Evaluation of surface tension modifiers for crude oil transport through porous media

The high viscosity and low surface tension of heavy crude oils, combined with the low relative permeability of the medium, cause their entrapment in the porous reservoir nets, affecting the oil production. In this work, the effect of two biodiesel-based flow improvers, and a non-ionic surfactant was evaluated on surface tension modification and fluid flow through porous media. A mathematical model was obtained, whose simplicity in the application makes it useful for the preliminary evaluation of EOR chemical products. The model determines the pressure drop in porous media through the correlation of contact angle, surface tension, and viscosity, as well as the fractal characterization of the surface. It was found that the biodiesel-based improvers reduce the surface tension and the pressure drop in the transport through porous media by up to 20%.