Saudi Arabian Oil Company

Dongqing Cao

Ming Han

Jinxun Wang

Ying Wang

Subhash Chandrabose Ayirala

Xuan Zhang

Ali Yousef

Amar J Alshehri

Limin Xu

Alhasan Fuseni

Abdullah Al-Boqmi

Saleh Hamad Al-Salah

The systems and method described in this specification relate to at least partially restoring porosity and brine permeability of carbonate core samples. The systems and methods include extracting a carbonate core sample from a subterranean formation. The extracted carbonate core sample is inserted into a core flooding test machine. A first porosity and a first brine permeability of the extracted carbonate core sample is measured. A fluid is pumped through the extracted carbonate core sample to flood the carbonate core sample. The fluid includes at least one of a high-molecular weight polymer solution and a gel particle solution. The systems and methods include at least partially restoring the porosity and the brine permeability of the carbonate core sample by pumping an oxidizing solution through the flooded carbonate core sample and heating the carbonate core sample to a temperature of at least 60° C. after pumping the oxidizing solution through the carbonate core sample.

Restoring core samples

A method for enhanced oil recovery in a reservoir is provided. The method includes injecting a microsphere suspension, including polymeric microspheres dispersed in seawater, into an injection well in the reservoir and injecting a low salinity tailored water (SmartWater) into the injection well in the reservoir. Oil is produced from a production well in the reservoir.

Alternating microsphere and smartwater injection for enhanced oil recovery

A surfactant composition is provided. The composition includes chemical structure represented by Formula (1): where Rrepresents a hydrocarbon group, a substituted hydrocarbon group, an alkyl ester group, or an alkyl amine having from 4 to 28 carbon atoms, and Rand Rrepresent hydrocarbon groups having from 1 to 5 carbon atoms. Also provided is a composition including a brine comprising a total salinity of at least 20,000 mg/L and the chemical structure shown in Formula (1). Methods of making a composition including the chemical structure represented by Formula (1) are also provided.

Composition and method of making cationic surfactants with two quaternary ammonium head groups

Surfactant mixtures include a cationic surfactant, an anionic surfactant, and a nonionic surfactant in a brine solution. The cationic surfactant may include at least one quaternary ammonium, at least one brominated trimethylammonium, or combinations thereof. The anionic surfactant may include at least one organosulfate. The nonionic surfactant may include the nonionic surfactant comprised of a polyoxyethylene fatty acid ester, a phenylated ethoxylate, or combinations thereof. The surfactant mixtures may be incorporated into methods for reducing the interfacial tension between the surfactant mixture and oily fluids during chemical enhanced oil recovery. The methods for reducing the interfacial tension may include introducing the surfactant mixture comprising a cationic surfactant, an anionic surfactant, and a nonionic surfactant in a brine solution to a hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir, thereby reducing the interfacial tension at a liquid-liquid interface of the surfactant mixture and the fluid.

Surfactant mixtures used during chemical enhanced oil recovery and methods of use thereof

An imbibition gel composition that induces spontaneous imbibition of a water phase into a reservoir matrix is provided. The imbibition gel composition including a surfactant, the surfactant operable to alter the wettability of a surface of a reservoir matrix from oil-wet toward water-wet and the surfactant further operable to diffuse through the water phase. The imbibition gel composition further including a gel system, the gel system operable to retain the surfactant and the gel system further operable to release the surfactant in the presence of the water phase, where altering the wettability of the surface of the reservoir matrix toward water-wet induces the spontaneous imbibition of the water phase into the reservoir matrix.

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Dongqing Cao