Analysis of Water in Oil Emulsions Effect from Used Engine Lubricant Oil Potential Material for EOR Heavy Crude Oil

Abstract

Emulsions of Water-in-Oil (W/O) have been shown to be an effective driving fluid for heavy crude oil recovery (>100cp) in sandstone flooding experiments with almost achieved 100% recovery. This emulsion is stabilized by oleophilic nanoparticles without the need of surfactants. However, finding an oil with cheap and easily available to create an emulsion is not easy. This paper introduces the trial blend of W/O emulsions with a very common material, namely used engine lubricant oil. More than one billion liters of engine lubricant oil are used in Indonesia every year and has become a major contributor to pollution due to improper use at its disposal. In other ways, this used engine lubricant oil can be an excellent candidate for making emulsions W/O. First, the detergents, the acidity and soot (organic carbon) from the decomposition of engine oil lubricants provides perfect solid particles to stabilize the emulsion; secondly, the medium viscosity allows optimal viscosity to be achieved when blending the emulsion; and the third, nanoparticles from oxidized wear metal from engine debris can help also to reduce the IFT of heavy oil.