Patent ID: 11939521
Assignee: SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY
Field: Basic materials chemistry (Chemistry)
Classification: CPC C  E | IPC C  E

Claim 5:
6. A method, comprising:
mixing an ionic liquid and a brine to form a solution, the brine having a salinity of at least ppm total dissolved solids (TDS); and
injecting the solution to a formation comprising hydrocarbons,
wherein the ionic liquid comprises hexadecyl (2-hydroxyethyl) dimethylammonium dihydrogen phosphate, 1-benzyl-3-methylimidazolium chloride, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium hydrogen sulfate, or a combination thereof,
wherein an interfacial tension presents between the solution and the hydrocarbons, and
wherein presence of the ionic liquid in the solution lowers a value of the interfacial tension.