Effect of Interfacial Tension on Displacement Efficiency
Authors: Wagner O.R. , Leach R.O. 
Published: December 2007

Immiscible displacement tests were performed in a consolidated sandstone core over the interfacial tension range from less than 0.01 to 5 dynes/cm to better define how interfacial tension (IFT) reduction can lead to increased oil recovery. Data obtained were displacement efficiency at breakthrough vs IFT for both drainage and imbibition conditions. These tests simulate water flooding under oil-wet and water-wet conditions, respectively.

Results of the study have shown that displacement efficiency under both oil-wet and water-wet conditions can be markedly improved by a sufficient reduction in IFT. In the particular porous media used and for the low pressure gradients employed, the IFT must be reduced to a value less than about 0.07 dynes/cm to achieve increased recovery at the time of breakthrough of the injected phase. Below 0.07 dynes/cm, further small reductions in IFT result in large increases in displacement efficiency. Observed increases in recovery were obtained at pressure gradients which are well below those which can exist in the interwell area of a reservoir under water flood. The effect of pressure gradient on recovery is discussed.

INTRODUCTION

A residual oil saturation remains in rock which has been water flooded because, under usual reservoir conditions, the driving force which can be generated is inadequate to expel oil trapped by capillary forces. Since these capillary forces can be reduced by reducing the IFT a frequently studied method 1-5 of increasing oil recovery has been the use of surfactants to reduce the water-oil interfacial tension.

Mungan1 observed improved recovery in both water-wet and oil-wet systems at 1.1 dyne/cm IFT, finding that the amount of improvement was greater in oil-wet systems. Moore and Blum,2 working with visual flow cell micro-models, concluded that recovery cannot be improved in water-wet systems by injecting surfactant solutions. They calculated that, for a pressure gradient of 1 psi/ft in their model, the IFT must be reduced to 0.03 dynes/cm to release oil trapped under water-wet conditions. Berkeley et al.3 indicated that, at representative field flooding rates, the IFT must be reduced to 0.001 dyne/cm to improve recovery. Thus, there is a wide variation of opinion about the IFT levels needed to improve recovery under field conditions. These previous investigators all have used as their experimental method the addition of surfactants to the injected water. The use of surfactant solutions to reduce IFT creates two experimental problems:the loss of surfactant through adsorption on reservoir rock can obscure the true IFT value which exists at the displacement front, andat very low values of IFT emulsification of oil and water commonly occurs.

It is difficult, therefore, to determine whether the increased recovery is caused by IFT reduction as such, or is instead caused by emulsification. Also the properties of the available surfactants limit the IFT range which can be studied.

In the present study the purpose is to better define how interfacial tension reduction can lead to increased oil recovery. A matter of great interest is the amount of recovery improvement potentially achievable in this way. The study was made using very low pressure gradients which was well within the range achievable by water flooding in the interwell region of petroleum reservoirs. A unique experimental approach was chosen to avoid adsorption and emulsification problems, and to allow convenient control of IFT. The fluid phases used were the equilibrium vapor and liquid phases of the methane-n-pentane system. The interfacial tension level was varied by changing the equilibrium pressure of the methane-pentane system over the range from 1,200 psia to near the critical pressure (2,420 psia). All tests were performed at a controlled temperature of 100F. The IFT-vs-pressure relationship for the methane-pentane system was based on the data of Stegemeier and Hough,6 and on new data obtained in this study. With this experimental approach it has been possible to study displacement at lower values of IFT than have been previously investigated.