Fluid-fluid Interactions as Foundation for Enhanced Oil Recovery Design

Fluid-fluid Interactions as Foundation for Enhanced Oil Recovery Design
Author: Griselda Garcia-Olvera
Publisher:
Total Pages: 185
Release: 2016
Genre: Adsorption
ISBN: 9781369094145

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During the last decade, smart waterflooding has been developed as a promising IOR technology for carbonate and sandstone reservoirs. In general, decreasing the injection brine salinity may increase the oil recovery. Extensive research has been conducted to study the causative mechanisms for the additional oil recovery, yet no consensus among researchers has arisen. The main conclusion of previous studies suggest that is the rock wettability alteration towards more water conditions that helps to improve oil recovery. In contrast, we propose that fluid-fluid iteractions reflecting oil/brine visco-elastic interfacial buildup may minimize snap-off and favor coalescence of the oil during waterflooding, and as result, oil recovery is increased. The formation of the oil/brine interface depends on salinity and type of ions contained in solution, as well as asphaltenes and organic acids in oil. The presence of asphaltenes and sulfate ions in the system increases the interfacial visco-elasticity and organic acids weaken the interface. Our experiments suggest that low-salinity water injection is not always necessary to increase oil recovery, if an adequate high-salinity brine is designed to maximize fluid-fluid effects. On the other hand, the SP enhanced oil recovery process is tremendously affected by the carrying fluid, especially in the presence of Ca and Mg, aggravating more at high temperatures. These conditions can be a limitation for many surfactant and polymers in the market. We designed an SP formulation for an offshore, carbonate, heavy oil reservoir, where seawater was used as the carrying fluid. The forced imbibition results turned out promising in terms of oil recovery, reaching almost 90%. The protocol using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, developed during this dissertation, was used to estimate Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC) and individual component's concentration for coreflooding effluents and static adsorption estimation.

Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery

Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery
Author: Patrizio Raffa
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 277
Release: 2019-07-22
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3110640430

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This book aims at presenting, describing, and summarizing the latest advances in polymer flooding regarding the chemical synthesis of the EOR agents and the numerical simulation of compositional models in porous media, including a description of the possible applications of nanotechnology acting as a booster of traditional chemical EOR processes. A large part of the world economy depends nowadays on non-renewable energy sources, most of them of fossil origin. Though the search for and the development of newer, greener, and more sustainable sources have been going on for the last decades, humanity is still fossil-fuel dependent. Primary and secondary oil recovery techniques merely produce up to a half of the Original Oil In Place. Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes are aimed at further increasing this value. Among these, chemical EOR techniques (including polymer flooding) present a great potential in low- and medium-viscosity oilfields. • Describes recent advances in chemical enhanced oil recovery. • Contains detailed description of polymer flooding and nanotechnology as promising boosting tools for EOR. • Includes both experimental and theoretical studies. About the Authors Patrizio Raffa is Assistant Professor at the University of Groningen. He focuses on design and synthesis of new polymeric materials optimized for industrial applications such as EOR, coatings and smart materials. He (co)authored about 40 articles in peer reviewed journals. Pablo Druetta works as lecturer at the University of Groningen (RUG) and as engineering consultant. He received his Ph.D. from RUG in 2018 and has been teaching at a graduate level for 15 years. His research focus lies on computational fluid dynamics (CFD).

Investigation of the Molecular Basis of Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery Fluid-fluid Interactions Through NMR Spectroscopy

Investigation of the Molecular Basis of Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery Fluid-fluid Interactions Through NMR Spectroscopy
Author: Teresa Reilly
Publisher:
Total Pages: 135
Release: 2017
Genre: Enhanced oil recovery
ISBN: 9780355347227

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As the world depletes its supply of easily accessible crude oil, improved oil recovery methods become more valuable. In general, decreasing the injection brine salinity increases the amount of oil recovered. There are various techniques, especially in chemical enhanced oil recovery, which elicit beneficial recovery responses, for example smartwater flooding, use of surfactants, polymers, and various combinations. There is much debate as to the mechanisms through which low-salinity flooding is so effective, though conclusions lead to wettability alteration. Much effort has been invested into rock-fluid interactions, with little attention directed toward fluid-fluid mechanisms. Previous work in this group has shown that fluid-fluid interactions can improve recovery without any adjustment to the rock-fluid relationship. These fluid-fluid interactions were caused in some cases by adjustment to acid content, and explored the benefits of this through visco-elasticity measurements. This work with naphthenic acids -inherent to crude oils- was continued, but specific acids were analyzed with both NMR and interfacial visco-elasticity. Specific acids were shown to have different effects on the interface, and the strength of emulsions formed, both of which will affect oil recovered. In addition to species inherent to the crude, this work also investigates surfactants, generally used to achieve ultra-low interfacial tension values and induce emulsification. These amphiphilic molecules are most effective when paired with a polymer blend, and they are highly affected by water hardness and temperature; as such care must be taken when selecting injection water and surfactant pairings. A formulation was designed for an offshore, carbonate, heavy oil reservoir, where seawater was used as the carrying fluid. The forced imbibition results turned out promising in terms of oil recovery, reaching almost 90\%. The Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy protocol, developed in collaboration with a previous student, was used to estimate Critical Micelle Concentration (CMC) and individual component's concentration for coreflooding effluents and static adsorption estimation. This protocol was tested at higher concentrations, in concert with dynamic light scattering and microscope techniques, to detect second order phase transitions.

Fluid-fluid, Fluid-mineral Interactions and Reactive Transport in Porous Media

Fluid-fluid, Fluid-mineral Interactions and Reactive Transport in Porous Media
Author: Wen Song
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2018
Genre:
ISBN:

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Subsurface flow of multiphase, multicomponent fluids is complex and not well understood. Pore-scale phenomena dictate the overall behavior of the reservoir. The root of multiphase, multicomponent pore-scale dynamics lies in fluid-fluid and fluid-mineral interactions at the microscopic scale. Fundamental understanding of the pore-scale interactions between the various phases and components in subsurface formations is essential to optimize the design of subsurface energy and environmental resources. Management methods of subsurface resources, for example improved oil recovery and CO2 storage security, are assessed in terms of recovery effectiveness, economic benefit, and cost. These factors are all strewn with open questions in complex fluid transport through porous rock materials. To address questions of fluid-fluid and fluid-mineral interactions at the fundamental pore-level, microfluidics, or the study of fluids at the sub-millimeter scale, is well positioned to contribute improved understanding. Specifically, microfluidics lends a direct eye into the microscale world of porous materials. In this work, microfluidics with representative geometry, length scales, and, importantly, surface mineralogy, are developed and used to delineate the fundamental mechanisms dictating the pore scale fluid behavior of multiphase, reactive fluid transport through porous materials. Fundamental mechanisms dictating (i) low salinity waterflooding, a method to improve oil recovery with low economic and environmental costs; (ii) reactive transport, important to the assessment and design of geological CO2 storage security; and (iii) miscible fluid interactions, of industrial interest to heavy oil recovery are delineated in this work. The following describes each contribution briefly. First, low salinity waterflooding is a promising technique to increase oil recovery in an economic manner. The fundamental mechanisms that dictate this process, however, are poorly understood due to conflicting core flooding and field evidence. It has been suggested that the presence of clay significantly impacts pore wettability and low salinity oil recovery from sandstones. Direct visualization of the pore-scale dynamics during low salinity waterflooding is required to provide a mechanistic understanding of the low salinity effect. In this work, two-dimensional silicon microfluidic networks with representative pore geometry (i.e., micromodels) are modified to achieve the surface characteristics required for representative crude oil, brine, and rock interactions. Specifically, clay particles are deposited into the micromodel pore space to enable direct pore-scale, real-time visualization of fluid-solid interactions with representative pore-geometry and realistic surface interactions between the reservoir fluids and the formation rock. The surface functionalized micromodels are then used to determine the conditions at which stably adhered clay particles detach and to study the pore-level interactions between the crude oil, brine, and solid surfaces during aging and during low salinity brine injection. The experimental results provide a basis for improving the basic understanding of the mechanisms at play. Pore-scale flow simulation is used to corroborate experimental observations of the dominant mechanism(s) at play during low salinity waterflooding in sandstones. Mechanistic understanding of pore-level behavior sets the basis for upscaling and informing the design of optimal injection fluids at the field scale. Second, formation damage is observed during field-scale low salinity waterflooding due to fine clay particles mobilization. The overall effect on the pore-scale, and its impact on oil recovery, is not well understood. Using the clay-functionalized micromodel developed in this work, the mobilization of clay particles, its impact on flow paths, and its effect on oil recovery is investigated. Pressure measurements showed 6-fold reductions in permeability as a result of kaolinite migration and flow path blockage under low salinity conditions. Swelling of montmorillonite clay particles were observed at low salinities. Significantly, pores most susceptible to particle mobilization and flow path blockage are correlated inversely with improved oil recovery. Flow diversion due to preferential flow path blockage is proposed as a mechanism dictating improved oil recovery at low salinities. Third, evolution of pore-surface wettability, or, aging, and the interplay between clay minerals and the crude oil and brine remain an open question in creating initial subsurface reservoir conditions in the laboratory and in understanding the underlying mechanisms of the low salinity effect. The ability to recreate wetting and fluid-mineral conditions similar to realistic subsurface systems is central to the design of improved oil recovery methods. In this work, we provide direct observation of water-wet surfaces shift towards mixed-wettability due to attraction between charged clay particles and crude oil. Low salinity waterflooding of this aged system reveals a new Pickering emulsification mechanism by which preferential flow paths are obstructed, leading to flow diversion through oil-filled pores to improve overall oil recovery. Fourth, transport through carbonates is complicated by the reactive nature of the rock. Carbonates are reactive and highly susceptible to dissolution. Formation stimulation (i.e., acidizing) and CO2 storage involve the flow of acidic fluids through the carbonate pore space. Importantly, reactive flow alters both the surface properties of the pore space and the pore geometry. Dissolution and flow behavior at the pore scale must be understood to engineer effective formation stimulation and safe CO2 storage projects. In this work, calcite-functionalized microfluidic systems are developed and used to delineate the interplay between dissolution, flow, and surface wettability. Specifically, two-dimensional calcite-functionalized micromodels with representative pore geometry and surface properties are developed in this work to study the dissolution of carbonates under acidic flows. Significantly, a new mechanism is discovered whereby the reaction product, CO2, is wetted on the reactive grain surface and protects the grain from further dissolution. Experiments show similar effects at a range of temperatures, pressures, and acidities corresponding to surface and subsurface conditions. To further delineate the conditions required for the grain-engulfment effect to dominate, a polymer-based non-reactive microchannel containing an embedded reactive calcite post is developed. Flow regimes corresponding to the observed grain-engulfment mechanism in porous media were delineated using the one-dimensional reactive transport devices and provide a first order understanding for large-scale CO2 storage security assessments. Fifth, miscible fluid interactions underlie many physical processes in natural and engineered systems. Injection of solvents that are miscible with crude oil, or solvent-enhanced oil recovery, aims to improve heavy-oil recovery that tends to be highly viscous and immobile. This work investigates the interactions between the fluids under microconstrained geometries similar to geological porous media. Importantly, spontaneous fingering between the crude oil with complex composition and the solvent is observed. That is, fractal-like fingers are generated in the absence of an applied external pressure gradient, i.e., zero imposed Peclet number. The surprising dynamics observed are a result of the complex composition of the crude oil; light crude-oil components are mobile and are exchanged with the solvent phase while heavy crude-oil components are less so and remain. Recursive diffusion-driven mass exchange leads to local instabilities at the interface that result in differences in dynamic interfacial tension along the interface and leads to fractal-like fingering. The resulting Marangoni flow enhances the mass exchange until components in the crude oil phase reach local equilibrium with those in the solvent phase. The surface-functionalized devices developed in this work enables a wide range of investigations to the fundamental mechanisms dictating transport through subsurface systems. Importantly, the new fundamental mechanisms delineated in this work are of fundamental importance to the understanding and design subsurface energy and environmental resources management and to the broader field of engineering science.

Impact of Rock-fluid Interactions on Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery Mechanisms

Impact of Rock-fluid Interactions on Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery Mechanisms
Author: Mahdi Kazempour
Publisher:
Total Pages: 261
Release: 2012
Genre: Enhanced oil recovery
ISBN: 9781267466846

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Chemical enhanced-oil recovery has been proposed as an effective methodology to increase oil recovery. Chemical flooding at present consists of the injection of any chemical blend containing an alkali (A), a surfactant (S), a polymer (P) in a reservoir. Newer approaches have also been proposed or tried, including intelligent polymer injection. In spite of the maturity of chemical flooding, some of the ASP and AP recovery mechanisms are not completely understood, likely due to the complexity of these processes. The rheological behavior of the polymer in solution at reservoir conditions is a strong function of the chemical makeup of the rock-fluids system. The alkali agent in ASP, AS and AP flooding is a key component for success in the chemical treatment of oil-reservoirs and their high reactivity imposes complex selection and design constraints. Injection of alkaline and acidic solutions in reservoir leads to mineral dissolution and precipitation, possibly resulting in changes in permeability and porosity, and consequently altering solution pH and water chemistry. Accurate prediction of pH, acid and alkali consumption and aqueous chemistry are required to design suitable chemical blends in chemical flooding. Excessive consumption of alkali or acid agents can result in degradation of flood performance and lower than expected oil recovery. This research focuses on investigating rock-fluid interaction mechanisms in chemical flooding. In alkali flooding, the interaction of alkali agent with formation minerals (particularly anhydrite) and clays have been studied using state-of-the-art geochemical simulation and experimental evaluation. Moreover, a robust multiphase-multicomponent geochemical model has been built and evaluated for the case study of acid-pH sensitive polymer injection in sandstone. At the conclusion of this dissertation, extensive research has been carried out to find a promising ASP blend for challenging conditions of an oil-bearing formation in Wyoming. In addition, conditioned water has been designed to mitigate anhydrite dissolution under alkali conditions to enable chemical flooding methods in carbonate-rich reservoirs.

Fluid–Solid Interactions in Upstream Oil and Gas Applications

Fluid–Solid Interactions in Upstream Oil and Gas Applications
Author: Ibnelwaleed A. Hussein
Publisher: Elsevier
Total Pages: 378
Release: 2023-01-14
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0323992862

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Fluid-Solid Interactions in Upstream Oil and Gas Applications, Volume 78 delivers comprehensive understanding of fluid-rock interactions in oil and gas reservoirs and their impact on drilling, production, and reservoir hydrocarbon management. The book is arranged based on intervals of the oil and gas production process and introduces the basics of reservoir fluids and their properties, along with the rheological behavior of solid-fluid systems across all stages of the reservoir, including drilling processes, acidizing, and fracking. The reference then addresses different application-specific issues, such as solid-fluid interactions in tight reservoirs, the applications of nanoparticles, interactions during the EOR processes, and environmental concerns. Introduces the basics of reservoir fluids and their properties as well as the rheological behavior of solid-fluid systems Discusses the latest advances in molecular simulations and their reliability Highlights the environmental concerns regarding the application of fluid-solid systems

Energy Research Abstracts

Energy Research Abstracts
Author:
Publisher:
Total Pages: 294
Release: 1994-10
Genre: Power resources
ISBN:

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Polymeric Surfactants

Polymeric Surfactants
Author: Tharwat F. Tadros
Publisher: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG
Total Pages: 301
Release: 2017-05-08
Genre: Science
ISBN: 3110487527

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Polymeric Surfactants covers the structure and stability origins of these highly useful surfactants. Adsorption and solution properties in emulsions are discussed based on their underlying thermodynamics and kinetics. Research scientists and Ph.D. students investigating chemistry, chemical engineering and colloidal science will benefit from this text on polymeric surfactants and their value in preparation and stabilization of disperse systems.