Effect of Palm Oil MES Surfactant Concentration on 45 ˚-API Oil on Phase Behavior Test Results Gibrant Haikal Nazhiif1, Rini Setiati2*, Muhammad Taufiq Fathaddin2, Berkah Hani3
Universitas Trisakti
Abstract
The demand for crude oil consumption in Indonesia rises annually, yet the country faces a decline in oil production. To address this, Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) is employed, with a focus on chemical injection using Methyl Ester Sulfonate (MES) surfactant derived from palm kernel. MES, an anionic surfactant, is produced from methyl esters of palm kernel oil and Crude Palm Oil (CPO). Surfacted chemical injection is preferred for its ability to reduce interfacial tension between oil and water. Prior to injection, screening tests, including a phase behavior test, are crucial to evaluate surfactant effectiveness.
In this study, palm kernel MES surfactant concentrations of 0.5%, 0.75%, 1.0%, 1.25%, 1.5%, 1.75%, and 2.0% are utilized, with a salinity of 15,000 ppm and a crude oil sample of 45˚-API. The phase behavior test involves mixing surfactant and oil samples in test tubes, shaking, and incubating at 60˚-C, observing emulsion changes over 21 days.
Results indicate that a 1.25% surfactant concentration produces the most stable emulsion with a 7.50% total emulsion.
This research concludes that palm kernel MES surfactant effectively forms a middle-phase emulsion in the light crude oil system of 45˚-API.
