UC Berkeley

The fundamental study of adsorption in this manuscript pertains to a well-known process of low salinity water flooding (LSW), which is a potentially economic way of incrementing productivity of oil reservoirs. Our preliminary results indicate adsorption of a positively charged surfactant CTAB (cetrimonium bromide) regardless of brine type and charge at the surface. We show that the surfactant behavior mimics that found at charged crude oil-brine interfaces. This result partially explains strong crude oil interaction with calcium carbonate and adds to the difficulties associated with oil extraction by LSW.