Coreflood experiments with surfactant systems for lOR: Computer tomography studies and numerical modelling

This paper addresses the dynamic behaviour of surfactant systems for IOR-applications in terms of phase behavior and coreflood recovery processes. Extensive measurcments of phase behaviour have provided a good characterization of the phase diagram of abrine, surfactant and heptane system. The surfactarit system does not require any cosurfactant to obtain middle phase microemulsions. Tertiary recovery surfactant coreflood experiments have been perforrned and the dynamic process in the core have been studied using computer tomography (CT). Effluent analysis have also been performed. A new phase-behavior-model based on direct interpolation of experiment al data combined with correlations has been developed and used for the modelling of the phase bchaviour of this overall three-cornponent system (brine, heptane and surfactant). A tertiary coreflood recovery test have been simulated using a compositional chemical flooding simulator with the new phase-behaviour model.