An Improved Fast Method for the Evaluation of Surfactants in Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery

ABSTRACT Evaluating oil displacement efficiency is an essential step in selecting surfactants for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications, incorporating crude oil, rock, and formation water. Originally, the rock layer for such investigations was prepared on a glass sheet using organic solvents. In this study, we advanced this method by developing a technique to form the rock layer inside glass capillaries without needing organic solvents, resulting in a more stable and mechanically robust substrate. Experiments under nine parameter combinations assessed the method's reliability by calculating relative standard deviation (RSD) values, which were compared to the original process. The rock layer density's influence was also analyzed. The improved method showed comparable or better RSD values and a strong correlation with the original method's results. Density variations did not affect outcomes within the studied range. This solvent‐free approach provides a reliable, efficient alternative with enhanced mechanical stability for surfactant selection in EOR.