A Novel Sulfonated Alkyl Ester Surfactant to Reduce Interfacial Tensions in a Wide Range Salinity with Monovalent and Divalent Ions

Abstract

A novel sulfonated alkyl ester (SAE) was developed. The sulfonated alkyl ester has unique chemical structures that aimed to combine the advantages of ester-based and sulfonate-based surfactant in one compound. This surfactant was studied for its performance to reduce interfacial tensions in a wide range of salinity with monovalent and divalent ions and in a light and heavy oil samples. The study showed that the sulfonated alkyl ester surfactant gives a good performance in a light oil sample in a high monovalent ion concentration and also give a good performance in a heavy oil sample in both low and high concentration of monovalent and divalent ions solution.