Study of Enhanced Oil Recovery and Adsorption Using Glycerol in Surfactant Solution

Over time, oil production in a reservoir tends to decrease, which makes it difficult to flow through the reservoir to the well, making its production increasingly difficult and costly. Due to their physical properties, such as reducing the water/oil interfacial tension, surfactants have been used in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes, however, their adsorption presents as an undesirable and inevitable factor and can decrease the efficiency of the method. This work’s main objective is to evaluate the effect of glycerol in the adsorption of surfactants in sandstones, as well as in the recovery factor during EOR. Brine solutions containing the nonionic surfactant saponified coconut oil (SCO), with and without glycerol, were used in the adsorption and oil recovery tests in sandstone. Adsorption, recovery, rheological, and thermogravimetric analysis were carried out. Regarding the surfactant/glycerol/brine solution, there was an improvement in the oil mobility, as the glycerol contributed to an increase in the viscosity of the solution, thereby increasing the sweep efficiency. The recovery factor obtained for the surfactant solution with glycerol was satisfactory, being 53% higher than without glycerol, because it simultaneously provided an increase in viscosity and a decrease in interfacial tension, both of which are beneficial for the efficiency of the process.

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Enhanced Oil Recovery: Chemical Flooding

Geophysics and Ocean Waves Studies ◽

10.5772/intechopen.90335 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Ahmed Ragab ◽

Eman M. Mansour

Keyword(s):

Interfacial Tension ◽

Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽

Oil Recovery ◽

Recovery Phase ◽

Mobility Ratio ◽

Chemical Flooding ◽

Sweep Efficiency ◽

Oil Displacement ◽

Remaining Oil ◽

Oil Displacement Efficiency

The enhanced oil recovery phase of oil reservoirs production usually comes after the water/gas injection (secondary recovery) phase. The main objective of EOR application is to mobilize the remaining oil through enhancing the oil displacement and volumetric sweep efficiency. The oil displacement efficiency enhances by reducing the oil viscosity and/or by reducing the interfacial tension, while the volumetric sweep efficiency improves by developing a favorable mobility ratio between the displacing fluid and the remaining oil. It is important to identify remaining oil and the production mechanisms that are necessary to improve oil recovery prior to implementing an EOR phase. Chemical enhanced oil recovery is one of the major EOR methods that reduces the residual oil saturation by lowering water-oil interfacial tension (surfactant/alkaline) and increases the volumetric sweep efficiency by reducing the water-oil mobility ratio (polymer). In this chapter, the basic mechanisms of different chemical methods have been discussed including the interactions of different chemicals with the reservoir rocks and fluids. In addition, an up-to-date status of chemical flooding at the laboratory scale, pilot projects and field applications have been reported.

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Experimental Investigation of Surfactant Partitioning in Pre-CMC and Post-CMC Regimes for Enhanced Oil Recovery Application

Energies ◽

10.3390/en12122319 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 12 (12) ◽

pp. 2319 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Ahmed Fatih Belhaj ◽

Khaled Abdalla Elraies ◽

Mohamad Sahban Alnarabiji ◽

Juhairi Aris B M Shuhli ◽

Syed Mohammad Mahmood ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Surface Tension ◽

High Temperature ◽

Interfacial Tension ◽

Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽

Oil Recovery ◽

High Performance ◽

Surfactant Concentration ◽

Effect Of Temperature ◽

Sweep Efficiency ◽

Partitioning Coefficient

The applications of surfactants in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) have received more attention in the past decade due to their ability to enhance microscopic sweep efficiency by reducing oil-water interfacial tension in order to mobilize trapped oil. Surfactants can partition in both water and oil systems depending on their solubility in both phases. The partitioning coefficient (Kp) is a key parameter when it comes to describing the ratio between the concentration of the surfactant in the oil phase and the water phase at equilibrium. In this paper, surfactant partitioning of the nonionic surfactant Alkylpolyglucoside (APG) was investigated in pre-critical micelle concentration (CMC) and post-cmc regimes at 80 °C to 106 °C. The Kp was then obtained by measuring the surfactant concentration after equilibration with oil in pre-cmc and post-cmc regimes, which was done using surface tension measurements and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), respectively. Surface tension (ST) and interfacial tension (IFT) behaviors were investigated by performing pendant and spinning drop tests, respectively—both tests were conducted at high temperatures. From this study, it was found that APG was able to lower IFT as well as ST between water/oil and air/oil, and its effect was found to be more profound at high temperature. The partitioning test results for APG in pre-cmc and post-cmc regimes were found to be dependent on the surfactant concentration and temperature. The partitioning coefficient is directly proportional to IFT, where at high partitioning intensity, IFT was found to be very low and vice versa at low partitioning intensity. The effect of temperature on the partitioning in pre-cmc and post-cmc regimes had the same impact, where at a high temperature, additional partitioned surfactant molecules arise at the water-oil interface as the association of molecules becomes easier.

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EFFECT OF LOW TEMPERATURE CO2 INJECTION IN HIGH TEMPERATURE OIL RESERVOIRS USING SLIMTUBE EXPERIMENT

Jurnal Teknologi ◽

10.11113/jt.v78.9018 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 78 (6-6) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Zakaria Hamdi ◽

Mariyamni Awang

Keyword(s):

High Temperature ◽

Low Temperature ◽

Interfacial Tension ◽

Oil Recovery ◽

Early Stage ◽

Recovery Factor ◽

Effect Of Temperature ◽

Co2 Injection ◽

Sweep Efficiency ◽

Injection Point

A set of slimtube experiments is designed and presented to study the effect of cold temperature CO2 on recovery factor in reservoirs with high temperature. The comparison of the results indicates the positive effect of temperature on recovery trend in early stage as well as ultimate recovery in different injection pressures. The approach is based on a long slimtube to show the effect of temperature on the recovery. The study considers different temperatures and pressures of injection and reservoir allowing both miscible and immiscible flooding of CO2. Using non-isothermal conditions, the results show that, lowering temperature of injection can yield in higher recovery in early stage significantly. Also, considering ultimate recovery, it is observed that low temperature CO2 injection into high temperature reservoir can result in slightly higher recovery factor than isothermal injection. The reason for recovery increase is mainly due to elimination of the interfacial tension between CO2 and reservoir fluids especially near the injection point. Another finding is that the minimum miscibility pressures is lowered by means of lowering the temperature of injection which is again caused by elimination of interfacial tension between CO2 and oil. This is important because forming a single phase can increase the ability of CO2 to extract different components of the crude oil as well as lowering viscosity of the mixture, resulting in a better sweep efficiency. It appears that using liquid CO2 in high temperature reservoirs can be a promising method for better oil recovery in high temperature reservoirs.

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A Selection Flowchart for Micromodel Experiments Based on Computational Fluid Dynamic Simulations of Surfactant Flooding in Enhanced Oil Recovery

Processes ◽

10.3390/pr9111887 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (11) ◽

pp. 1887

Author(s):

Santiago Céspedes ◽

Alejandro Molina ◽

Betiana Lerner ◽

Maximiliano S. Pérez ◽

Camilo A. Franco ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Fractal Dimension ◽

Pressure Drop ◽

Interfacial Tension ◽

Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽

Oil Recovery ◽

Grain Shape ◽

Recovery Factor ◽

Injection Velocity ◽

Breakthrough Time ◽

Cfd Simulations

A selection flowchart that assists, through Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations, the design of microfluidic experiments used to distinguish the performance in Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (CEOR) of two surfactants with very similar values of interfacial tension (IFT) was proposed and its use demonstrated. The selection flowchart first proposes an experimental design for certain modified variables (: porosity, grain shape, the presence of preferential flowing channels, and injection velocity). Experiments are then performed through CFD simulations to obtain a set of response variables (: recovery factor, breakthrough time, the fractal dimension of flow pattern, pressure drop, and entrapment effect). A sensitivity analysis of regarding the differences in the interfacial tension (IFT) can indicate the CFD experiments that could have more success when distinguishing between two surfactants with similar IFTs (0.037 mN/m and 0.045 mN/m). In the range of modifiable variables evaluated in this study (porosity values of 0.5 and 0.7, circular and irregular grain shape, with and without preferential flowing channel, injection velocities of 10 ft/day and 30 ft/day), the entrapment effect is the response variable that is most affected by changes in IFT. The response of the recovery factor and the breakthrough time was also significant, while the fractal dimension of the flow and the pressure drop had the lowest sensitivity to different IFTs. The experimental conditions that rendered the highest sensitivity to changes in IFT were a low porosity (0.5) and a high injection flow (30 ft/day). The response to the presence of preferential channels and the pore shape was negligible. The approach developed in this research facilitates, through CFD simulations, the study of CEOR processes with microfluidic devices. It reduces the number of experiments and increases the probability of their success.

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Flooding with Biopolymer from Microbes Derived from Mushroom and Cabbage to Enhance Sweep Efficiency in Enhanced Oil Recovery

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.1113.492 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 1113 ◽

pp. 492-497 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Effah Yahya ◽

Nur Hashimah Alias ◽

Tengku Amran Tengku Mohd ◽

Nurul Aimi Ghazali ◽

Tajnor Suriya binti Taju Ariffin

Keyword(s):

Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽

Oil Recovery ◽

Xanthan Gum ◽

Shake Flask ◽

Polymer Concentration ◽

Edible Mushroom ◽

Recovery Factor ◽

Distilled Water ◽

Sweep Efficiency ◽

Extraction And Purification

In this study, local isolated Xanthomonas campestries has been used from local cabbage for xanthan gum production via fermentation in shake flask. The product was then recovered with isopropanol and dried. Meanwhile, for extraction and purification of mushroom polysaccharide, we use dead edible mushroom has been used. Polysaccharide mushroom was extracted with NaOH solutions at 100 ͦ C for 24 hrs. Next, polysaccharide was precipitated separately by the addition of ethanol and the resulting polysaccharide extract were dissolved in distilled water. In the present study, different type of biopolymers was used in order to determine the oil recovery with different concentrations. Biopolymers used in this experiment are xanthan gum and mushroom polysaccharide. The properties of both biopolymers were tested for 3000 ppm and 10000 ppm of concentration. The results shown higher oil recovery factor obtained from the mushroom polysaccharide, which is 84.14%. Meanwhile, the highest recovery obtained by xanthan is about 67.44% only. As a conclusion, increasing polymer concentration will increase the oil recovery factor.

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Polymer viscosifier systems with potential application for enhanced oil recovery: a review

Oil & Gas Science and Technology – Revue d’IFP Energies nouvelles ◽

10.2516/ogst/2021044 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 76 ◽

pp. 65

Author(s):

Kelly Lúcia Nazareth Pinho de Aguiar ◽

Luiz Carlos Magalhães Palermo ◽

Claudia Regina Elias Mansur

Keyword(s):

Enhanced Oil Recovery ◽

Oil Recovery ◽

Polymer Concentration ◽

High Viscosity ◽

Water Soluble ◽

Recovery Factor ◽

Sweep Efficiency ◽

Polymeric Fluids ◽

Excellent Thermal Stability ◽

Reservoir Conditions

Due to the growing demand for oil and the large number of mature oil fields, Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques are increasingly used to increase the oil recovery factor. Among the chemical methods, the use of polymers stands out to increase the viscosity of the injection fluid and harmonize the advance of this fluid in the reservoir to provide greater sweep efficiency. Synthetic polymers based on acrylamide are widely used for EOR, with Partially Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide (PHPA) being used the most. However, this polymer has low stability under harsh reservoir conditions (High Temperature and Salinity – HTHS). In order to improve the sweep efficiency of polymeric fluids under these conditions, Hydrophobically Modified Associative Polymers (HMAPs) and Thermo-Viscosifying Polymers (TVPs) are being developed. HMAPs contain small amounts of hydrophobic groups in their water-soluble polymeric chains, and above the Critical Association Concentration (CAC), form hydrophobic microdomains that increase the viscosity of the polymer solution. TVPs contain blocks or thermosensitive grafts that self-assemble and form microdomains, substantially increasing the solution’s viscosity. The performance of these systems is strongly influenced by the chemical group inserted in their structures, polymer concentration, salinity and temperature, among other factors. Furthermore, the application of nanoparticles is being investigated to improve the performance of injection polymers applied in EOR. In general, these systems have excellent thermal stability and salinity tolerance along with high viscosity, and therefore increase the oil recovery factor. Thus, these systems can be considered promising agents for enhanced oil recovery applications under harsh conditions, such as high salinity and temperature. Moreover, stands out the use of genetic programming and artificial intelligence to estimate important parameters for reservoir engineering, process improvement, and optimize polymer flooding in enhanced oil recovery.

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

Tenside Surfactants Detergents ◽

10.3139/113.110562 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 55 (3) ◽

pp. 252-257 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

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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Research progress of viscoelastic surfactants for enhanced oil recovery

Energy Exploration & Exploitation ◽

10.1177/0144598720980209 ◽

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.

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