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Quaternary Ammonium Gemini Surfactants Used in Enhanced Oil Recovery: Synthesis, Properties, and Flooding Experiments

  • Zhe Liu , Ruimin Gao , Zhen Dong , Xiang Li and Jianshe Zhao
Published/Copyright: May 8, 2017
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Tenside Surfactants Detergents
From the journal Tenside Surfactants Detergents Volume 54 Issue 3

Abstract

In this work, quaternary ammonium gemini surfactants with different spacers and lipophilic tails were synthesized by using imidazole and halogenated hydrocarbons as raw materials. The surfactants were characterized by EA, IR, and ESI-MS. Physico-chemical properties including critical micelle concentration (CMC), surface tension at CMC (γCMC), saturated adsorption amount (Γmax), occupied area per molecule (Amin), standard free energy of micellization (ΔG0m) and adsorption (ΔG0ads), as well as the oil/water interfacial tension were completely studied. The prepared surfactants could efficiently lower the interfacial tension at water/air interfaces and oil/water interfaces. The results indicate that the ability of reducing the surface tension was affected by the surfactant arrangement, which could be further adjusted by a spacer and lipophilic tail. Accordingly, four surfactants were chosen as the representatives to evaluate the displacement efficiency in flooding experiments via using the authentic sandstone microscopic model.

Kurzfassung

In dieser Arbeit wurden quaternäre Ammonium-Gemini-Tenside mit verschiedenen Spacern und lipophilen Ketten unter Verwendung von Imidazol und halogenierten Kohlenwasserstoffen als Ausgangsmaterialien synthetisiert. Die Tenside wurden durch Elementaranalyse (EA), Infrarotspektroskopie (IR) und Elektrosprayionisations-Massenspektrometrie (ESI-MS) charakterisiert. Die physikalisch-chemischen Eigenschaften, nämlich die kritische Mizellenbildungskonzentration (CMC), die Oberflächenspannung bei CMC (γCMC), die gesättigte Adsorptionsmenge (Γmax), der minimale Platzbedarf pro Molekül an der Oberfläche (Amin), die freie Energie der Mizellenbildung (ΔG0m) und die der Adsorption (ΔG0ads) sowie die Öl/Wasser-Grenzflächenspannung wurden vollständig untersucht. Die hergestellten Tenside können die Grenzflächenspannung an Wasser/Luft-Grenzflächen und Öl/Wasser-Grenzflächen deutlich senken. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Reduktion der Oberflächenspannung durch die Anordnung der Tenside beeinflusst wurde, die durch den Abstandshalter und den lipophilen Rest eingestellt werden konnte. Dementsprechend wurden vier Tenside als Repräsentanten ausgewählt, deren Verdrängungsleistung in Flutungsexperimenten unter Verwendung eines zuverlässigen mikroskopischen Sandsteinmodells bewertet wurde.

Key words: Quaternary ammonium gemini surfactants; surface tension; oil/water interfacial tension; authentic microscopic sandstone model
Stichwörter: Quaternäre Ammonium-Gemini-Tenside; Oberflächenspannung; Öl-Wasser-Grenzflächenspannung; zuverlässiges mikroskopisches Sandsteinmodell
*Correspondence address, Prof. Jianshe Zhao, College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University, Xi'an 710069, China, Tel.: +86-29-88302604, Fax: +86-29-88303798, E-Mail:

Zhe Liu is a master's student at the College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University of China, Xi'an 710069, China. His research interests are the synthesis and application properties of surfactants.

Ruimin Gao is an expert in Research Institute of Shaanxi Yanchang Petroleum Group Corp. Ltd. He has deep insight into the research on petroleum exploration and development, enhanced oil recovery and unconventional oil and gas resource exploration.

Zhen Dong is a master's student at the College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University of China, Xi'an 710069, China. Her research interests are the synthesis and application properties of surfactants and Fisher-Tropsch catalysts.

Xiang Li is a master's student at the College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University of China, Xi'an 710069, China. His research interests are the synthesis and application properties of surfactants.

Jianshe Zhao received his Ph.D. in materials and chemistry, at the Paul Sabatier University, Toulouse, France, in 1998. He is now a professor at the College of Chemistry and Materials Science, Northwest University of China. His major research interests are in the design, synthesis, and catalytic performances of phthalocyanine/subphthalocyanine compounds on the lithium/thionyl chloride battery; synthesis and performances of surfactants on enhanced oil recovery; and studying the positive environment catalysis for desulfurization.

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Received: 2015-07-21
Accepted: 2015-10-06
Published Online: 2017-05-08
Published in Print: 2017-05-15

© 2017, Carl Hanser Publisher, Munich

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https://doi.org/10.3139/113.110489
Keywords for this article
Quaternary ammonium gemini surfactants; surface tension; oil/water interfacial tension; authentic microscopic sandstone model

Articles in the same Issue

  1. Contents/Inhalt
  2. Contents
  3. Detergent/Enzymes
  4. Lactobacillus brevis Lipase: Purification, Immobilization onto Magnetic Florosil NPs, Characterization and Application as a Detergent Additive
  5. Study on the Interaction Between Cellulase and Surfactants
  6. Physical Chemistry
  7. Study of Ionic Liquid Microemulsions: Ethylammonium Nitrate/TritonX-100/Cyclohexane
  8. Synergistic Effect of Cationic Surfactants on the Rheological Behavior of Erucyl Amidosulfobetaine
  9. Microscopic Evidence for the Correlation of Micellar Structures and Counterion Binding Constant for Flexible Nanoparticle Catalyzed Piperidinolysis of PS− in Colloidal System
  10. Application
  11. Effect of Surface Modification on the Dispersion, Thermal Stability and Crystallization Properties of PET/CaCO3 Nanocomposites
  12. Environmental Chemistry
  13. Inhibition of Calcium Carbonate Scale Using an Environmental Friendly Scale Inhibitor
  14. Novel Surfactants
  15. Study on the Properties of Mixed Micelles of Disodium Salt of 3-({2-[(2-Carboxy-ethyl)-dodecanoyl-amino]-ethyl}-dodecanoyl-amino)-propionic Acid in Solution Systems
  16. Synthesis
  17. Macrocyclic Schiff Base Metal Complexes Derived from Isatin: Structural Activity Relationship and DFT Calculations
  18. Quaternary Ammonium Gemini Surfactants Used in Enhanced Oil Recovery: Synthesis, Properties, and Flooding Experiments
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