflush
FLO
I;

IFLOOD CONCEPT I ICONCENTRATION I ~

I OPTIMIZING
CRITERION
I
Fig. 1-Surfactant flooding working program.

characteristic variables specific to the flood experiment
in Fig. 4B.
It can be seen from Fig. 4A that 2 g/dm 3 surfactant in
the floodwater already suffices for forming an oil bank at
the experimental temperature of 56°C and average
flooding velocity of7.3 mid. In contrast, flooding with a
surfactant concentration of 1 g/dm 3 produces only a
slight improvement in the oil recovery above the ex-
trapolated curve for waterflooding. Flooding ex-
periments in which only 800 or 400 mg/dm 3 surfactant
were added to the floodwater yielded no additional oil
recovery despite the injection of a total of 100 PV.
It is evident from Fig. 4B that raising the surfactant
concentration from 2 to 50 g/dm 3 (i.e., by a factor of 25)
improves the absolute additional oil recovery only in-
significantly, but decidedly reduces the PV of surfactant
needed until the end of the oil bank production.
A further relationship between surfactant concentra-
tion and additional oil recovery can be deduced from the
behavior of the average pressure gradient observed dur-
ing the surfactant flooding. As Fig. 4B shows, the gra-
dient clearly decreases with increasing surfactant
concentration.
Effect of Flooding Velocity
To investigate the influence of this parameter on the
mobilization of residual oil, flooding experiments were
conducted. Surfactant solutions with concentrations of
50, 30, 10, and 5 g/dm 3 surfactant were injected con-
tinuously into the pore space at average flooding

Flood apparatus

Measurement in pore space:

pressure gradient, 6p
apparent
resistIVity, Ra
electrIC'" :- -1 Pressure regulator
Pulsatlan· , : Pulsation
r- _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ : Pressure :
dampN
I Flood model pickoff

¢tnmm ~~
50 0.7 14

100 2,0 20
--it 4.0
6.0
40
60
[lfculatlOn
connection
10.0 100
Production pump
(flood pipe I
100 1.0 10
(Spltt tube I
[on stant pressure ~
10 10.0 1000 valve i
I slim tube I
80 0,5 6
(core pipe I Sample collector JU"ljt~,SI

Fig. 2-Schematic principle of flooding apparatus.

DECEMBER 1982 835

 Surfactant
ad(q.T I

~J
10

'0
'

\
\, \

v
\
\J :

aver~'ge reservoIr
temperature
Tr ~56 o[
V
10- 4

~].51 SJ S2 505
10-5,1, ,:,:--:-:-"":""-:":"'~::::"cc::-
1
10 JO 40 1060'10 10 J040 1060 70 10JO 40 1060 70 10 J040 1060 70 10JO 40 1060 70 20 3040 5050 70 ZO 30 40 5060 70 10 JO 40 \0 60 70
temperature. T In C[

Fig. 3-IFT as a function of temperature and surfactant concentration.

velocities on.3, 3.6,1.8,0.9,0.45,0.25, and 0.12 mid 1. Additional oil recovery is independent of flooding
after attaining the residual oil saturation by previous velocity. The absolute value of additional oil recovery
waterflooding. The results obtained are presented increases slightly with increasing surfactant
graphically in Fig. 5 and allow the following concentration.
conclusions. 2. The average pressure gradient, Ap, markedly
diminishes with decreasing flooding velocity, steeply at
first but less steeply toward lower flooding velocities.
SURFACTANT Vt = 7.3 mid
~E= f(CT) T= 56°C Influence of Residual Oil Saturation
(infinite flood process) SO, = 74.4%PV
SOl. 1 = 28.0%PV The influence of residual oil saturation remaining in the
porous medium after waterflooding on the effectiveness
WF SF
of the surfactant flooding process was investigated. For
'00 the corresponding flooding experiments, the oil satura-
tion values prior to surfactant flooding were established
90 according to a scheme shown in Fig. 6.
The results concerning additional oil recovery are
0,1
80 presented graphically in Fig. 6 and allow the following
_____ o.08 conclusions.
0.04 1. The surfactant effects a mobilization of residual oil
~ 70
C>
C>
independent of the residual oil saturation level.
2. The beginning and the end of oil bank production
occur independently of the residual oil saturation level
established at the start of surfactant flooding.
3. The surfactant breakthrough occurs toward the end
of the oil bank production, independently of the
established residual oil saturation.
Optimization of Surfactant
Flooding Process
Minimizing Flood Volume in Multiples of PV
20
In the course of our work, these requirements were im-
posed on the optimization of the surfactant slug: (1)
'0 flooding of the maximal recoverable residual oil volume
with the smallest possible slug volume and (2) total dura-
0,8 2,4 3,2 4,0 4,8 5,5 tion of the flooding process not exceeding 1 PV.
',5
Injected PV The results of continuous flooding, as shown in Fig.
4A, indicate that a surfactant concentration of 50 g/dm 3
Fig. 4A-lnfluence of surfactant concentration on additional oil yields favorable results for both additional oil recovery
recovery. and duration of the tertiary process in PV.
836 SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL
 SURFACTANT
..>E~f(CT)
(infinite flood process)

.-;:: 25
5 • •
=
UJ
<l

~15
ClJ
o>
u
ClJ
.:::: 10
is
>-
'-

cE 5
~

Fig. 4B-Additional oil recovery as a function of experimental variables.

SURFACTANT
~E; f(Vt, CT) SURFACTANT Vf = 7.3 mid
(infinite flood process) 4,000 mg/L T;56°C
L>E;f(So"I) SO, = 74,5%PV
•
X
C T =50,000
30,000
mg/L 100
o 10,000 58
~ zs tJ. 5,000
"" 1....--1- -t-----L·· ....
~
...,
20
o~
~_i~~
. ~
_ _•
90
j/...J'~:=/·
r / :' '
<I
~ 15 80 <DilCV .-<V /Co® @
~ 1/ / / -- ----
~ 10 1/./ -'
a... 70 l .
5
=
~ 60
'=
UJ

.E' 5 CD So; I =so, =74.2%PV (0 PV WF)

u
~p ; f(Vt, CT) J2
>.
CV so, I = 36.8%PV (04 PV WF)
(infinite flood process) :v> 40 Q) So;, =25 O%PV (1 6 PV WF)
0
u
E 10 ClJ
a:: ® SO" = 22 5%PV (2.5 PV WF)
- 9 30 CD So; I = 21 6%PV (35 PV WF)
" 8
..,
® So, I = 17.9%PV (4 5 PV WF)

20

10

J~ 'lOt~-I------~~~--9nl~00--~---'~~~;~.J~1r-01 0
1.0 2,0 3.0 4.0 5,0 6,0 7.0
Injected PV
avoroge flood velocity, vf in mid

Fig. 5-Additional oil recovery and observed pressure Fig. 6-Additional oil recovery as a function of residual oil
gradient as a function of flood velocity (C T = variable). level (C T = constant).

DECEMBER 1982 837

 The optImIzation of the surfactant flooding process
was effected according to the program shown in Appen-
dix C. The essential flood variables were Vs and vf' The
surfactant slug was followed by mobility buffer. This
buffer is used to protect the surfactant slug against dilu-
tion and to minimize viscous fingering by the subsequent
floodwater. The mobility buffer had the further function
of improving mobilities of the phases flowing in the
porous medium and of keeping the pressure gradients
low during surfactant flooding. The flood-technology
results required for determining the optimal slug size are
presented graphically in Fig. 7. At an average flooding
velocity of 7.3 mid, for example, the additional oil
recovery is optimal when the size of the surfactant slug is
0.3 PV. One striking feature of Fig. 7 is that the oil bank
production sets in after about 0.5 PV of total fluid has
been injected, independent of the surfactant slug size
used. Similar flooding results, as presented in Fig. 7 for
vf=7.3 mid, also were achieved at lower values of the
flooding velocity (down to 0.12 mid).
Minimizing Quantity of Surfactant
Used in PVxC r
For the optimization criterion described earlier, the sur-
factant slug size used and the duration of the flooding
process were decisive. In contrast, the optimization with
respect to PV X C T is the dominant feature of the second
criterion. A detailed research program was developed,
considering average flooding velocities from 7.3 to 0.25
mid, surfactant concentrations from 5 to 50 g/dm 3, and
slug sizes from 0.1 to 3 PV. In all flooding experiments
the injected surfactant slug was followed by a mobility
buffer of 2.5-g/dm 3 polymer concentration. The results
of the additional oil recovery achieved are presented in
Fig. 8 for vf=0.25 mid and PVXC r =150. These
results show that a reduction of the surfactant concentra-
tion cannot be compensated by an increase of the slug
volume, nor can a reduction of the slug volume be com-
pensated by an increase of the surfactant concentration.
Despite the constant value of PV X C T, the additional oil
recovery dropped from 21.8% OOlP (50 g/dm 3 of sur-
factant and 0.3 PV surfactant slug) to 11.6 % OOlP when
C T was reduced to 10 g/dm 3 and the slug size was
changed to 1. 5 PV.
Mobility Design
Mobility control is required in a surfactant flood process
to provide for a unit mobility displacement of the surfac-
tant slug by the aqueous polymer solution and to prevent
the slug from rear mixing as a result of viscous instabili-
ty. During the mobilization of residual oil, the oil/water
bank preceding the surfactant slug represents the zone of
maximal flow resistance in the pore space. To achieve
good oil-displacement performance, the mobilities of
both surfactant slug and mobility buffer must be adjusted
to be equal to or less than the total mobility of the
oil/water bank.
The total relative mobility (k/ p,) t of the oil/water bank
may be determined by using relative permeability data
and this equation: 7,8
838
equivalent viscosity (mPa' s - I)
Fig. 9 is a plot of the relative mobility against water
cut, f w' These curves were generated from the relative
permeability data calculated from waterflooding
displacement experiments as suggested by 10hnes and
Roszelle. 9 The maximum total relative mobility of the
oil/water bank as determined from Fig. 9 is 0.135
mPa' s - I . This corresponds to an apparent viscosity of
7.4 mPa' s, which corresponds to a polymer concentra-
tion of 2580 mg/dm 3 of polymer, as can be seen easily
from Fig. 10.
Optimization Polymer Concentration
in the Mobility Buffer
The flooding results obtained in connection with the op-
timization of the surfactant slug indicated an optimal ad-
ditional oil recovery for slug size of 0.3 PV. To optimize
the polymer concentration in the mobility buffer also,
further flooding experiments were conducted.
Surfactant slugs of sizes 0.2,0.25, and 0.3 PV with 50
g/dm 3 of surfactant were followed by continuous
floodin~ with aqueous polymer solutions of 1500 to 3000
mg/dm (polymer concentration) in steps of 500
mg/dm 3 , at an average flooding velocity of 1.9 mid.
The results obtained are presented in Fig. 11, and they
show highest additional oil recovery when a 0.3-PV sur-
factant slug is followed by a mobility buffer of 2.5
g/dm 3 -polymer concentration.
The size of the mobility buffer was chosen arbitrarily
such that the PV remaining after the injection of the 0.3
PV of surfactant slug consisted of floodwater thickened
with polymer, for a total of 1 PV. The results in Fig. 7
show that the duration of the surfactant flooding process
corresponds to 1 PV when the size of the surfactant slug
is 0.3 PV. The mobility buffer was subdivided arbitrarily
into two intervals. The first part (first polymer slug) was
0.3 PV, while the other (second polymer slug) was 0.2
PV. The polymer concentration amounted to 2.5 g/dm 3
in the first slug but varied from 2.5 g/dm 3 to 0 g/dm 3 in
the second as a result of continuous dilution with a fur-
ther 0.2 PV of floodwater (mobility-graded bank). The
first polymer slug, with a predetermined viscosity value,
protects the trailing edge of the surfactant slug against
viscous fingering by the low-viscosity floodwater. The
second slug provides for a gradual decrease of viscosity,
from that of the first polymer slug to that of the subse-
quent flood water, by means of degressive dilution.
Fig. 12 shows the effect of vf on additional oil
recovery, tlE, for the surfactant/polymer slug sequence
just described. Within the range of flooding velocity
probably occurring during field operations (0.12 to 0.25
mid) an additional oil recovery between 6 and 9% OOlP
results, whereby the higher velocities are more
favorable. The additional oil recovery amounts to 16.6%
OOlP at 1. 9 mid, but only 6.2 % OOlP at 0.12 mid. To
improve this unsatisfactory result, flooding experiments
SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL
 V= 0.25 mid
SURFACTANT RECOVERY T=56°C
CHARACTERISTICS
tiE=f(CT, Ts)
SO, = 72.3%PV
Soc. 1 = 25.7%PV

I PV'Cr=150 I
.!:L. Vs llE
.. ~jB~-:=::cc:d·'· U/V nx'·
f 1'----------3 0.5 19.4
SURFACTANT
SO,OOO mg/L
v, = 7.3 mid
T = 56°C
SO, = 70.3%PV >
r.: ,: j.y__ '-'-- 2
1
0.75
1.5
12.B
11.6
tiE=f(vs)
50r . 1 = 22.8%PV
c..
f/ /
(Vs continuously dnven by Ps of 0.2% Cp)
c
0
C<=
u
! /-'-
~ :::J
~ '0
~

0
e
CL
~
.><
~ c
0
0
a
..c
~
0
~25 'c '0
a... c -'
5a x
Preflush

~20
• C
'0
UJ
1 PV/Ps, 1,000 mg/L

c ~
en
c
~15 ·CO
c Surfactant/polymer slug sequence

=
'"
en
0.3 -1.5 PVlvs, 50,000 - 10,000 mg/L
0.3 PV/I.Ps, 2,500 mg/L
o 0.2 PV/II.Ps, 2,500 - 0 mg/L

'0

t
~
~5
a

0
:=-:~:=:=:= -=:~'~ j~~
0,1 0,2 0,3 0,4 0,5 1,1 0,8 1,6 2,4 3,2 4,0 4,8 5,6
5ize of surfactant slug, PV Injected PV

Fig. 7-lnfluence of surfactant slug size on additional oil Fig. 8-Additional oil recovery as a function of surfactant
recovery (C T = constant). concentration for a given PV x C T and flood velocity,

were performed by preflushing with a polymer slug con-
sisting of 1 PV of 1 g/dm 3 polymer at v1=0,25 mid
prior to the surfactant/polymer slug sequence shown in
Fig. 12.10 The polymer concentration in this preflush
deliberately was chosen to be low to avoid displacement
of residual oil.
The results presented in Fig. 13 compare additional oil
recovery achieved with three different flood formula-
tions. The slug sequence for each formulation can be in-
ferred from the figure. The oil recovery behavior ex-
hibits the following particularities.
1. A decided increase in additional oil recovery from
9.3% omp (Formulation 1) to 22.2% omp (Formula-
tion 2) is obvious. The additional oil recovery with For-
mulation 3 amounts to 16.8% OOIP and, thus, occupies
an intermediate position between Formulations 1 and 2.

Total Relative Mobility

., 0.1 10
C(l
0
c...
9 <:>
E 0
• • • 8 c...
• E
• •
:.~
c::
• •• 7 c::
;0,15
~ 6 .z::.
:.c
0
(J')

E 0.2 5 u0
Q) .~
.~
~o = 4,1 mpa.s} - 4 >
:g 0,3 "E
Q)
0,4 ~w=0,8mPa.s at56°C~TR 3 Q)
L- -0
0,5 2 ,~
E 0-
:;:)

Q 1,0 1 Q,I

0
0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100
Water cut, fw in %
Fig. 9-Total relative mobility for System AlDogger beta.

DECEMBER 1982 839

 As opposed to Fonnulation 2, Fonnulation 3 includes PV values, the duration of the oil bank production (b d) is
the injection of a I-PV water slug between the preflush constant and independent of the applied fonnulation.
and the surfactant slug. The water slug apparently has 3. Polymer preinjection improves the additional oil
rendered the flow paths, which had been partially or recovery, even when the interfacial activity of the
totally plugged by the preflush, accessible once again. following surfactant slug with 50 g/ dm 3 of surfactant is
The surfactant slug injected after this water slug could impaired by mixing with the aqueous polymer solution in
not mobilize the residual oil quite as effectively; this the porous medium (Fig. 14).
resulted in a marked drop of additional oil recovery com- 4. A comparison with the reference curve (0 mg/dm 3
pared with Fonnulation 2. of polymer, on the left) shows that adding polymer to the
2. A further characteristic for the three flood fonnula- surfactant causes a marked shift in the position of the
tions are the values for b b, b d, and be in multiples of minimum to higher 1FT values (of the order of 10- 4 to
PV. 10 -3 mN/m), with a simultaneous displacement to
Fonnulation J!..L J!.!L be (PV) lower temperatures (from 50 to about 40°C). It is evident
0.74 0.46 1.2 that both the displacement of a min and the shift of T min
2 0.53 0.48 1.0 are independent of polymer co~entration.
3 0.52 0.45 0.97 5. On the curves of Fig. 14, T R is denoted by O. It is
situated on the rising branch to the right of the minimum.
Whereas the preflush causes b band be to shift to smaller As referred to the ordinate 0, in mN/m), a decided rise
in the level of a at the T R position with increasing
POLYMER polymer concentration is obvious (7.2 x 10 -3 mN/m for
IlPL~flcp) o g/dm 3 polymer to 1.5xlO- 1 mN/m for 3 g/dm 3
56°C
polymer).
In addition to 1FT, the viscosity of aqueous surfac-
tant/polymer solutions was measured at various concen-
trations of surfactant and polymer (Fig. 15). The addi-
tion of polymer to aqueous solutions of the surfactant
caused a definite increase in viscosity. For low surfac-
tant concentrations (5 to 20 g/dm 3), the slope is not very
steep, but it becomes steep for higher concentrations
102L~~~~~~~~~~____~~~~~~~
10-1 10 0 101 10 2 10 3
apparent viSCOSity of aqu. polymer solution. IlPL in mPa·s lot 100 5- 1)

Fig. 10-Apparent viscosity of aqueous polymer solution with SURFACTANT/POLYMER

.:.E= f(Vr) T=56°C
variable concentration of C/U = 2. Sor.1 = 28%PV

'5 IPS liPS Il8GI

OJPV 03PV OJPV

SURFACTANT I WF
50,000 mg/L \If=1.9 mId 100
dE=f(vs, Cp) T=56°C -
90 58 _v_f_ M
(vs continuously driven by Ps)
._._._L··_·-1.9 mid 16.6 'I.
• 0.2 PVvs 80 r:---------------
/ ,.'
M5 14.0

x 0.25
.___-+---- 0.25 9.3
.: ............... ··········0.12
,,
6,2
70 ./
.,'

eo. 25 o 0.3 a..

Cl C5 -~-
---------
Cl =
~ 60
~ .!:
.~ 20
LJ..J ~do
<l U
.E
i-15 >-
~ 40
~
u
0
U
<l>
C>:
~ 10
o
>,
L-
a
t 5
2

O+---~----~----~----~---
1500 2000 2500 3000
0.5 1,0 1.5 2.0 2.5 3.0
Polymer concentration. cp , mg/L Injected PV

Fig. 11-Additional oil recovery as a function of surfactant slug Fig. 12-lnfluence of flood velocity on additional oil recovery
size and polymer concentration in mobility buffer. (optimized surfactant/polymer slug sequence).

840 SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL

(> 30 g/dm 3). The highest values ofthe viscosity are at-
tained at surfactant concentrations between 30 and 50
g/dm 3 for 1 to 3 g/dm 3 polymer. For 50 g/dm 3 surfac-
tant, for example, the viscosity of 2.2 mPa' sat 0 g/dm 3 SURFACTANT/POLYMER
RECOVERY CHARACTERISTICS
Vf =0.25 mid T =56°C
polymer can be raised to 27 mPa' s for 3 g/dm 3 polymer. So; = 74.3'1. PV
Sor1' 25.3'1, PV
Dynamic Adsorption/Retention WF
The flood-technology investigations for optimizing the WF
surfactant flooding process for the system resulted in an
optimal size of 0.3 PV with 50 g/ dm 3 surfactant for the
surfactant slug.
100
I WF

S8
To determine the location of the surfactant remaining
90 ...--L'. . . ·-AE~ 22,2 'I. 001 P
behind in the porous medium, a flooding experiment was /
conducted in the absence of an oil phase in the slim tube
I~-
16,6 'I.
(length = 10 m, Fw=l,OOO) at vf=0.29 mid. The ex- 80
clusion of the oil phase was necessary since surfactant I/~I. III
contains carbon, as does oil, but contains no further 70
molecule to distinguish the surfactant from the oil. For Q..
(5
this experiment, the porous medium first was saturated 0

~ 60 ~reJlush
with original reservoir brine; this was followed by the in- .!: ~//~ 1 PV/vs, 1,000mg/L
jection of the slugs of surfactant and polymer, as in-
u.J 50 0-" ,,~ 1 PV/FW
dicated in Fig. 16. After the slug sequence with a total of ~-

.8
0.9 PV was injected, the experiment was discontinued. u
9pti!!l~_~~,!c;:t~~e.~ ~~~_e~C?~
After the slim tube had been cut into 400 individual sec- ~4o _ 0.3 PV/Ss, 50,000 mg/L

tions (each section 2.5 cm long), the samples alternately '"a> "??? 0.3 PV/1Ps, 2,500 mg/L
u
were dried at 105°C or centrifuged at about 40°C with a ~ 30 0.2 PV/II.Ps, 2,500 - a mg/L (LBG)

laboratory centrifuge to extract the mobile phase within

the pore space. The centrifugation was performed at a 20
rotational speed such that the centrifugal force cor-
responded to the pressure gradient measured during the
10
injection of the surfactant/polymer slug sequence. This
was to ensure that only the mobile phase of the pore con-
tents, and not the immobile part (connate water, or ad- 00 0,8 1,6 2,4 3,2 4,0 4,8
sorptive phase), was extracted. Injected PV
The dried sand samples and centrifuged aqueous phase
samples both subsequently were analyzed for their total Fig. 13-lmproving additional oil recovery through pre-injection
organic carbon value, by means of Coulomat 700 SO.TM of dilute polymer system.

SURFACTANT
,,~fICp. T)
C T ~ 50.000 mg/L

avernge reservOir
temperature
lr "56 O[
10-1

-"
~

\ I~
..
b_ I [f2 r
c
0
~
I
c
'"

I
0

~1O-

'"
c

I~

l50.5 111 ,5 1",7 1l7,0 !40,O

1O~1::-0""30-:4":"'0-::0:
50-:6'-0""'70 20 30 40 50 60 70 --1-:;2'0""]0"40""=50-"60'-7""0 20 30 40 50 60 70 20 ]0 40 50 60 70 20 ]0 40 50 60 70 20 II 40 50 60 70
temperature. T In C[

Fig.14-lnfluence of polymer concentration on 1FT (Cr=constant).

DECEMBER 1982 841

 SURFACTANTIPOL YMER C T , which would be measured if the surfactant were
~ 55 :f (c T,c p )56 0 C distributed uniformly over the entire flooded distance in
the porous medium after termination of the experiment;
,
</l
this is a concentration of 18 000 mg/dm 3 .
g In conclusion, the following remarks can be made on
~ 30 Surfactant coocentration, cT ' giL the basis of the results of Fig. 16.
<{> 28 The 0.3 PV of surfactant slug with 50 g/dm 3 surfac-
•x
~ 26 tant is retained preponderantly in the first 0.3 PV of the
.S 24 flooded distance. As a result of the retention, a phase,
VI
:£' 22 whose viscosity is apparently higher than that of the in-
§" 20 jected surfactant solution (2.2 mPa' s), arises there. The
~ 18 mobility of that phase is low. The subsequently injected
mobility buffer with 2500-mg/dm 3 polymer concentra-
0
</l
c 16
Eu
14
tion cannot displace the injected surfactant slug effec-
.g tively, despite an initial apparent viscosity of 6.8 mPa' s
=> 12
</l
(measured at 56°C and 100 seconds -\ , see Figs. 8 and
'0 10
~
9). The lower mobility phase already described does not
'Vi 8 cause plugging of the pore space, and can be extracted
0
u
6
</l
by centrifugation at a comparatively low rotational speed
'5O
C 4 (about 2000 minutes -\). An injectivity test with 50
~
0
0.
2 g/dm 3 surfactant and a total injected volume of 280 PV
0.
0
00 confirms this statement (Fig. 17). The forming of such a
Polymer concentration, cp , mg/L low mobility phase is important for the success of the
surfactant flooding process, as can be concluded from
Fig. 8.
Fig. 1S-lnfluence of potymer concentration on the viscosity of
surfactant solutions.
Alteration of Oil Properties
The surfactant concentrations were calculated from the
After Contamination With Surfactant
measured C values and were plotted against the injected in the Porous Medium
volume in Fig. 16. In spite of slight deviations, a plateau During the mobilization of residual oil by surfactant, a
at around 50000 mg/dm 3 is obtained up to 0.3 PV for portion of the surfactant is transferred to the oil phase
the dried sand. A steep drop subsequently is observed (partitioning). This transfer is governed by the partition
between 0.3 and 0.4 PV. From 0.4 to 1.0 PV, the value coefficient and may imply a change in the properties of
of C T remains constant (3000 mg/dm 3 up to 0,7 PV, the tertiary oil recovered. To determine whether a
then 2000 mg/dm 3 up to 1.0 PV). Similar behavior is change in the original properties of the degassed reser-
observed with the centrifuged samples. On the average, voir oil of the system does occur as a result of using sur-
the calculated values lay near 35 000 mg/dm 3 for the factant, samples of oil in the oil bank first were analyzed
first 0.3 PV and near 1000 mg/ dm 3 between 0.4 and 1.0 for their water content and then were tested for density,
PV. The dashed line indicates the theoretical value of flame and combustion points, as well as paraffin content.

DynamiC AdsorptIOn (RetentIOn Flood model 10m slim tube

concentration profile FLO 01000
Ii f ,O.z9m/d
SURFACTANT 5O,OOOmgfL
POLYMER 2,500 mg/l

OJls ----~
031Ps

I wilhout residual ollt

concenlrollonpfolile
• dru"d sand
• centrifuged mobile
pore flUid

.~
~+++••, .........+++..!:•••+.._
.~-++
........... ~
.....++-++...... .. I.. ::- "t~
1.++:... ,...;+••- ~.~+ .......+ ~:ft;.r .......... :~~./_

1~~0----~01----'O~2--~07J----~O.'----~05~--'O~6--~O;,J----0~B----io.9~~'0
Injected pore volume

Fig. 16-Concentration profile of BW 1109 along the flood distance.

842 SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL

 SURFACTANT VI =4.3 mid
Then they finally were distilled at atmospheric pressure. T=56°C
CT =50,000 mglL
The same tests were performed on oil samples from the INJECTIVITY TEST
waterflooding. Definite differences were found, but only O.5-m core
Flood direction ~
for flooding experiments at low flooding velocities (e.g., ,,
0.12 mid). Results of these investigations are plotted water saturation Ii 1
, 2
3 iI
against the injected volume in Fig. 18. The following surfactant injection !drive water ,
can be inferred from these results. profile (j)
1. The viscosity of the entire oil bank is markedly
RF=9 RF=2.3
higher than that during the waterflooding and it increases
toward the end of the bank, whereas it remains almost ~ 1,;tv~~'MIIWf.,WMil~~
constant during the waterflooding. The high level of
viscosity of the oil bank cannot be attributed to the water
content of the oil (emulsion), since determination of the
water content yielded values below 0.5 %.
2. Similar behavior is exhibited by oil density, flame ;P1
E RF=45 RF=1.5

1~.~~.~
and combustion points, and paraffin content.
3. A further indication that the properties of the oil
have changed is provided by the results from distillation ~ 0 __ -----------r----r- _. ~ . . . . . '7er,.."
of oil samples from the oil bank, summarized in Table 6. ~ 91.0 50.0 100.(1 1.50.0 200.0 2'30.(' 300.0 350.0

From these results it is evident, in particular, how low a.

o
the distilled benzine fraction (35 to 200°C) in the pro-
duced oil bank is in contrast to that produced by water ~l RF = 4.8 (?) CD

:~I
flooding. Moreover, the benzine fraction diminishes
over the oil bank toward the end of the bank. The op-
posite behavior is observed for the fraction distilled
above 350°C. The volume content of this fraction in- ~~~Jt~
creases with progressing production of the oil bank. The
fractions of light gas oil (200 to 255°C) and heavy gas
1~ ~ ll~ injected PV

oil (255 to 350°C), however, do not show any

recognizable trend. The point at which boiling begins for Fig. 17-lnjectivity test-gradient profiles along the flood pipe
the distilled oil samples shifts to higher temperatures as a function of injected PV.
toward the end of the oil bank.
4. Oil samples from the oil bank very frequently could SURFACTANT
not be distilled because they already foamed vigorously 50,000 mg/L Vf = 0.1 mid
at lower temperatures « 100°C). Changes in oil properties

WF SF
WB be
Evaluation of Gradient and Resistivity I
Measurements
(/)
I
~ 20
E
For the assessment of the surfactant flooding process, c 18

..
::1.
the variation of the pressure gradient and of the electrical .z3. 16 ~
resistivity in the flood direction with time was measured Vi
0 14
:......
u
(/)
.11.
over specified length intervals of the porous medium. .;; 12
The subdivision of the flood distance into measuring in-
tervals allowed plotting of /::,.p and Ra profiles. From ] 0,92! I
these profiles, a marked increase of /::,.p and Ra repeated- .~0,90
ly was observed in the direction of flooding. A few ~ 0.88 •
'1ii086 ~
characteristic profiles from a number of representative ~ . ~L--~---.---.----~--'----r­
-0
flooding experiments are described briefly in the

~ 1I
130 x cOOlbust Ion poi!
following.
• ignition point
1. Efficiency of the surfactant in mobilizing residual ~ 120 x~
oil is associated with a definite rise of the pressure gra- ~ 110 •
dient in the pore space and perhaps can be attributed to ~100 N
the forming of an emulsion zone. This zone cannot have 2: 90 ••
t
~--,~~--~--~--~---,--
more than a short extent in the flood direction and most
• residue. +
probably is restricted to the leading edge of the surfactant I I paraffin
~ 8
slug/trailing edge of the oil bank. 50 /ox • paraffin
6 >\/""'x'
2. During continuous flooding, the pressure gradient
along the flooding distance increases irregularly and at-
:E
'"
'n; 4
....
......-, .----.---.
tains, as a rule, a maximum toward the outlet of the pore
space (Fig. 19). For a given value of vf' the value of the
~
2
00
: . 0.4 O.B 1.2 1.6 2.0 2.4
gradient is dependent on the amount of surfactant Injected PV

dissolved in the floodwater, insofar as the gradient in

general rises less at higher surfactant concentration than Fig. 18-Alteration of tertiary oil properties.

DECEMBER 1982 843

 TABLE 6-RESULTS FROM DISTILLATION OF OIL SAMPLES FROM THE OIL BANK

Distilled Fractions, Vol % Boiling

35 to 200°C 200 to 255°C 255 to 350°C Point
Oil Sample From benzene light gas oil heavy gas oil >350°C (0C)
Waterflooding
Beginning 21.5 10.0 22.0 46.5 50
20.5 11.0 22.5 46.0 51
20.0 10.0 23.0 47.0 50
End 21.0 10.5 22.5 46.0 50
Surfactant Flooding
Beginning 20.5 8.5 23.0 48.0 69
18.0 9.0 24.0 49.0 74
16.5 10.5 24.0 49.0 80
17.5 10.5 24.0 48.0 73
15.0 10.5 25.0 49.5 70
17.0 11.0 24.5 47.5 68
18.0 9.0 26.5 46.5 68
16.5 11.0 24.5 48.0 73
End 16.5 10.5 24.0 49.0 70

Degassed Reservoir oil 22.0 9.0 20.5 48.5 50

at lower concentrations. On the other hand, for a con-
stant value of C T, increase of the pressure gradient
depends strongly on the flood velocity and diminishes
with decreasing vf.
3. During slug flooding at given C T and vf' the
highest values of the differential pressure already occur
in the first half of the porous medium, passing through a
maximum, with a subsequent drop (Fig. 20). This
SURFACTANT
50,OOOmg/L
Soi : 76.8 'I, PV
Sorl: 23.8 'I, PV
I : 56'C
Iinfinite flood process I
behavior also is observed when the flooding velocity is
decreased.
4. The profiles plotted for the electrical resistivity
show a tendency toward increasing R a values as the
outlet of the porous medium is approached independent
of which flooding concept is applied-continuous or slug
flooding (Fig. 21). Surfactant concentration and flooding
velocity do not influence the level of the profiles ap-
preciably. In the left side of Fig. 21, the profiles are
characterized by a steep fall of the value in (1. m. This
fall is associated with a growing, tongue-shaped flood
zone in the lower part of the sandpack during water
1m· Flood mODel flooding (under-riding).
'" 1.9 mid
~.d ""Iio~
2 - , 1
Conclusions
s
15.0~ On the basis of the developmental laboratory work, the
~ following conclusions were reached.
1U0! 1. With the development of effective surfactants, the
low-tension surfactant flood process is regarded as a
50 ~ potential process for enhancing oil recovery in highly
E

10 '= saline reservoir environments. The process is, however,

01 b
complicated and can be described by at least three com-
T·

ponents: mobilization of residual oil, forming of an oil

100 '. E llJ
bank, displacement of a significant fraction of the
90
~I ~
~
90 mobilized oil through the pore space.
II
<J
2. The composition of the reservoir brine as well as the
40
80
r 00 applied temperature exert a strong influence on the effec-
~ 70 3.0 70 tivity of the process. Consequently, the flood design
g described was reservoir specific.
;! 60 1.0 60", 3. There are many principal variables influencing the
~

'= surfactant flood process. 1FT, surfactant quantity,

...
~

1.0 50
ISO flooding velocity, and pressure gradient are only a few of
::- 40 40 these. These variables influence the process in a com-
~
~30 30 bined manner. A functional relationship between the
0.5 single variables and the additional oil recovery was ex-
20 20
tremely difficult to establish.
10 4. The flood results are interpreted in terms of select-
ing optimal methods to enhance oil recovery from the
~
0
0.5 1.0 1.5 point of view of both low- and high-concentration sur-
Injected PV
factant. For the slug process, low-concentration surfac-
tant does not bring the same recovery characteristics as
Fig. 19-Development of pressure gradient toward pore space the high-concentration, even if the surfactant slug in the
outlet-continuous flooding. first case is made large. In the case where the continuous
844 SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL
 SURFACTANT 50,000 mg/L
SURFACTANT 50,000 mg/L Flood direction _
POLYMER 2,500 mg/L
Flood direction -
POLYMER 2,500 mg/L Vf = 1.9 mid I: : 1I
vf=1.9m/d I ;
G) Vs LP s ILP s (LGB) <D, /G)
vs LP s l i P s (LGB) <D, 0.3 PV 0.3 PV 0.2 PV profile
0.3 PV 0.3 PV 0.2 PV profile /
aLI___W_F__~~~==-~-~.-,----------'
'-------::-:W-=-F----,~~"$>"'%.
~ , ~l bb be profile CD
bb be profile CD
t
~r
~
~~
1.5 2.0 2.<; 3.0
E
0.5 1.0 2.0 2.5 3.0

~g
ro
.0
ci~
<l ~

0.5 1.0 i.e; 2.0 2.5 3.0

® ®

2.0 2.5 3.0

'"l
!
I
wi

0.5 [.0 [,5 2.0 2.5 3.0

injected PV

Fig. 20-Development of pressure gradient along the flood Fig. 21-Development of specific electrical resistivity along the
distance-slug flooding. flood pipe-slug process.

flood process is applied, the additional oil recovery is in- 10. The ultimate success of a surfactant flood process
dependent of the injected surfactant concentration. is controlled by the nature and the magnitude of retention
5. Results discussed in connection with the surfactant and to a lesser extent by adsorption. Surfactant retention
slug process indicate that surfactant utilization is best causes forming of a low mobility phase in the pore
when the surfactant is injected at high concentration in a space. This phase is necessary for the success of the sur-
small-PV slug. For a 0.3-PV slug of 50-g/dm 3 surfac- factant flood process.
tant concentration, the production of mobilized oil starts
after 0.5 PV total fluid injected, although the residual oil
left after previous waterflooding is 0.3 PV.
Nomenclature
6. Flooding results showed that whether the surfactant bb = beginning of oil bank production, PV
flood process is applied after waterflooding or at any b d = duration of oil bank production, PV
saturation level between initial and residual oil satura- be = end of oil bank production, PV
tion, the additional oil recovery is the same. C p = polymer concentration, g/dm 3 (g/L)
7. Polymer pre injection improved additional oil C R = recovery coefficient, total injected fluid
recovery characteristics of the high-concentration volume/volume of oil in the oil bank
0.3-PV surfactant slug. C T = surfactant concentration, g/dm 3 (g/L)
8. Tertiary oil showed obvious alteration in properties E= recovery factor, % OOIP
in contrast to oil used to saturate the pore space.
AE= additional oil recovery, % OOIP
9. Emulsions produced as a result of early surfactant
breakthrough were severe and very difficult to split. No f w = water cut, %
emulsion production was observed when surfactant ar- F LD = length/diameter ratio
rival at the outlet took place at the end of the oil bank k ro = relative permeability to oil
production. 'sw = relative permeability to water
DECEMBER 1982 845
 !:i.p= average pressure gradient, kPa/m (psi/ft)
Ra = apparent electrical resistivity, n· m
R E = efficiency ratio, !:i.Elconsumed surfactant, g
S;w = connate water saturation, % PV
So; = initial oil saturation, % PV
S or, 1 = residual oil saturation after waterflooding,
% PV
S s = surfacta~t slug size, PV
T= 1FT of T R , mN/m (dyne/cm)
T ~n = temperature of 1FT minimum, °C (OF)
T R = average reservoir temperature, °C (OF)
vf= average flood velocity, mid (ftlD)
"0 = mobility of oil phase, md/mPa' s (md/cp)
"w = mobility of water phase, md/mPa' s (md/cp)
J.t 0 = oil viscosity, mPa' s (cp)
J.t w = water viscosity, mPa' s (cp)
J.t ss = viscosity of injected surfactant solution,
10. Dabbous, M.K.: "Displacement of Polymers in Water-Flooded
mPa's (cp)
a= oil/water 1FT, mN/m (dyne/cm)
amin = 1FT minimum, mN/m (dyne/cm)
3. Hamaker, D.E. and Franzier, G.D.: "Naval Enhanced Recovery
Pilot Design and Implementation," paper SPE 7088 presented at
the SPE 1978 Symposium on Improved Methods for Oil Re-
covery, Tulsa, April 16-19.
4. Riih!, W.: "Tertiary Oil Recovery," OEL-Z., fur die Mineral-
olwirtschaft (May 1977) 127-31 (in German).
5. Burkowsky, M. and Marx, C.: "Use of the Spinning Drop Inter-
facial Tensiometer for Evaluation of Surfactants for Low Tension
Flooding-An Experience Report," Oil Gas-European, Erdal-
Erdgas z., IntI. edition (Feb. 1977) 33-38.
6. Burkowsky, M.: "Mechanism of the Low-Tension Flood Process
in High Salinity Environment and the Influence of Dissolved Gas
in Crude Oils," PhD dissertation, U. of Clausthal, West Germany
(Aug. 1978) (in German).
7. Gogarty, W.B., Meabon, H.P. and Milton, H.W. Ir.: "Mobility
Control Design for Miscible Type Water Floods Using Micellar
Solutions," J. Pet. Tech. (Feb. 1970) 141-47.
8. Gilliland, H.E. and Conley, F.R.: "Surfactant Waterflooding,"
Proc. Ninth World Pet. Congo (1976) 259-67.
9. Jones, S.C. and Roszelle, W.O.: "Graphical Techniques for
Determining Relative Permeability from Displacement Ex-
periments," J. Pet. Tech. (May 1978) 807-17.
Porous Media and its Effects on Subsequent Micellar Flood,"
Soc. Pet. Eng. J. (Oct. 1977) 358-68.

Acknowledgments
SI Metric Conversion Factors
This work, supported by the German Ministry of
Research and Technology (BMFT) under Contract No. 's bar x 1.0* E+OO kPa
ET 3121 A and ET 1080 A was done at the laboratories cp x 1.0* E-03 Pa's
of the Dept. of Petroleum Engineering at the Technical ft x 3.048* E-Ol m
OF (OF -32)/1.8 °C
U. of Clausthal. We express our appreciation to BMFT
for financial support. In addition, the scientific and in. x 2.54* E-Ol cm
technical contributions from the oil companies holding L x 1.0* E+OO dm 3
production concessions III Germany are deeply sq ft x 9.290304* E-02 m2
acknowledged. ton X 9.071 847 E-Ol Mg

References +Conversion factor is exact. SPEJ

1. Rieckmann, M.: "Tertiary Recovery Methods," Erdal-Erdgas Z.
(Oct. 1975) 91, 348-59 (in German).
2. Pursley, S.A., Healy, R.N. and Sandvik, E.!.: "A Field Test on
Surfactant Flooding, Loudon, Illinois," J. Pet. Tech. (July 1973)
793-802.
Original manuscript received in Society of Petroleum Engineers office April 10, 1979.
Paper accepted for publication Nov. 16, 1981. Revised manuscript received April 27,
1982. Paper (SPE 8999) first presented at the 1980 SPE International Oilfield and
Geochemistry Symposium held in Stanford, CA, May 28-30.

846 SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS JOURNAL