Core Flooding Experimental for Enhanced Oil Recovery by Biosurfactant

Biosurfactants are a diverse group of surface active molecules synthesized by microorganisms. These molecules reduce surface and interfacial tensions in both aqueous solutions and hydrocarbon mixtures, which makes them potential candidates for enhancing oil recovery and deemulsification processes. An aqueous solution of the biosurfactant was used to enhance oil recovery in a high permeable and a low permeable laboratory core. The solution enhanced the oil recovery up to 15% in the high permeable core at ambient temperature. This figure was 7.5% in thelow permeable core. The biosurfactant retained its activity in enhanced oil recovery when the temperature of the core increased to 80 C .

Keywords:

biosurfactant , CMC , Core Flooding , Enhanced oil recovery