Evaluation the performance of sodium metaborate as a novel alkali in alkali/surfactant/polymer flooding

Sodium metaborate, a novel alkali, is introduced into alkali/surfactant/polymer (ASP) flooding to solve the negative effects caused by conventional alkalis. Sodium metaborate can reduce the adsorption loss of the surfactant as well as the interfacial tension (IFT). Weak alkali sodium metaborate causes less viscosity reduction compared with strong alkalis. Scale precipitation study shows that sodium metaborate can be effective to avoid the scale precipitation damage. Study results indicate that sodium metaborate result in the highest oil recovery of 56% compared with sodium carbonate and sodium hydroxide, and at the same time avoid the problems caused by conventional alkalis.