New Synthetic method of Dodecanoyl Lysine as a Surfactant and its Potential in Enhanced Oil Recovery

Chemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is of great significance in petroleum production and development from the carbonate oil reservoirs. Amongst the all applied chemicals, surfactant flooding can increase the oil recovery factor by reducing the interfacial tension between water and oil, and altering rock wettability from oil-wet to neutral- or water-wet state. Hence the adverse effect of capillary forces would be diminished leading to the mobilization of trapped oil in the porous media to the producing wells. In present study, a synthetically new amino acid-based surfactant namely, N-lauroyl-L-lysine, was developed. Then by means of spectral analyses of FT-IR and H MNR tests the structure of the surfactant was verified. The critical micelle concentration (CMC) was found to be approximately 0.4-0.5 wt.% via conductivity and PH methods in which they confirmed each other. Finally, it is observed that increasing concentration causes the PH to be reduced.

Keywords:

component , Enhanced oil recovery , Surfactant synthesis , Critical micelle concentration , FT-IR , 1H MNR