Welcome to China Surfactant Detergent & Cosmetics, Today is

China Surfactant Detergent & Cosmetics ›› 2024, Vol. 54 ›› Issue (4): 457-466.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.2097-2806.2024.04.012

• Reviews • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Recent advances of surfactants and their adsorption characteristics in oil recovery

Zilong Liu1,2,*(),Yanxiao Hei1,Di Shi1,Yufei Xiao1,Xue Li1   

  1. 1. Beijing Key Laboratory of Optical Detection Technology for Oil and Gas, Basic Research Center for Energy Interdisciplinary, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
    2. State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
  • Received:2023-04-18 Revised:2024-04-08 Online:2024-04-22 Published:2024-04-26
  • Contact: *E-mail: zlliu89@gmail.com.

Abstract:

Enhanced oil recovery is an important guarantee for increasing energy production in China. Chemical flooding based on surfactants is an important method to enhance oil recovery. The classification of surfactants used in oil displacement were introduced. The physicochemical characteristics of surfactants and their advantages and disadvantages in oil displacement were also introduced in detail, including the widely used anionic, zwitterionic and nonionic surfactants and the rarely used Gemini surfactants. As the demand of oil industry is changing, synthesis of green surfactants with low cost and high efficiency has become the main trend of future development. During the process of oil displacement, the adsorption of surfactants will reduce the effective concentration of surfactants in solution, resulting in the significant decrease of oil displacement efficiency. Therefore, herein, the research progress of adsorption properties of surfactants used in oil displacement at solid-liquid interface was also reviewed. The adsorption isotherm models are mainly used to describe the relationship between the amount adsorbed at solid-liquid interface and the surfactant concentration after equilibrium at constant temperature. The adsorption kinetic models can be used to evaluate the relationship between adsorption rate and time, revealing the mechanism of adsorption. To describe the adsorption properties of surfactants more comprehensively and accurately, it is necessary to develop new adsorption models and use multiple models in combination.

Key words: surfactant, enhanced oil recovery, adsorption isotherm

CLC Number: 

  • TE357