Ionic liquids adsorption and interfacial tension reduction for synthetic resinous and asphaltenic oils: salinity and pH effects

Seyed Ehsan Moradi; Seyednooroldin Hosseini; Naser Akhlaghi; Mostafa Narimani; Elias Ghaleh Golab

doi:10.1038/s41598-024-59472-y

Ionic liquids adsorption and interfacial tension reduction for synthetic resinous and asphaltenic oils: salinity and pH effects

Sci Rep. 2024 Apr 24;14(1):9420. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-59472-y.

Authors

Seyed Ehsan Moradi¹, Seyednooroldin Hosseini², Naser Akhlaghi³, Mostafa Narimani¹, Elias Ghaleh Golab³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Chemical Engineering, Omidiyeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Omidiyeh, Iran.
² Department of Petroleum Engineering, EOR Research Center, Omidiyeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Box Post: 164, Omidiyeh, 63731-93719, Khuzestan, Iran. masihanoor@gmail.com.
³ Department of Petroleum Engineering, EOR Research Center, Omidiyeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Box Post: 164, Omidiyeh, 63731-93719, Khuzestan, Iran.

Abstract

The effects of sulfate salts under low and high salinity conditions and pH of 3.5-11 on interfacial tension (IFT) reduction and IL adsorption using resinous (RSO) and asphaltenic (8 wt/wt%) synthetic oils are investigated. The measurements showed the increasing effect of pH on the IFT of RSO/DW from 23.5 to 27.3 mN/m (pH = 3.5 → 7) in the first place and a reducing effect (0.4 mN/m) if pH = 7 → 11. Using a high concentration of 50,000 ppm for MgSO₄, and Na₂SO₄ revealed an extensive IFT reduction for a pH value of 11 with the value of 0.20 mN/m for Na₂SO₄. The measured IFT values showed the significant impact of IL (500 ppm) on the IFT (minimum value of 0.01 mN/m for RSO/50,000 Na₂SO₄ + 500 ppm 1-decyl-3-methyl imidazolium triflate ([C₁₀mim][TfO])) for pH = 11. The IL adsorption measurements showed the role of in-situ surfactant production (saponification process) on the 1-decyl-3-methyl imidazolium chloride ([C₁₀mim][Cl]) and [C₁₀mim][TfO] adsorption reduction from 3.67 to 2.33 and 4.21 to 3.34 mg IL/g rock, respectively. The performed core flooding experiments using the optimum chemical formulation showed the possibility of tertiary oil recovery with maximum oil recovery of 28.8% based on original oil in place in the presence of 500 ppm.

Keywords: Alkaline flooding; Asphaltene; Ionic liquid; Resin; Saponification; pH.