Effect of alkaline materials on interfacial rheological properties of oil-water systems

Abstract

Interfacial rheological properties of a model crude oil-water system were studied in the presence of sodium hydroxide. The interfacial viscosity, the non-Newtonian flow behavior and the activation energy of viscous flow were determined as a function of shear rate, alkali concentration and aging time. The fundamental conclusion of the experimental results is that the interfacial viscosity drastically decreases in the presence of alkaline materials and the change under favorable conditions may exceed 3 or 4 orders of magnitude. Simultaneously, the sodium hydroxide effectively suppresses the non-Newtonian flow behavior of the interfacial layer. The experimental observations are explained by simultaneous chemical processes taking place in the boundary layer. The present data may help to elucidate the formation, stability and breaking of alkali-containing oil-water emulsions and they provide additional information for better understanding of the displacement mechanism and for the formulation of alkaline flooding as a potential chemically enhanced oil-recovery method.