EOR WITH PENN STATE SURFACTANTS.

Petroleum sulfonate surfactants were synthesized from C//1//9, C//2//2 and C//2//6 feedstocks and evaluated in core tests for their ability to enhance oil recovery. All three feedstocks are composed predominantly of saturated paraffinic and naphthenic hydrocarbons. The C//1//9 feedstock includes about 12% aromatics. The hydrocarbons were vapor-phase oxidized at low temperatures to provide cyclic ethers, which subsequently were sulfonated to form a product mixture of mono-, di-, and trisulfonates. Corefloods were conducted with both sulfonates developed at Pennsylvania State U. and commercial sulfonates in Berea sandstone cores. High oil recovery efficiencies are realized when the Penn State sulfonates are used without cosurfactants to form dilute chemical slugs.