Microemulsions Based on Diverse Surfactant Molecular Structure: Comparative Analysis and Mechanistic Study

Abstract

Microemulsion flooding technology, known for significantly reducing interfacial tension, improving rock wettability, and providing strong driving forces at the microscopic level, has been widely applied in enhancing oil recovery in oil fields. This article summarizes the relevant literature and introduces the classification, formation mechanisms, research models, and factors affecting the performance of microemulsions. Particularly, it conducts a comparative analysis of microemulsion systems formed by surfactant molecules of different structures, aiming to provide new perspectives for the study of surfactant molecular structures and to further optimize the performance of microemulsion systems. The study finds that modifying surfactant molecules by adding benzene rings, increasing the length of hydrophobic tails, and enlarging hydrophilic heads can significantly increase the volume of the middle phase, exceeding 30%. These findings provide important guidance for optimizing microemulsion systems.