OREANDA-NEWS. TatNIPIneft of PJSC TATNEFT is developing effective technologies to enhance crude oil recovery.

One of them is the technology of increasing crude oil recovery through application of alkaline, surfactant and polymer based compositions, which was awarded at the International specialized exhibition "Oil, gas. Petrochemicals-2016".

The method developed by the scientists   aims at increasing oil recovery of non-uniform permeable and intensely depleted terrigenous and carbonate reservoirs subjected to injection of fresh and mineralized water. Increased oil recovery rate is achieved through the development of multi-functional compositions that allow for a comprehensive impact on the productive strata.

The essence of the technology is sequential injection into the formation of compositions based on three components: alkali, surfactant, and polymer. The specific sequence of injection in conjunction with physical and chemical properties of the developed compositions allows solving a number of technological challenges related to improving oil recovery.

The polymer increases the viscosity of a displacing solution, thereby improving the sweep and alignment of the displacement front. The use of surfactants leads to a strong reduction of the surface tension at the interface and improved rock wettability, thereby contributing to separation of the film and the capillary held oil from the surface of the rock.