Fluorosurfactants in Enhanced Oil Recovery

Abstract

Fluorosurfactants are effective in a variety of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques including (i) improv- ing subterranean wetting, (ii) increasing foam stability, and (iii) modifying the surface properties of the reservoir forma- tion. While fluorosurfactants have been used in gas and oil exploration for four decades, the increased demand for petro- leum and the greater understanding of the benefits of fluorosurfactants have led to growing acceptance for fluorosurfac- tants throughout the petroleum industry. This mini-review summarizes the published research for fluorosurfactants in EOR from 1977 to 2007. The references in this mini-review are mostly patents (vs peer reviewed articles) and laboratory models of the benefits of fluorosurfactants in EOR (vs actual oil and gas recovery experiments). This summary of the pub- lished reports on fluorosurfactants in EOR provides petroleum scientists and engineers an overview of this emerging tech- nology.