Effect of pressure variation on polymer flooding

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Ali Manzoor
Keyword(s):  
Polymer Solution ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Constant Pressure ◽  
Maximum Pressure ◽  
Core Flooding ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Black Oil Model ◽  
Original Oil In Place

Chemical-based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques utilize the injection of chemicals, such as solutions of polymers, alkali, and surfactants, into oil reservoirs for incremental recovery. The injection of a polymer increases the viscosity of the injected fluid and alters the water-to-oil mobility ratio which in turn improves the volumetric sweep efficiency. This research study aims to investigate strategies that would help intensify oil recovery with the polymer solution injection. For that purpose, we utilize a lab-scale, cylindrical heavy oil reservoir model. Furthermore, a dynamic mathematical black oil model is developed based on cylindrical physical model of homogeneous porous medium. The experiments are carried out by injecting classic and novel partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide solutions (concentration: 0.1-0.5 wt %) with 1 wt % brine into the reservoir at pressures in the range, 1.03-3.44 MPa for enhanced oil recovery. The concentration of the polymer solution remains constant throughout the core flooding experiment and is varied for other subsequent experimental setup. Periodic pressure variations between 2.41 and 3.44 MPa during injection are found to increase the heavy oil recovery by 80% original-oil-in-place (OOIP). This improvement is approximately 100% more than that with constant pressure injection at the maximum pressure of 3.44 MPa. The experimental oil recoveries are in fair agreement with the model calculated oil production with a RMS% error in the range of 5-10% at a maximum constant pressure of 3.44 MPa.

scholarly journals Effect of pressure variation on polymer flooding

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad Ali Manzoor
Keyword(s):  
Polymer Solution ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Constant Pressure ◽  
Maximum Pressure ◽  
Core Flooding ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Black Oil Model ◽  
Original Oil In Place

Chemical-based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques utilize the injection of chemicals, such as solutions of polymers, alkali, and surfactants, into oil reservoirs for incremental recovery. The injection of a polymer increases the viscosity of the injected fluid and alters the water-to-oil mobility ratio which in turn improves the volumetric sweep efficiency. This research study aims to investigate strategies that would help intensify oil recovery with the polymer solution injection. For that purpose, we utilize a lab-scale, cylindrical heavy oil reservoir model. Furthermore, a dynamic mathematical black oil model is developed based on cylindrical physical model of homogeneous porous medium. The experiments are carried out by injecting classic and novel partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide solutions (concentration: 0.1-0.5 wt %) with 1 wt % brine into the reservoir at pressures in the range, 1.03-3.44 MPa for enhanced oil recovery. The concentration of the polymer solution remains constant throughout the core flooding experiment and is varied for other subsequent experimental setup. Periodic pressure variations between 2.41 and 3.44 MPa during injection are found to increase the heavy oil recovery by 80% original-oil-in-place (OOIP). This improvement is approximately 100% more than that with constant pressure injection at the maximum pressure of 3.44 MPa. The experimental oil recoveries are in fair agreement with the model calculated oil production with a RMS% error in the range of 5-10% at a maximum constant pressure of 3.44 MPa.

Characteristics of a Geobacillus sp. as an Enhanced Oil Recovery Material

2012 ◽  
Vol 496 ◽  
pp. 542-545
Author(s):  
Xiang Ping Kong
Keyword(s):  
Crude Oil ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Sewage Treatment ◽  
Core Flooding ◽  
Treatment Technology ◽  
Promising Candidate ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Displacement Experiments ◽  
Original Oil In Place

The enhanced oil recovery characteristics of a Geobacillus sp. was investigated by shake flask experiments, blind-tube oil displacement experiments and core flooding tests. The strain exhibited good properties such as resisting high temperature, taking different types of crude oil as the sole carbon source, reducing the viscosity of crude oil, emulsifying and dispersing crude oil or liquid wax. The oil in the dead area could be effectively driven out by the strain, and the oil recovery of original oil in place had been increased by 12.9-15.9% after 5 treatments in 50 days by adopting air-assistant technique (air/liquid 10:1, v/v) due to the synergistic effect of the bacteria and their metabolites such as biogas and biosurfactants. The strain seems to be a promising candidate for microbial enhanced oil recovery and underground sewage treatment technology.

Reduction of Residual Oil Saturation in Sandstone Cores by Use of Viscoelastic Polymers

SPE Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 22 (02) ◽  
pp. 447-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pengpeng Qi ◽  
Daniel H. Ehrenfried ◽  
Heesong Koh ◽  
Matthew T. Balhoff
Keyword(s):  
Pressure Drop ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Constant Pressure ◽  
Field Work ◽  
Deborah Number ◽  
Residual Oil ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Oil Saturation ◽  
Residual Oil Saturation ◽  
Original Oil In Place

Summary Water-based polymers are often used to improve oil recovery by increasing sweep efficiency. However, recent laboratory and field work have suggested these polymers, which are often viscoelastic, may also reduce residual oil saturation (ROS). The objective of this work is to investigate the effect of viscoelastic polymers on ROS in Bentheimer sandstones and identify conditions and mechanisms for the improved recovery. Bentheimer sandstones were saturated with a heavy oil (120 cp) and then waterflooded to ROS with brine followed by an inelastic Newtonian fluid (diluted glycerin). These floods were followed by injection of a viscoelastic polymer, hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM). Significant reduction in residual oil was observed for all corefloods performed at constant pressure drop when the polymer had significant elasticity (determined by the dimensionless Deborah number, NDe). An average residual-oil reduction of 5% original oil in place (OOIP) was found during HPAM polymer floods for NDe of 0.6 to 25. HPAM floods with very-low elasticity (NDe < 0.6) did not result in observable reduction in ROS; however, another 10% OOIP residual oil was reduced when the flow rate was increased (NDe > 25). All experiments at constant pressure drop indicate that polymer viscoelasticity reduces the ROS. Results from computed-tomography (CT) scans further support these observations. A correlation between Deborah number and ROS is also presented.

Investigation into the Functions of Alkali and Surfactant in Chemical Flooding for Enhanced Heavy-Oil Recovery

2012 ◽  
Vol 524-527 ◽  
pp. 1816-1820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Jiang Ge ◽  
Hai Hua Pei ◽  
Gui Cai Zhang ◽  
Xiao Dong Hu ◽  
Lu Chao Jin
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
Chemical Flooding ◽  
Surfactant Flooding ◽  
Core Flooding ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Water Emulsion ◽  
Tertiary Oil Recovery ◽  
Fingering Phenomena ◽  
Oil In Water Emulsion

In this study, a comparative study of alkaline flooding and alkali-surfactant flooding were conducted for Zhuangxi heavy oil with viscosity of 325 mPa•s at 55 °C. The results of core flooding tests show that the tertiary oil recovery of alkali-surfactant flooding are lower than those of alkaline-only flooding, in spite of the coexistence of the surfactant and alkali can reduce the IFT between the heavy oil and aqueous phase to an ultralow level. Further flood study via glass-etching micromodel tests demonstrates that injected alkaline-only solution can penetrate into the oil phase and creates some discontinuous water droplet inside the oil phase that tend to lower the mobility of the injected water and lead to the improvement of sweep efficiency. While for alkali-surfactant flooding, heavy oil is easily emulsified in brine by an alkaline plus very dilute surfactant formula to form oil-in-water emulsion, and then entrained in the water phase. Therefore, viscous fingering phenomena occur during the alkali-surfactant flooding, resulting in relatively lower sweep efficiency.

scholarly journals Properties of Biodegradable Polymer from Terrestrial Mushroom for Potential Enhanced Oil Recovery

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 1382
Author(s):  
Tengku Amran Tengku Mohd ◽  
Shareena Fairuz Abdul Manaf ◽  
Munawirah Abd Naim ◽  
Muhammad Shafiq Mat Shayuti ◽  
Mohd Zaidi Jaafar
Keyword(s):  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Biodegradable Polymer ◽  
Polymer Concentration ◽  
Polymer Flooding ◽  
Mobility Control ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Reservoir Conditions ◽  
Infrared Spectrometer ◽  
Original Oil In Place

Polymer flooding could enhance the oil recovery by increasing the viscosity of water, thus, improving the mobility control and sweep efficiency. It is essential to explore natural sources of polymer, which is biologically degradable and negligible to environmental risks. This research aims to produce a biodegradable polymer from terrestrial mushroom, analyze the properties of the polymer and investigate the oil recovery from polymer flooding. Polysaccharide biopolymer was extracted from mushroom and characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR), while the polymer viscosity was investigated using an automated microviscometer. The oil recovery tests were conducted at room temperature using a sand pack model. It was found that polymer viscosity increases with increasing polymer concentration and decreases when increase in temperature, salinity, and concentration of divalent ions. The oil recovery tests showed that a higher polymer concentration of 3000 ppm had recovered more oil with an incremental recovery of 25.8% after waterflooding, while a polymer concentration of 1500 pm obtained incremental 22.2% recovery of original oil in place (OOIP). The oil recovery from waterflooding was approximately 25.4 and 24.2% of the OOIP, respectively. Therefore, an environmentally friendly biopolymer was successfully extracted, which is potential for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) application, but it will lose its viscosity performance at certain reservoir conditions.

scholarly journals Enhancing Oil Recovery with Hydrophilic Polymer-Coated Silica Nanoparticles

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (21) ◽  
pp. 5720
Author(s):  
Alberto Bila ◽  
Ole Torsæter
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Spontaneous Imbibition ◽  
Rock Surface ◽  
Core Flooding ◽  
Ambient Conditions ◽  
Interfacial Chemistry ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Tertiary Oil Recovery ◽  
Original Oil In Place

Nanoparticles (NPs) have been proposed for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The research has demonstrated marvelous effort to realize the mechanisms of nanoparticles EOR. Nevertheless, gaps still exist in terms of understanding the nanoparticles-driven interactions occurring at fluids and fluid–rock interfaces. Surface-active polymers or other surface additive materials (e.g., surfactants) have shown to be effective in aiding the dispersion stability of NPs, stabilizing emulsions, and reducing the trapping or retention of NPs in porous media. These pre-requisites, together with the interfacial chemistry between the NPs and the reservoir and its constituents, can result in an improved sweep efficiency. This paper investigates four types of polymer-coated silica NPs for the recovery of oil from water-wet Berea sandstones. A series of flooding experiments was carried out with NPs dispersed at 0.1 wt.% in seawater in secondary and tertiary oil recovery modes at ambient conditions. The dynamic interactions of fluids, fluid–rock, and the transport behavior of injected fluid in the presence of NPs were, respectively, studied by interfacial tension (IFT), spontaneous imbibition tests, and a differential pressure analysis. Core flooding results showed an increase in oil recovery up to 14.8% with secondary nanofluid injection compared to 39.7% of the original oil in place (OOIP) from the conventional waterflood. In tertiary mode, nanofluids increased oil recovery up to 9.2% of the OOIP. It was found that no single mechanism could account for the EOR effect with the application of nanoparticles. Instead, the mobilization of oil seemed to occur through a combination of reduced oil/water IFT, change in the rock surface roughness and wettability, and microscopic flow diversion due to clogging of the pores.

scholarly journals Screening of the Effective Additive to Inhibit Surfactin from Forming Precipitation with Divalent Cations for Surfactin Enhanced Oil Recovery

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (10) ◽  
pp. 2430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nao Miyazaki ◽  
Yuichi Sugai ◽  
Kyuro Sasaki ◽  
Yoshifumi Okamoto ◽  
Satohiro Yanagisawa
Keyword(s):  
Citric Acid ◽  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Chelating Agents ◽  
Divalent Cations ◽  
Trisodium Citrate ◽  
Core Flooding ◽  
The Core ◽  
Original Oil In Place ◽  
Effective Additive

Surfactin, which is an anionic bio-surfactant, can be effective for enhanced oil recovery because it decreases interfacial tension between oil and water. However, it forms precipitation by binding with divalent cations. This study examined the countermeasure to prevent surfactin from forming precipitation for applying it to enhanced oil recovery. Alcohols, chelating agents, a cationic surfactant and an ion capturing substance were selected as the candidates for inhibiting surfactin from forming precipitation. Citric acid and trisodium citrate were selected as promising candidates through the measurements of turbidity of the mixture of the candidate, surfactin and calcium ions. Those chemicals also had a function as a co-surfactant for surfactin. However, the permeability of the Berea sandstone core into which the solution containing surfactin and trisodium citrate was injected was decreased significantly, whereas citric acid could be injected into the core without significant permeability reduction. Citric acid was therefore selected as the best inhibitor and subjected to the core flooding experiments. High enhancement of oil recovery of 9.4% (vs. original oil in place (OOIP)) was obtained and pressure drop was not increased during the injection of surfactin and citric acid. Those results suggest that citric acid has a dual role as the binding inhibitor and co-surfactant for surfactin.

scholarly journals Research progress of viscoelastic surfactants for enhanced oil recovery

2021 ◽  
pp. 014459872098020
Author(s):  
Ruizhi Hu ◽  
Shanfa Tang ◽  
Musa Mpelwa ◽  
Zhaowen Jiang ◽  
Shuyun Feng
Keyword(s):  
Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
High Efficiency ◽  
Research Progress ◽  
Surfactant Flooding ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
The World ◽  
Washing Efficiency ◽  
Viscoelastic Surfactants ◽  
Viscoelastic Surfactant

Although new energy has been widely used in our lives, oil is still one of the main energy sources in the world. After the application of traditional oil recovery methods, there are still a large number of oil layers that have not been exploited, and there is still a need to further increase oil recovery to meet the urgent need for oil in the world economic development. Chemically enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) is considered to be a kind of effective enhanced oil recovery technology, which has achieved good results in the field, but these technologies cannot simultaneously effectively improve oil sweep efficiency, oil washing efficiency, good injectability, and reservoir environment adaptability. Viscoelastic surfactants (VES) have unique micelle structure and aggregation behavior, high efficiency in reducing the interfacial tension of oil and water, and the most important and unique viscoelasticity, etc., which has attracted the attention of academics and field experts and introduced into the technical research of enhanced oil recovery. In this paper, the mechanism and research status of viscoelastic surfactant flooding are discussed in detail and focused, and the results of viscoelastic surfactant flooding experiments under different conditions are summarized. Finally, the problems to be solved by viscoelastic surfactant flooding are introduced, and the countermeasures to solve the problems are put forward. This overview presents extensive information about viscoelastic surfactant flooding used for EOR, and is intended to help researchers and professionals in this field understand the current situation.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document