The Impact of Oil Aromaticity on CO2, Flooding

This paper investigates the role of oil aromaticity in miscability development and in the deposition of heavy hydrocarbons during CO2, flooding. The results of phase equilibrium measurements, compositional studies, sandpack displacements, and consolidated corefloods are presented. Reservoir oil from the Brookhaven field and presented. Reservoir oil from the Brookhaven field and synthetic oils that model natural oil phase behavior are examined. Phase compositional analyses Of CO2/synthetic-oil mixtures in static PVT tests demonstrate that increased oil aromaticity correlates with improved hydrocarbon extraction into a CO2-rich phase. The results of tertiary corefloods performed with the synthetic oils show that CO2-flood oil displacement efficiency is also improved for the oil with higher aromatic content. These oil aromaticity influences are favorable. Reservoir oil experiments show that a significant deposition of aromatic hydrocarbon material occurs when CO2, contacts highly asphaltic crude. Solid-phase formation was observed in phase equilibrium and displacement studies and led to severe plugging during linear flow through Berea cores. It is unclear how this solid phase will affect oil recovery on a reservoir scale. Introduction Several reports suggest that oil aromaticity affects the CO2, displacement process of reservoir oil. Henry and Metcalfe noted the absence of multiple-liquid phase generation in displacement tests performed with a crude oil of low aromatic content. Holm and Josendal showed that when a highly paraffinic oil was enriched with aromatics, the slim-tube minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) decreased and oil recovery improved. Qualitative differences in the phase behavior of two crudes with contrasting aromatic contents prompted the suggestion by Monger and Khakoo that increased oil aromaticity correlates with improved hydrocarbon extraction into a CO2-rich phase. Clementz discussed how the adsorption of petroleum heavy ends, like the condensed aromatic ring structures found in asphaltenes, can alter rock properties. Laboratory studies have shown that improved oil properties. Laboratory studies have shown that improved oil recoveries in tertiary CO2 displacements benefited from changes in wetting behavior apparently, induced by asphaltene adsorption. Tuttle noted that CO2, appears to reduce asphaltene solubility and can cause rigid film formation. In these respects, oil aromaticity may also account for phase-behavior/oil-recovery synergism. Asphaltene deposition, though not a problem during primary and secondary recovery operations, was primary and secondary recovery operations, was reported in the Little Creek CO2 -injection pilot in Mississippi. Wettability alteration from asphaltene precipitation appears to have explained the results of low residual oil at high water-alternating-gas ratios in the Little Knife CO2, flood minitest in North Dakota. This paper provides detailed laboratory data from phase equilibrium measurements, compositional studies. sandpack displacements, and consolidated corefloods that illuminate the role of aromatics in miscibility development and in solid-phase formation during CO2 - flooding. The results for synthetic oils that model crude-oil behavior suggest that CO2-flood performance will benefit from increased oil aromaticity. The interpretation of reservoir oil results is more difficult. The precipitation of highly aromatic hydrocarbon material is observed when CO2, contacts Brookhaven crude. One purpose of this paper is to examine the variables that influence asphaltene precipitation. Near the wellbore, solid-phase formation might precipitation. Near the wellbore, solid-phase formation might reduce injectivity or impair production rates. Perhaps in other regions of the reservoir, altered permeability and/or wettability caused by solid-phase deposition might improve the ability of CO2, to contact oil. Additional work is needed to determine which potential benefits of oil aromaticity are significant on the reservoir scale. Advances in computer-implemented equations of state are making the prediction of CO2,/hydrocarbon phase behavior easier and more reliable. When an equation of state with CO2/reservoir-oil mixtures is used, an important consideration is the characterization of the heavy hydrocarbon components. One characterization method that appears to match the experimental data accurately in the critical point region for rich-gas/reservoir-oil mixtures is based on assigning separate paraffinic, aromatic, and naphthenic cuts. An additional aim of this study is to provide experimental data in assisting similar modeling provide experimental data in assisting similar modeling efforts for CO2/reservoir-oil mixtures. Experimental phase equilibrium data for mixtures containing CO2, and phase equilibrium data for mixtures containing CO2, and heavy hydrocarbons, particularly aromatics, are scarce. The behavior of multicomponent CO2,/hydrocarbon systems is not readily deduced from the phase equilibria of binary or ternary systems. Materials and Methods Phase Equilibrium Studies. A schematic diagram of the Phase Equilibrium Studies. A schematic diagram of the apparatus used in the phase-behavior experiments appears in Fig. 1. A detailed description of the equipment, procedures, chemicals, and analytical methods used is given procedures, chemicals, and analytical methods used is given in Ref. 10. SPEJ P. 865