Synergistic SmartWater based surfactant polymer flooding for enhanced oil recovery in carbonates

SmartWater flooding has been recognized as an efficient and practical technology to synergize with different enhanced oil recovery methods for increasing oil recovery. This article aims to investigate the beneficial synergy effect between the SmartWater and surfactant-polymer (SP) flooding for carbonate reservoirs. Both zeta potential and contact angle measurements revealed that a favorable wettability alteration was induced with SmartWater. Coreflooding experiments were performed using preserved carbonate core samples at reservoir conditions. Results demonstrated that SP flooding combined with SmartWater achieved higher oil recovery with less chemical consumption when compared to conventional SP flooding.