Improved Oil Recovery Through Eco-Driven CO2 Miscibility Enhancement in Crude Oil: Toward Efficient EOR and Carbon Sequestration Mohammed A. Al-Hakami, Ahmed Farid Ibrahim, Khaled Z. Abd Elgawad, Khaled H. Al-Azani Society of Petroleum Engineers Kuwait Oil and Gas Show Kogs 2026, 2026 This study targets lowering the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) and first-contact miscibility pressure (FCMP) of CO2–oil system to enable miscible/near-miscible CO2 flooding at safer, more practical injection pressures. We evaluate an eco-driven ionic liquid (IL), which is 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium chloride ([C8mim]Cl), as a low-dosage additive to enhance CO2 miscibility and, in turn, improve oil recovery and CO2 potential storage in carbonate cores. ILs proved their potential to improve CO2 miscibility in crude oil and, due to that, different concentrations (0.25–0.75 wt%) of [C8mim]Cl were screened by vanishing interfacial tension (VIT) at 50 °C to quantify IFT–pressure trends and extract MMP and FCMP with and without [C8mim]Cl. The core flooding procedure used two composite Indiana-limestone plugs representing (a) base case, where secondary seawater injection followed by continuous CO2 injection is attained, (b) IL case, the same sequence but with a 1.5 PV pre-slug of 0.5 wt% [C8mim]Cl in seawater and around thirty hours soak before CO2 injection. VIT screening identified 0.5 wt% as the optimum [C8mim]Cl dose, lowering MMP from 1,642 psi to 1,499 psi and FCMP from 1,976 psi to 1,655 psi. These reductions can be identified in percentages as 8.7% and 16.27%, respectively. In core flooding, the IL pre-slug injected after secondary seawater flooding increased tertiary CO2 recovery from 29.7 % (base) to 39.7 % and raised total recovery from 82 % to 95.2%, corresponding to a 35.9 % improvement in CO2-EOR performance versus the control case. The work introduces a simple, low-dosage, “eco-driven” IL pre-slug strategy that simultaneously reduces both MMP and FCMP and then translates that miscibility benefit into markedly higher core-scale CO2-EOR efficiency in carbonate rock. The integrated VIT-to-core flooding workflow provides a practical screening-to-deployment pathway and demonstrates that 0.5 wt% [C8mim]Cl can unlock near miscible/miscible performance while supporting CO2 sequestration goals.
Ionic Liquids for CO2-EOR in Carbonates: Reduced Miscibility Pressure, Altered Interfacial Properties, and Improved Oil Recovery Mohammed A. Al-Hakami, Khaled H. Al-Azani, Khaled Z. Abd Elgawad, Ahmed Farid Ibrahim Proceedings SPE Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery, 2026 CO2 flooding is widely applied for enhanced oil recovery and can provide additional storage capacity for carbon management; however, its effectiveness in carbonate systems is often constrained by the high minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) required to achieve efficient displacement. In high-pressure/high-temperature environments, operating above the MMP can necessitate elevated injection pressures that increase the likelihood of formation fracturing and injectivity impairment, while operating below the MMP reduces displacement efficiency and leaves substantial residual oil. A strategy was therefore evaluated in which a low-dosage ionic liquid (IL) is used to improve CO2–oil miscibility while simultaneously reducing capillary trapping. The objective of this work was to quantify the impact of an imidazolium-based IL, 1-methyl-3-octylimidazolium chloride ([C8mim]Cl), on miscibility pressure, interfacial properties, and ultimate recovery during tertiary CO2 flooding in carbonate cores. A staged experimental workflow was implemented in which miscibility behavior was screened across multiple IL concentrations, followed by confirmatory interfacial tension and wettability measurements at reservoir-relevant temperature. Two composite-core floods were then performed under identical flow rate and thermal conditions to provide a base case (seawater followed by CO2) and an IL- assisted case (seawater followed by an IL slug and soak, then CO2). CT scanning was performed before and after flooding to characterize axial heterogeneity and support the interpretation of fluid redistribution and remaining oil. A compositional history-matching workflow was subsequently applied in a CT-informed numerical model to reconcile relative-permeability behavior and displacement trends with the measured production response. Meaningful reductions in miscibility pressure were obtained with [C8mim]Cl. At the optimum concentration (0.5 wt.%), the MMP decreased from 11.32 MPa to 10.33 MPa (8.7% reduction), and the first-contact miscibility pressure decreased by 16.27%. Interfacial properties were also improved, with the oil–seawater IFT decreasing from 26.9 to 20.9 mN/m (≈22% reduction) and the carbonate surface condition shifting toward less oil-wet behavior as the contact angle decreased from 134.4° to 124.5°. In coreflooding, the base case produced 52.2% OOIP during seawater injection and an additional 29.7% OOIP during CO2 injection, yielding a total recovery factor of 82.0%. With the IL pre-slug, 55.5% OOIP was recovered by the end of the seawater/IL stage, and a further 39.7% OOIP was recovered during CO2 injection, increasing total recovery to 95.2% OOIP. The CO2-stage incremental recovery factor was therefore increased by 10.0 percentage points (reflect 33.7 % improvement) relative to the base case, while the total recovery was increased by 13.2 percentage points. This integrated evaluation demonstrates that a low-dosage IL pre-slug can be used to lower miscibility pressure while improving displacement efficiency during tertiary CO2 injection in carbonates. The novelty lies in coupling miscibility-pressure reduction with interfacial-property modification and validating the combined mechanism using coreflood volumetrics, CT-supported interpretation, and compositional history matching, enabling a practical pathway to higher CO2-EOR recovery with reduced risk of high-pressure operational constraints.
Exploring Surfactant-Polymer Flooding in Challenging Environments: A Study in Carbonate Reservoirs Mursal Zeynalli, Emad W. Al-Shalabi, Waleed AlAmeri, Muhammad S. Kamal, Shirish Patil, et al. SPE Western Regional Meeting Proceedings, 2025 Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in carbonate reservoirs faces significant challenges, particularly under high-temperature, high-salinity (HTHS) conditions, where traditional chemical methods may lose effectiveness. Surfactant-polymer (SP) flooding has emerged as a promising method to improve oil recovery by combining the interfacial tension reduction and wettability alteration effects of surfactants with the mobility control provided by polymers. However, achieving stability and optimal performance for SP formulations in harsh reservoir conditions remains challenging, especially for conventional surfactants. This study investigates using zwitterionic surfactants combined with anionic sulfonated polymers to address these challenges. Several experiments were used to highlight the potential of this SP formulation, including stability tests at varying temperatures and salinities, contact angle, interfacial tension (IFT), zeta potential, and static adsorption. Stability tests indicated that surfactants generally retain stability up to 80°C across a range of salinities, including high salinity conditions (214,000 ppm), with no precipitation or cloudiness observed at both 0.25 wt% and 0.5 wt% concentrations over 30 days. At 90°C, stability appears to be influenced by surfactant concentration and brine composition, with selected conditions showing potential for maintaining phase consistency. Contact angle, zeta potential, and static adsorption measurements illustrated how surfactants drive considerable wettability alteration in carbonate rocks. Zeta potential analysis demonstrated that by shifting the rock surface charge to more negative, surfactants can promote a transition from oil-wet to intermediate or water-wet states, enhancing oil recovery. Contact angle studies confirmed this shift, with the effectiveness of wettability alteration impacted by surfactant concentration, salinity, and temperature. It was found that the average contact angle drop achieved by zwitterionic surfactants can reach more than 100° at specific conditions, making the rock more water wet. Interestingly, the wettability alteration effect was slightly reduced at higher surfactant concentrations (0.5 wt%) in diluted brines. The static adsorption tests showed that this is likely due to lower surfactant adsorption on rock surfaces at diluted salinities, highlighting the importance of optimizing surfactant concentration for specific reservoir conditions. IFT measurements indicated that while the zwitterionic surfactant demonstrates some reduction in interfacial tension, its primary mechanism of action is through promoting wettability alteration toward a water-wet state, as opposed to significant IFT reduction. The addition of polymers to the SP solution revealed minimal impact on surfactant stability, with solutions retaining viscosity at 70°C and experiencing only moderate viscosity reduction at 90°C, pointing to polymer resilience in thermal environments. These findings highlight the potential of SP flooding with optimized zwitterionic surfactants as a robust EOR strategy, achieving both stability and enhanced performance in challenging HTHS carbonate reservoirs.
Calculation of sulfur deposition in gas condensate wells in middle east Society of Petroleum Engineers SPE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Annual Technical Symposium and Exhibition 2017, 2017
RECENT SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
Ionic Liquids for CO 2 -EOR in Carbonates: Reduced Miscibility Pressure, Altered Interfacial Properties, and Improved Oil Recovery MA Al-Hakami, KH Al-Azani, KZA Elgawad, AF Ibrahim SPE Improved Oil Recovery Conference, D031S034R002 , 2026 2026
Improved Oil Recovery Through Eco-Driven CO 2 Miscibility Enhancement in Crude Oil: Toward Efficient EOR and Carbon Sequestration MA Al-Hakami, AF Ibrahim, KZA Elgawad, KH Al-Azani SPE Kuwait Oil and Gas Show and Conference, D021S015R005 , 2026 2026
Experimental study of CO 2 sequestration and H 2 generation potential through mineral carbonation in Saudi red mud K Al-Azani, MG Rezk, AF Ibrahim Scientific Reports , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Sustainable foam stabilization using red mud-derived nanoparticles for enhanced oil recovery and CO 2 sequestration K Al-Azani, MA Hussein, AF Ibrahim Scientific Reports 15 (1), 27957 , 2025 2025 Citations: 8
Prediction of Foam Half-Life Time Using Machine Learning Algorithms for Enhanced Oil Recovery and CO 2 Sequestration K Al-Azani, AF Ibrahim, S Elkatatny, D Al-Shehri Energy & Fuels 39 (19), 8989-9007 , 2025 2025 Citations: 9
Exploring surfactant-polymer flooding in challenging environments: A study in carbonate reservoirs M Zeynalli, EW Al-Shalabi, W AlAmeri, MS Kamal, S Patil, KH Al-Azani, ... SPE Western Regional Meeting, D041S007R004 , 2025 2025 Citations: 1
Enhanced oil recovery in heterogeneous carbonate rocks using a Gemini surfactant under harsh conditions K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, MS Kamal, S Patil, SMS Hussain, K Norrman Energy & Fuels 39 (7), 3433-3445 , 2025 2025 Citations: 11
Synergistic performance of an in-house synthesized cationic Gemini surfactant for enhanced oil recovery under harsh conditions K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, M Alotaibi, MS Kamal, SMS Hussain, ... Fuel 374, 132359 , 2024 2024 Citations: 15
Method for recovering hydrocarbons with an organic solvent injection blend SA Abu-Khamsin, KH Al-Azani US Patent 12,006,804 , 2024 2024
Experimental Evaluation of Oil Recovery from Carbonate Rocks by Gemini Surfactants KHM AL-AZANI 2024
Chemical enhanced oil recovery under Harsh conditions: Investigation of rock permeability and insights from NMR measurements K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, M Elsayed, S Patil, SMS Hussain, ... Geoenergy Science and Engineering 236, 212764 , 2024 2024 Citations: 12
Role of Injection Rate on Chemically Enhanced Oil Recovery Using a Gemini Surfactant under Harsh Conditions K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, M Kamal, S Patil, SM Shakil Hussain, ... Energy & Fuels , 2024 2024 Citations: 12
Method for mitigating gas override in an oil reservoir SA Abu-Khamsin, KH Al-Azani US Patent 11,795,796 , 2023 2023
Enhanced Oil Recovery in Carbonate Reservoirs Using Single Component Synthesized Surfactants under Harsh Reservoir Conditions K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, M Kamal, S Patil, X Zhou, SM Shakil Hussain, ... Energy & Fuels , 2023 2023 Citations: 13
Effect of kerogen maturity on the adsorption capacity of CO2 and CH4: A molecular investigation G Glatz, S Alafnan, R Gholami, A Raza, M Mahmoud, K Al-Azani, ... Fuel 327, 125188 , 2022 2022 Citations: 41
Oil recovery performance by surfactant flooding: a perspective on multiscale evaluation methods K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, R Al-Abdrabalnabi, MS Kamal, S Patil, ... Energy & Fuels 36 (22), 13451-13478 , 2022 2022 Citations: 67
Numerical and Experimental Study to Determine the Permeability Anisotropy in Porous Rocks from Probe Permeameter Measurements K Al-Azani, A El-Husseiny, M Mahmoud, H Al-Yousef, M Elsayed Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering 46 (7), 7019-7030 , 2021 2021 Citations: 2
A comprehensive review of proppant transport in fractured reservoirs: Experimental, numerical, and field aspects A Isah, M Hiba, K Al-Azani, MS Aljawad, M Mahmoud Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 88, 103832 , 2021 2021 Citations: 134
Experimental Study of Blending CO2 with Triethyl Citrate for Mitigating Gravity Override During Reservoir Flooding KH Al-Azani, SA Abu-Khamsin, AS Sultan Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering , 2020 2020 Citations: 15
Estimation of reservoir porosity from drilling parameters using artificial neural networks A Al-AbdulJabbar, K Al-Azani, S Elkatatny Petrophysics 61 (03), 318-330 , 2020 2020 Citations: 49
MOST CITED SCHOLAR PUBLICATIONS
A comprehensive review of proppant transport in fractured reservoirs: Experimental, numerical, and field aspects A Isah, M Hiba, K Al-Azani, MS Aljawad, M Mahmoud Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering 88, 103832 , 2021 2021 Citations: 134
Oil recovery performance by surfactant flooding: a perspective on multiscale evaluation methods K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, R Al-Abdrabalnabi, MS Kamal, S Patil, ... Energy & Fuels 36 (22), 13451-13478 , 2022 2022 Citations: 67
Real time prediction of the rheological properties of oil-based drilling fluids using artificial neural networks K Al-Azani, S Elkatatny, A Abdulraheem, M Mahmoud, D Al-Shehri SPE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia annual technical symposium and exhibition, SPE … , 2018 2018 Citations: 62
Cutting concentration prediction in horizontal and deviated wells using artificial intelligence techniques K Al-Azani, S Elkatatny, A Ali, E Ramadan, A Abdulraheem Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology, 1-11 , 2019 2019 Citations: 61
Estimation of reservoir porosity from drilling parameters using artificial neural networks A Al-AbdulJabbar, K Al-Azani, S Elkatatny Petrophysics 61 (03), 318-330 , 2020 2020 Citations: 49
Effect of kerogen maturity on the adsorption capacity of CO2 and CH4: A molecular investigation G Glatz, S Alafnan, R Gholami, A Raza, M Mahmoud, K Al-Azani, ... Fuel 327, 125188 , 2022 2022 Citations: 41
Prediction of cutting concentration in horizontal and deviated wells using support vector machine K Al-Azani, S Elkatatny, A Abdulraheem, M Mahmoud, A Ali SPE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia annual technical symposium and exhibition, SPE … , 2018 2018 Citations: 27
Synergistic performance of an in-house synthesized cationic Gemini surfactant for enhanced oil recovery under harsh conditions K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, M Alotaibi, MS Kamal, SMS Hussain, ... Fuel 374, 132359 , 2024 2024 Citations: 15
Experimental Study of Blending CO2 with Triethyl Citrate for Mitigating Gravity Override During Reservoir Flooding KH Al-Azani, SA Abu-Khamsin, AS Sultan Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering , 2020 2020 Citations: 15
Enhanced Oil Recovery in Carbonate Reservoirs Using Single Component Synthesized Surfactants under Harsh Reservoir Conditions K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, M Kamal, S Patil, X Zhou, SM Shakil Hussain, ... Energy & Fuels , 2023 2023 Citations: 13
Chemical enhanced oil recovery under Harsh conditions: Investigation of rock permeability and insights from NMR measurements K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, M Elsayed, S Patil, SMS Hussain, ... Geoenergy Science and Engineering 236, 212764 , 2024 2024 Citations: 12
Role of Injection Rate on Chemically Enhanced Oil Recovery Using a Gemini Surfactant under Harsh Conditions K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, M Kamal, S Patil, SM Shakil Hussain, ... Energy & Fuels , 2024 2024 Citations: 12
Enhanced oil recovery in heterogeneous carbonate rocks using a Gemini surfactant under harsh conditions K Al-Azani, S Abu-Khamsin, MS Kamal, S Patil, SMS Hussain, K Norrman Energy & Fuels 39 (7), 3433-3445 , 2025 2025 Citations: 11
Calculation of sulfur deposition in gas condensate wells in Middle East J Al-Jaberi, K Al-Azani, M Fraim SPE Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Annual Technical Symposium and Exhibition … , 2017 2017 Citations: 11
Prediction of Foam Half-Life Time Using Machine Learning Algorithms for Enhanced Oil Recovery and CO 2 Sequestration K Al-Azani, AF Ibrahim, S Elkatatny, D Al-Shehri Energy & Fuels 39 (19), 8989-9007 , 2025 2025 Citations: 9
Sustainable foam stabilization using red mud-derived nanoparticles for enhanced oil recovery and CO 2 sequestration K Al-Azani, MA Hussein, AF Ibrahim Scientific Reports 15 (1), 27957 , 2025 2025 Citations: 8
Solubilities of Carbon Dioxide in Ethyl Benzoate and Triethyl Citrate at High Temperatures and Pressures KH Al-Azani, SA Abu-Khamsin, AS Sultan Journal of Chemical & Engineering Data , 2020 2020 Citations: 4
Effect of Permeability Anisotropy on Probe Permeameter Measurements K Al-Azani, H Al-Yousef, M Mahmoud SPE Middle East Oil and Gas Show and Conference, 18-21 March, Manama, Bahrain , 2019 2019 Citations: 4
Experimental study of CO 2 sequestration and H 2 generation potential through mineral carbonation in Saudi red mud K Al-Azani, MG Rezk, AF Ibrahim Scientific Reports , 2025 2025 Citations: 2
Numerical and Experimental Study to Determine the Permeability Anisotropy in Porous Rocks from Probe Permeameter Measurements K Al-Azani, A El-Husseiny, M Mahmoud, H Al-Yousef, M Elsayed Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering 46 (7), 7019-7030 , 2021 2021 Citations: 2