Evaluation of a surfactant carrier for the effective propagation and target release of surfactants within porous media during enhanced oil recovery. Part I: Dynamic adsorption study

• Complexation between commercial EOR surfactants and β-CD was confirmed.
• The surfactant carrier is effective in inhibiting the adsorption of surfactant.
• Surfactant adsorption was inhibited up to 61% relative to the conventional process.
• The surfactant carrier shows potential for enhanced oil recovery applications.

This proof of concept research evaluates a new approach to prevent the adsorption of surfactant onto a sand/kaolin blend. This process is based on the formation of inclusion complexes between surfactants and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD). First, the kinetics and formation of surfactant/β-CD inclusion complexes was determined using several analytical techniques including optical and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and 1H NMR and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Next, the effectiveness of this method in preventing surfactant adsorption was evaluated using dynamic adsorption tests and the Quartz Crystal Microbalance Technology (QCM-D). The experimental results demonstrate the formation of equimolar surfactant:β-CD inclusion complexes in soft brine; while the dynamic adsorption evaluation shows significant reductions of surfactant adsorption onto a sand/kaolin blend of up to 61%. This exploratory study showcases the potential of this technique for minimizing the loss of surfactant to adsorption.

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