Efficiency of Urea Solutions in Enhanced Oil Recovery

We examine the applicability of urea solutions as a novel cost-effective chemical for enhanced oil recovery processes. Two sandpack flooding experiments were conducted using 5 and 10 wt % urea solutions. Another flooding experiment was also carried out using the same sandpack with fresh water and used as a reference. Supporting experiments such as interfacial tension (IFT), viscosity of water in oil (W/O) emulsions, total acid number (TAN), and Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy were conducted to confirm the generation of in situ surfactants by reacting urea solutions with the naphthenic acids in bitumen and evaluate their impact on the oil recovery. The analyses of FTIR, IFT, TAN, and viscosity measurements support the generation of in situ surfactants that leads to the formation of stable water in oil emulsions and hence a more stable displacement front resulting in higher oil recovery.