The Influence of Temperature, Pressure, Salinity, and Surfactant Concentration on the Interfacial Tension of the N-Octane-Water System

Abstract

An elaborate experimental study was conducted for the determination of the interfacial tension (IFT) values for a n-octane=water system for a wide range of experimental conditions of temperatures, pressures, and salt concentrations that exist in a natural oil reservoir. Three different surfactants were used in the analysis: dodecyl benzene sulfonic acid sodium salt, sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate, and hexadecyl trimethyl ammonium bromide. The measured IFT values were correlated linearly to pressure (P), temperature (T), and salt concentration (CB) in the aqueous phase. There was an almost 20-fold reduction noticed in the IFT values with the addition of surfactants. This behavior was best related by an exponential expression in terms of the surfactant