Characterization of vesicle for Enhanced Oil Recovery

A systematic study has been performed employing the use of a cationic surfactant didodecyldimethylammonium bromide (DDAB), an anionic surfactant sodium lignosulfonate (SLS) and water for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) from the underground porous media of the depleting oil field of Naharkotiya, Duliajan, in the Upper Assam basin, India. The strong electrostatic interaction between the oppositely charged head groups present in cationic/anionic surfactant mixtures, the geometric packing ratio can effectively be tailored by varying the ratio of cationic and anionic surfactants. Here the behaviour of aqueous mixtures of the surfactants, SLS and DDAB with reference to Interfacial Tension (IFT) and EOR has also been explored. The zeta (ζ)-potentials are positive at DDAB-rich regions and negative at SLS-rich regions. The vesicles appear to be stable, supported by large absolute values of ζ-potentials and little change in UV absorbance for several months.These vesicles can recover 46.45% oil from water flooded porous media compared to micelles of SLS and DDAB, which can recover 16.76% and 36.80% of oil respectively.