Oil recovery method employing alternate slugs of surfactant and

Details Oil recovery method employing alternate slugs of surfactant and Oil recovery method employing alternate slugs of surfactant and

1982-08-25

1984-03-27

Novosad, Stephen J.

Wells

Processes

Distinct, separate injection and producing wells

E21B 4322

Patent

active

044388144

ABSTRACT:
Disclosed is a petroleum recovery method suitable for recovering petroleum from subterranean formations containing water having high salinity and/or divalent ion concentration, employing an aqueous surfactant-containing fluid which is designed to effect low surface tension displacement of petroleum in the formation in the presence of high salinity water. The improvement comprises injecting the total desired volume of surfactant in the form of a plurality of relatively small slugs of surfactant fluid, and alternatingly injecting similarly small pore volume slugs of fresh water having salinity less than the salinity of the formation water. The total pore volume of surfactant-containing fluid injected is ordinarily from 0.01 to 1.00 and preferably from 0.20 to 0.50 pore volumes. This total amount of surfactant fluid is injected in from 2 to 15 and preferably from 3 to 6 separate discrete slugs. Each slug of surfactant fluid is followed by injecting a quantity of low salinity, relatively fresh water, e.g. of salinity less than about 10,000 and preferably less than 1000 parts per million total dissolved solids. The volume of each lower salinity water isolating slug is less than 0.5 and preferably in the range of 0.05 to 0.20 pore volumes.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3346047 (1967-10-01), Townsend et al.
patent: 3421582 (1969-01-01), Fallgatter
patent: 3500920 (1970-03-01), Raifsnider
patent: 3500922 (1970-03-01), O'Brien et al.
patent: 3612182 (1971-10-01), Raifsnider

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