Study and selection of surfactants for flooding systems in mature oil fields

UDK: 622.276.64

DOI: 10.24887/0028-2448-2026-7-46-50

Key words: surfactant, micellar flooding, Romashkinskoye oil field, late stage of field development, water cut, hard-to-recover reserves, SARA analysis, NMR simulation, oil displacement efficiency

Authors: А.R. Маkhmutov (TatNIPIneft, RF, Almetyevsk); О.А. Ovechkina (TatNIPIneft, RF, Almetyevsk); А.R. Nigmetzyanov (TatNIPIneft, RF, Almetyevsk); N.F. Yakhin (TatNIPIneft, RF, Almetyevsk); А.R. Gareev (TatNIPIneft, RF, Almetyevsk); А.I. Gaifullin (TatNIPIneft, RF, Almetyevsk); Т.А. Gorelova (TatNIPIneft, RF, Almetyevsk); I.G. Fattakhov (TatNIPIneft, RF, Almetyevsk); Т.S. Usmanov (TatNIPIneft, RF, Almetyevsk); А.А. Pimenov (TatNIPIneft, RF, Almetyevsk)

This paper presents an integrated approach to the targeted selection of surfactants for micellar flooding based on the example of the North-Almetyevsk area of the Romashkinskoye oil field. The main production zone is represented by the terrigenous reservoirs of Kynovian and Pashian horizons. Reservoir oil composition was thoroughly examined by chromatography–mass spectrometry, SARA analysis, and Fourier-transform IF spectroscopy. Concentration of acyclic saturated hydrocarbons is approximately 77 %. The SARA-analysis revealed prevalence of aromatic hydrocarbons (51,79 %), along with considerable amounts of resins (9,76 %) and asphaltenes (14,61 %). Fourier-transform IF spectroscopy confirmed the presence of aromatic structures, aliphatic chains, and oxygenated groups typical for resins and asphaltenes. The obtained data served as the basis for molecular modeling of the surfactant composition using the NMIRacle computing package. One-dimensional NMR spectra for 1H, 13C, and 15N nuclei, along with two-dimensional correlation spectra including HSQC, HMBC, COSY-DQF, and NOESY, were simulated. Benchmarking against the Aldrich NMR Database yielded the optimum formulation of an efficient surfactant for flooding containing linear alkylbenzenesulfonates, oleinic acid diethanolamide, and monoethanolamine. The synthesized surfactant based on the simulated composition was tested using a synthetic core characterized by permeability of 357,7·10-3 μm2, porosity of 24,92 %, and a pore volume of 7,023 ml. The predicted oil displacement efficiency increase is 13,43 %. The results of this study confirm the efficiency of the proposed surfactant selection method based on the actual composition of the reservoir oil. This approach can be used to enhance oil recovery at the late stages of field development in the Volga-Ural region.

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