Application status and prospect of ionic liquids in oilfield chemistry

The ionic liquid, as a new treatment agent, has been increasingly applied in oil fields due to its strong temperature resistance, good solubility and high surface activity. In this paper, we systematically discuss the action mechanism and application effect of ionic liquids in oilfield chemistry. Ionic liquids can inhibit shale hydration expansion and reduce fluid loss through adsorption and intercalation, inhibit the formation of natural gas hydrate through imidazole five-membered ring structure as a space barrier, reduce viscosity of heavy oil by breaking chemical bonds of heavy oil macromolecules and charge transfer, improve oil displacement efficiency by forming ions pairs with carboxyl groups in crude oil, demulsify by forming channels between dispersed water droplets, acidify the formation by reacting with water to produce acid, interacts with organic material through weak hydrogen bonds and extracts it from oilfield wastewater, desulphurize by inserting sulfide molecules into the “stack” structure and form liquid inclusion complex, inhibit corrosion by forming a protective film on the metal surface. Based on the above aspects, the development direction of ionic liquids is proposed. The application of ionic liquids in oilfield chemistry is still in its infancy. It is urgent to fully explore the application performance of ionic liquids in oilfield chemistry, which also provides theoretical and technical supports for efficient reservoir development.