Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery: Interfacial Tension and Gas-Induced Relative Permeability Effects

1990 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.L. Chisholm ◽  
S.V. Kashikar ◽  
R.M. Knapp ◽  
M.J. Mclnerney ◽  
D.E. Menzies ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

scholarly journals Development of Coupled Biokinetic and Thermal Model to Optimize Cold-Water Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR) in Homogenous Reservoir

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 1652 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eunji Hong ◽  
Moon Jeong ◽  
Tae Kim ◽  
Ji Lee ◽  
Jin Cho ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Bacillus Subtilis ◽  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Thermal Model ◽  
Cold Water ◽  
Injection Rate ◽  
Experimental Results ◽  
Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Optimal Injection

By incorporating a temperature-dependent biokinetic and thermal model, the novel method, cold-water microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR), was developed under nonisothermal conditions. The suggested model characterized the growth for Bacillus subtilis (microbe) and Surfactin (biosurfactant) that were calibrated and confirmed against the experimental results. Several biokinetic parameters were obtained within approximately a 2% error using the cardinal temperature model and experimental results. According to the obtained parameters, the examination was conducted with several injection scenarios for a high-temperature reservoir of 71 °C. The results proposed the influences of injection factors including nutrient concentration, rate, and temperature. Higher nutrient concentrations resulted in decreased interfacial tension by producing Surfactin. On the other hand, injection rate and temperature changed growth condition for Bacillus subtilis. An optimal value of injection rate suggested that it affected not only heat transfer but also nutrient residence time. Injection temperature led to optimum reservoir condition for Surfactin production, thereby reducing interfacial tension. Through the optimization process, the determined optimal injection design improved oil recovery up to 53% which is 8% higher than waterflooding. The proposed optimal injection design was an injection sucrose concentration of 100 g/L, a rate of 7 m3/d, and a temperature of 19 °C.

Investigation of Reduced Interfacial Tension by Surfactant Flooding in Mixed-Wet Reservoirs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Usman Aslam
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Capillary Pressure ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Simulation Studies ◽  
Surfactant Flooding ◽  
Gravity Segregation ◽  
Simulation Results ◽  
Capillary Pressure Curves

Abstract Surfactant flooding has long been considered a reliable solution for enhanced oil recovery, either by reducing oil-water interfacial tension (IFT) or through wettability alteration. This paper reveals the effect that reduced IFT has on capillary trapping in heterogeneous reservoirs. This effect is investigated through various numerical experiments on different simulation models where rock capillary pressure is assumed to scale with IFT. Capillary contrast on the scale of a few centimeters to a few tens of meters is reduced in the presence of surfactants. This reduction in IFT, under very specific circumstances, creates favorable conditions for increased or accelerated hydrocarbon production from mixed-wet reservoirs. The focus of this study is to ascertain the effectiveness of surfactant flooding in mixed-wet reservoirs. Simulation studies of different mechanisms which are believed to occur in mixed-wet reservoirs are presented. Simulation results indicate the promising effect of surfactant flooding on oil recovery, depending on the type of reservoir. Detailed fine-scale simulation studies are carried out with representative relative permeability and imbibition capillary pressure curves from mixed-wet cores. By designing and selecting a series of surfactants to lower the IFT to the range of 10-3dynes/cm, a recovery of 10 to 20% of the original oil-in-place is technically and economically feasible. The efficiency of surfactant flooding is investigated through sensitivity scenarios on formation rock/fluid parameters, including permeability, interfacial tension, rate flow, etc. Geological heterogeneity (layering and heterogeneous inclusions), imbibition capillary pressure curves, viscous/capillary balance (Nc), and gravitational forces were all found to have an impact on recovery by surfactant flooding. Numerical model dimensions, permeability, IFT, density contrast between oil and water, and injection flow rates were found to be the critical parameters influencing simulation results. Gravity segregation, typically ignored in earlier studies, was found to have a significant effect on reservoir performance. Two different numerical models, with and without impermeable shale streaks, were used to capture the gravity segregation effect. The results revealed that the reduction in interfacial tension helps gravity to segregate oil and water, ultimately resulting in improved oil recovery. Moreover, results from the numerical simulation studies revealed that either an inexpensive or a good quality surfactant at low concentration can be used to obtain the same enhanced oil recovery. The effect of change in oil relative permeability curvature, due to reduced interfacial tension, also revealed a reduction in the remaining oil saturation with an increase in the capillary number.

A MATHEMATICAL MODEL OF MICROBIAL ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY IN POROUS MEDIA

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 263-272
Author(s):  
Jianlong Xiu ◽  
Tianyuan Wang ◽  
Ying Guo ◽  
Qingfeng Cui ◽  
Lixin Huang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Model ◽  
Porous Media ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

Microbial enhanced oil recovery

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Youl
Keyword(s):  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

Ultra-Low Interfacial Tension of a Surfactant under a Wide Range of Temperature and Salinity Conditions for Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery

2018 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 252-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derong Xu ◽  
Wanli Kang ◽  
Liming Zhang ◽  
Jiatong Jiang ◽  
Zhe Li ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Low Interfacial Tension
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