Intermediate fluid systems for long distance oil displacement
AssigneeMarathon Oil Company
InventorsPaul S. Ossip, Karl D. Dreher
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Abstract
Micellar systems which are neither oil-external nor water-external can be formed from petroleum sulfonates, e.g., crude oil sulfonates formulated with water and, optionally, cosurfactants, e.g., hexanol. Because such micellar systems resist uptake of both oil and water, they are suitable for long distance displacement in which injection wells are spaced at least about 300 feet from production wells.
Claims9
In a process for recovery of petroleum from formations by drilling into said formations at least one injection well and at least one production well spaced a distance from said injection well, and injecting fluids into said injection well to displace petroleum toward said production well and recovering petroleum from said production well, the improvement comprising injecting displacement fluids comprising intermediate micellar systems which substantially are immiscible with oil and water in the formation, said micellar systems having electrical conductivities in the range of from about 10.sup..sup.-6 to about 0.04 ohm.sup..sup.-1 centimeters.sup..sup.-1, in an amount equivalent to from about 1 to about 25 percent of the pore volume of said formation.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.