An Experimental Investigation of Surfactant Flooding as a Good Candidate for Enhancing Oil Recovery from Fractured Reservoirs Using One-Quarter Five Spot Micromodels: The Role of Fracture Geometrical Properties

2013 ◽  
Vol 35 (20) ◽  
pp. 1929-1938 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Kianinejad ◽  
M. H. Ghazanfari ◽  
R. Kharrat ◽  
D. Rashtchian
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Fractured Reservoirs ◽  
Surfactant Flooding ◽  
Geometrical Properties

Numerical Investigation of Wettability Effects on Two-Phase Flow in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs Using Complex System Modelling Platform

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Sedaghat ◽  
Hossein Dashti
Keyword(s):  
Complex System ◽  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Fractured Reservoirs ◽  
Naturally Fractured Reservoirs ◽  
Wettability Alteration ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Naturally Fractured ◽  
Relative Permeability Curves

Abstract Wettability is an essential component of reservoir characterization and plays a crucial role in understanding the dominant mechanisms in enhancing recovery from oil reservoirs. Wettability affects oil recovery by changing (drainage and imbibition) capillary pressure and relative permeability curves. This paper aims to investigate the role of wettability in matrix-fracture fluid transfer and oil recovery in naturally fractured reservoirs. Two experimental micromodels and one geological outcrop model were selected for this study. Three relative permeability and capillary pressure curves were assigned to study the role of matrix wettability. Linear relative permeability curves were given to the fractures. A complex system modelling platform (CSMP++) has been used to simulate water and polymer flooding in different wettability conditions. Comparing the micromodel data, CSMP++ and Eclipse validated and verified CSMP++. Based on the results, the effect of wettability alteration during water flooding is stronger than in polymer flooding. In addition, higher matrix-to-fracture permeability ratio makes wettability alteration more effective. The results of this study revealed that although an increase in flow rate decreases oil recovery in water-wet medium, it is independent of flow rate in the oil-wet system. Visualized data indicated that displacement mechanisms are different in oil-wet, mixed-wet and water-wet media. Earlier fracture breakthrough, later matrix breakthrough and generation and swelling of displacing phase at locations with high horizontal permeability contrast are the most important features of enhanced oil recovery in naturally fractured oil-wet rocks.

Enhancing Hydrocarbon Permeability After Hydraulic Fracturing: Laboratory Evaluations of Shut-Ins and Surfactant Additives

SPE Journal ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (04) ◽  
pp. 1011-1023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianbo Liang ◽  
Rafael A. Longoria ◽  
Jun Lu ◽  
Quoc P. Nguyen ◽  
David A. DiCarlo
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Fractured Reservoirs ◽  
Fluid Loss ◽  
Permeability Reduction ◽  
Fracturing Fluid ◽  
Hydrocarbon Production ◽  
The Matrix ◽  
Reservoir Conditions ◽  
Tight Reservoirs

Summary Fracturing-fluid loss into the formation can potentially damage hydrocarbon production in shale or other tight reservoirs. Well shut-ins are commonly used in the field to dissipate the lost water into the matrix near fracture faces. Borrowing from ideas in chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR), surfactants have potential to reduce the effect of fracturing-fluid loss on hydrocarbon permeability in the matrix. Unconventional tight reservoirs can differ significantly from one another, which could make the use of these techniques effective in some cases but not in others. We present an experimental investigation dependent on a coreflood sequence that simulates fluid invasion, flowback, and hydrocarbon production from hydraulically fractured reservoirs. We compare the benefits of shut-ins and reduction in interfacial tension (IFT) by surfactants for hydrocarbon permeability for different initial reservoir conditions (IRCs). From this work, we identify the mechanism responsible for the permeability reduction in the matrix, and we suggest criteria that can be used to optimize fracturing-fluid additives and/or manage flowback operations to enhance hydrocarbon production from unconventional tight reservoirs.

Experimental Study of Polymer Flooding in Fractured Systems Using Five-Spot Glass Micromodel: The Role of Fracture Geometrical Properties

2012 ◽  
Vol 30 (5) ◽  
pp. 689-705 ◽  
Author(s):  
Behbood Abedi ◽  
Mohammad Hossein Ghazanfari ◽  
Riyaz Kharrat
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Polymer Flooding ◽  
Recovery Factor ◽  
Reservoir Rock ◽  
Water Flooding ◽  
Recovery Method ◽  
Geometrical Properties ◽  
Fracture Orientation ◽  
Glass Micromodel

Water flooding is being widely used in the petroleum industry and has been considered as a simple inexpensive secondary recovery method. But in fractured formations, existence of fracture system in reservoir rock induces an adverse effect on oil recovery by water flooding. Polymer flooding has been successfully applied as an alternative enhanced oil recovery method in fractured formations. But, the role of fracture geometrical properties on macroscopic efficiency of polymer flooding is not yet well-understood, especially in fractured five-spot systems. In this work five-spot glass micromodel, because of micro-visibility, ease of multiple experimentations and also presence of the unexplored issues, was used to experimentally investigate the influence of fracture geometrical characteristics such as fracture orientation, fracture spacing, fracture overlap and etc on the macroscopic efficiency of polymer flooding. The tests were performed on the fractured models which are initially saturated with the crude oil at fixed flow rate conditions and in a horizontally mounting. The results revealed that the macroscopic efficiency of polymer flooding depends on fracture geometrical properties. Fracture orientation showed more imposing effect than other fracture geometrical properties, and fracture with 45 degree inclination to the mean flow direction, gives greatest oil recovery factor. Large spacing fractures give more recovery than small spacing ones and in case of overlapping, fractures with less overlapping help polymer to better propagate which could be related to their greater effective fracture length. This pre-called effect could be responsible to show how continuity and width to length ratio of fractures affect recovery factor, less fracture discontinuity as well as more length to width ratio of fracture give more swept zone. Also, increasing number of fractures decreases oil recovery factor. The results of this work can be helpful to better understanding the role of fracture geometrical properties on macroscopic efficiency of polymer flooding in five-spot fractured systems.

Experimental Investigation of Heavy Oil Recovery from Fractured Reservoirs by Secondary Steam - Gas Assisted Gravity Drainage

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adel Mohsenzadeh ◽  
Mehdi Escrochi ◽  
Mohammad Vahid Afraz ◽  
Yahya Mansoor Al-wahaibi ◽  
Shahab Ayatollahi
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Fractured Reservoirs ◽  
Gravity Drainage ◽  
Heavy Oil Recovery ◽  
Secondary Steam

Experimental Investigation of Microscopic/Macroscopic Efficiency of Polymer Flooding in Fractured Heavy Oil Five-Spot Systems

2013 ◽  
Vol 135 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hossein Sedaghat ◽  
Mohammad Hossein Ghazanfari ◽  
Mohammad Parvazdavani ◽  
Saeid Morshedi
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Investigation ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Polymer Concentration ◽  
Synthetic Polymers ◽  
Polymer Flooding ◽  
Water Flooding ◽  
Recovery Efficiency ◽  
Recovery Method ◽  
Geometrical Properties ◽  
Glass Type

This paper concerns on experimental investigation of biopolymer/polymer flooding in fractured five-spot systems. In this study, a series of polymer injection processes were performed on five-spot glass type micromodels saturated with heavy crude oil. Seven fractured glass type micromodels were used to illustrate the effects of polymer type/concentration on oil recovery efficiency in presence of fractures with different geometrical properties (i.e., fractures orientation, length and number of fractures). Four synthetic polymers as well as a biopolymer at different levels of concentration were tested. Also a micromodel constituted from dead-end pores with various geometrical properties was designed to investigate microscopic displacement mechanisms during polymer/water flooding. The results showed that polymer flooding is more efficient by using hydrolyzed synthetic polymers with high molecular weight as well as locating injection well in a proper position respect to the fracture geometrical properties. In addition, by monitoring of microscopic efficiency, pulling, stripping, and oil thread flow mechanisms were detected and discussed. The results showed that flow rate, fluid type, polymer concentration, and geometrical properties of pores influence the efficiency of mentioned mechanisms. Furthermore, it was detected that polymer's velocity profile play a significant role on oil recovery efficiency by influencing both macroscopic and microscopic mechanisms. This study demonstrates different physical and chemical conditions that affect the efficiency of this enhanced oil recovery method.

Brine Divalent Ions Impacts on Wettability Alteration of Carbonate Rock Sample at Presence of DTAB

2017 ◽  
Vol 380 ◽  
pp. 191-197
Author(s):  
S.N. Hosseini ◽  
Maziyar Sabet ◽  
Hassan Soleimani ◽  
H. Ahmadi Eshkaftaki
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Rock Sample ◽  
Ionic Composition ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Wettability Alteration ◽  
Ammonium Bromide ◽  
Chemical Flooding ◽  
Surfactant Flooding ◽  
Maximum Change

Among many Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods, chemical flooding for wettability alteration of carbonate oil-wet rock is one of the most noticeable methods amid researchers. However, several crucial aspects concerning wettability alteration are still unknown and unanswered to date. Understanding the ionic composition of brine is a very important subject to which numerous studies are being dedicated, with the objective of determining the role of brine and its composition on wettability alteration, particularly its effects on EOR. The objectives of this research work is the investigation of the effects of different brine ions (Ca2+, Mg2+ and SO42-) on wettability alteration of oil-wet carbonate rocks while using cationic surfactant flooding Dodecyl Trimethyl Ammonium Bromide (DTAB). Results showed that the presence of SO42- is crucial and can improve DTAB efficiency. Contact angle maximum change is 62o to 19o with concentration of Na2SO4 equal to 6 g/l.

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