Chemical Engineering and Processing, Vol.125, 97-104, 2018
An experimental study on the floating motion of oil drop in ASP solution
Alkali-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding is a high-efficient chemical enhanced oil recovery technology and has been utilized on a large scale in the oilfield. Nevertheless, the produced water treatment from ASP flooding is a great challenge to be resolved. In this paper, the separation mechanism and floating rules of oil droplet in ASP flooding produced liquid are experimentally investigated. The synergistic action of alkali, surfactant and polymer is systematically explored. The results showed that the electrostatic shielding effect induced by excessive sodium ions will lead to the curl of polymer chains and the decrease of viscosity, as a result the floating speed of oil droplet surrounded by ASP solution will increase. The solubilization of surfactant micelles will also reduce the viscosity of ASP solution, which is benefit to the separation of oil droplet in ASP flooding produced liquid. Furthermore, correction for the drag coefficient of oil droplet in ASP solution is developed.