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China Surfactant Detergent & Cosmetics ›› 2023, Vol. 53 ›› Issue (10): 1140-1146.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.2097-2806.2023.10.004

• Development and application • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Effects of shale oil composition on the properties of oil-water interface

Shi Yuanyuan1,*(),He Kai2,Wu Wenzhong3   

  1. 1. School of Energy and Chemical Engineering, Puyang Vocational and Technical College, Puyang, Henan 457000, China
    2. State Key Laboratory of Heavy Oil, College of Chemical Engineering and Environment, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102299, China
    3. Tight Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Project Department of Petrochina Southwest Oil and Gas Field Company, Chengdu, Sichuan 610059, China
  • Received:2023-04-11 Revised:2023-09-26 Online:2023-10-22 Published:2023-10-27
  • Contact: *E-mail: shiyy84@163.com.

Abstract:

The influence of shale oil components on the properties of oil-water interface was discussed. The properties of oil-water interface play an important role in the recovery and migration of hydrocarbons in unconventional reservoirs. The effects of shale oil composition on the properties of oil-water interface were investigated, including the changes of saturates, aromatics, resins, asphaltenes and waxes. The oil-water interfacial tension and interfacial modulus under different mass fractions of components were systematically evaluated, and the correlation between shale oil composition and interfacial properties was established. The results showed that the presence of asphaltene and resin significantly affected the oil-water interfacial properties, resulting in a decrease in interfacial tension. The asphaltene and resin components with mass fraction of 1%, respectively, could reduce the equilibrium interfacial tension to 22.48 mN/m and 19.42 mN/m, respectively. Asphaltene played a major role in the stabilization of the interfacial film, and the improvement of interfacial tension and interfacial modulus was different at different resin/asphaltene (R/A) content. The wax component had no ability to reduce the interfacial tension, but it had synergistic effect with the resin-asphaltene to improve the stability of interfacial film and reduced the competitive adsorption at high resin/asphaltene (R/A) ratio. When R/A was 10, the equilibrium interfacial tension of the resin/asphaltene-wax was 17.06 mN/m, the viscous modulus was 6.42 mN/m, the elastic modulus was 36.98 mN/m, and the expansion modulus was 37.61 mN/m. These findings could provide valuable insights into the complex relationship between shale oil composition and oil-water interface properties, which could help to develop more effective technologies of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and better understand multiphase flow behavior in unconventional reservoirs.

Key words: shale oil, interface tension, interface modulus, oil-water interface property, enhanced oil recovery

CLC Number: 

  • TE358