Dependency of Critical Micelle Concentration of a Novel Nonionic Surfactant on Adding Alcohol-EOR Implication

Over 40% of the current world conventional oil production comes from carbonate reservoirs; dominantly mature and declining giant oilfields.After primary and secondary oil production stagesusing tertiary oil production methods as part of an Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) scheme is inevitable.Surfactant flooding aims at reducing the mobility ratio through lowering the interfacial tension between oil and water and mobilizing the residual oil. Thisarticle highlights the effect of alcohol on critical micelle concentration of Zyziphus Spina Christi, a novel surfactant, in aqueous solutions for EOR andreservoir stimulation purposes. A conductivity technique was used to assess the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of the surfactant in aqueousphase. Electrical conductivity measured at 25oC. The influence of alcohol conditions on CMC variation of selected surfactant is considered. It was found theaddition of alcohol increase the CMC of surfactant. Results from this study can help in appropriate selection of surfactants in design of EOR schemesand reservoir stimulation plans in carbonate reservoirs.