Experimental study of secondary and tertiary modes combined low salinity water and polymer flooding in sandstone porous media

Combined low salinity water (LSW) and polymer (LSP) flooding is the most attractive method of enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Considerable research has investigated effective mechanisms of LSP flooding. In this study, 10 laboratory core flood tests were carried out to evaluate the effects of LSW injection into samples without any clay particles, the timing of LSW injection, and the advantages of adding polymer to the injection water for EOR. Secondary and tertiary LSW injections were performed on sandpack samples with different wettability states and water salinity. Tertiary LSW injection after secondary synthetic seawater (SSW) injection in oil-wet samples resulted in 13% more oil recovery, while the water-wet sample showed no effect on the oil recovery. Secondary LSW injection in oil-wet porous media improved oil recovery by 8% of the original oil in place (OOIP) more than secondary SSW injection. Tertiary LSP flooding after secondary SSW injection in the oil-wet sample provided a recovery of 67.3% of OOIP, while secondary LSW injection followed by tertiary LSP flooding yielded the maximum ultimate oil recovery of about 77% of OOIP. The findings showed that the positive EOR effects of LSW and LSP flooding were the results of wettability alteration, pH increase, improved mobility ratio, better sweep efficiency, and oil redistribution. In addition, results showed that wettability alteration is possible without the presence of clay particles. The findings of this study can help for a better understanding of fluid propagation through the porous media and an investigation of delays in reaching ultimate oil recovery.     

Surfactant flooding characteristics of dodecyl alkyl sulfate for enhanced oil recovery

Surfactant-enhanced oil recovery is a type of enhanced oil recovery (EOR), a method to produce residual oil by injecting surfactant solution into the reservoir. The application of surfactant EOR requires knowledge of the phase behavior for more efficient production of residual oil.In this study, the relationship between dodecyl alkyl sulfate and some specific crude oils was examined through phase behavior test. It was found that the branched surfactant was more effective than the linear surfactant. The system was stable at salinities <3 wt%. On adding a small amount of co-surfactant, the emulsion activity was increased.The gravity drainage flooding test (GDFT) was performed to determine the potential of dodecyl alkyl sulfate to produce residual oil in porous media. It was found that the solution could be flooded at temperatures of 60 °C or higher. In the core flooding test, injecting one pore volume of 2 wt% surfactant solution with 3 wt% salinity produced 26.6% more oil after water flood. With the addition of only 0.01 wt% co-surfactant, oil production increased by 1.6%. Contrary to the phase behavior test, the linear surfactant produced 1.3% more oil than the branched surfactant in the core flooding test.     

Evaluating the performance of designed terpolymers for polymer flooding

In this work, polymeric materials designed for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) were evaluated for their intended application. Properties including viscosity, flow through porous media (resistance factor and residual resistance factor), and heavy oil displacement (incremental oil recovery) were assessed for designed terpolymers of 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulphonic acid (AMPS), acrylamide (AAm), and acrylic acid (AAc). The same properties were evaluated for two commercially available reference materials (e.g., partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamides or HPAM) with similar characteristics, which allowed for direct comparison between the newly designed terpolymers and materials that are currently on the market for the polymer flooding application. The incremental oil recovery directly associated with polymer flooding, which includes both the polymer flooding and post-polymer waterflooding stages (excluding the initial waterflooding injection (or secondary) oil recovery), demonstrates that the designed terpolymers provided a higher incremental recovery (42% and 58%) than the reference materials (33% and 46%). Therefore, the terpolymers provided a higher contribution to incremental (or enhanced) oil recovery than the typical HPAM. Additionally, both designed terpolymers showed better injectivity in unconsolidated porous media and are less likely to cause plugging than the commercially available reference materials. Therefore, using a targeted design approach ultimately led to polymeric materials with excellent performance for EOR polymer flooding applications.     

SIMULTANEOUS HEAT AND FLUID FLOW IN POROUS MEDIA: CASE STUDY: STEAM INJECTION FOR TERTIARY OIL RECOVERY

Heat transfer and fluid flow in porous media occur simultaneously in thermal enhanced oil recovery and significantly increase the rate of energy transfer. The purpose of this investigation was to take advantage of such contemporary transfers and to study heavy oil recovery efficiency using hot-water flooding, cold-water flooding, and steam injection into porous media. A set of multistage laboratory tests was performed to find the temperature profile during steam injection as a means of tertiary oil recovery. Sand-packed models were utilized to investigate the oil recovery efficiency during cold and hot water injection as well as steam flooding for both secondary and tertiary oil production stages. An oil bank was formed in steam injection during the tertiary oil recovery from a vertical standing sand-packed model, resulting in very high oil recovery efficiency. Steam injection was found to be very effective, compared to cold- and hot-water flooding, for the recovery of heavy oil. Based on the principles of transport phenomena in porous media, a mathematical model was developed to predict the temperature profile during the steam injection process. Satisfactory agreement is achieved between the temperature profile predicted from the model and the experimental results.     

SIMULTANEOUS HEAT AND FLUID FLOW IN POROUS MEDIA: CASE STUDY: STEAM INJECTION FOR TERTIARY OIL RECOVERY

Heat transfer and fluid flow in porous media occur simultaneously in thermal enhanced oil recovery and significantly increase the rate of energy transfer. The purpose of this investigation was to take advantage of such contemporary transfers and to study heavy oil recovery efficiency using hot-water flooding, cold-water flooding, and steam injection into porous media. A set of multistage laboratory tests was performed to find the temperature profile during steam injection as a means of tertiary oil recovery. Sand-packed models were utilized to investigate the oil recovery efficiency during cold and hot water injection as well as steam flooding for both secondary and tertiary oil production stages. An oil bank was formed in steam injection during the tertiary oil recovery from a vertical standing sand-packed model, resulting in very high oil recovery efficiency. Steam injection was found to be very effective, compared to cold- and hot-water flooding, for the recovery of heavy oil. Based on the principles of transport phenomena in porous media, a mathematical model was developed to predict the temperature profile during the steam injection process. Satisfactory agreement is achieved between the temperature profile predicted from the model and the experimental results.     

Review on application of nanoparticles for EOR purposes: A critical review of the opportunities and challenges

Nanoparticles have already gained attentions for their countless potential applications in enhanced oil recovery.Nano-sized particles would help to recover trapped oil by several mechanisms including interfacial tension reduction, impulsive emulsion formation and wettability alteration of porous media. The presence of dispersed nanoparticles in injected fluids would enhance the recovery process through their movement towards oil–water interface. This would cause the interfacial tension to be reduced. In this research, the effects of different types of nanoparticles and different nanoparticle concentrations on EOR processes were investigated. Different flooding experiments were investigated to reveal enhancing oil recovery mechanisms. The results showed that nanoparticles have the ability to reduce the IFT as well as contact angle, making the solid surface to more water wet. As nanoparticle concentration increases more trapped oil was produced mainly due to wettability alteration to water wet and IFT reduction. However, pore blockage was also observed due to adsorption of nanoparticles, a phenomenon which caused the injection pressure to increase. Nonetheless, such higher injection pressure could displace some trapped oil in the small pore channels out of the model. The investigated results gave a clear indication that the EOR potential of nanoparticle fluid is significant.     

A review on the application of nanofluids in enhanced oil recovery

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has been widely used to recover residual oil after the primary or secondary oil recovery processes. Compared to conventional methods, chemical EOR has demonstrated high oil recovery and low operational costs. Nanofluids have received extensive attention owing to their advantages of low cost, high oil recovery, and wide applicability. In recent years, nanofluids have been widely used in EOR processes. Moreover, several studies have focused on the role of nanofluids in the nanofluid EOR (N-EOR) process. However, the mechanisms related to N-EOR are unclear, and several of the mechanisms established are chaotic and contradictory. This review was conducted by considering heavy oil molecules/particle/surface micromechanics; nanofluid-assisted EOR methods; multiscale, multiphase pore/core displacement experiments; and multiphase flow fluid-solid coupling simulations. Nanofluids can alter the wettability of minerals (particle/surface micromechanics), oil/water interfacial tension (heavy oil molecules/water micromechanics), and structural disjoining pressure (heavy oil molecules/particle/surface micromechanics). They can also cause viscosity reduction (micromechanics of heavy oil molecules). Nanofoam technology, nanoemulsion technology, and injected fluids were used during the EOR process. The mechanism of N-EOR is based on the nanoparticle adsorption effect. Nanoparticles can be adsorbed on mineral surfaces and alter the wettability of minerals from oil-wet to water-wet conditions. Nanoparticles can also be adsorbed on the oil/water surface, which alters the oil/water interfacial tension, resulting in the formation of emulsions. Asphaltenes are also adsorbed on the surface of nanoparticles, which reduces the asphaltene content in heavy oil, resulting in a decrease in the viscosity of oil, which helps in oil recovery. In previous studies, most researchers only focused on the results, and the nanoparticle adsorption properties have been ignored. This review presents the relationship between the adsorption properties of nanoparticles and the N-EOR mechanisms. The nanofluid behaviour during a multiphase core displacement process is also discussed, and the corresponding simulation is analysed. Finally, potential mechanisms and future directions of N-EOR are proposed. The findings of this study can further the understanding of N-EOR mechanisms from the perspective of heavy oil molecules/particle/surface micromechanics, as well as clarify the role of nanofluids in multiphase core displacement experiments and simulations. This review also presents limitations and bottlenecks, guiding researchers to develop methods to synthesise novel nanoparticles and conduct further research.     

生物多糖在高温高盐油藏聚合物驱可行性探索

探索了定优胶在高温、高盐油藏聚合物驱的可行性，采用黄原胶、魔芋胶作为对比，对其流变性、流度控制及提高采收率能力进行考察。稳态流变性及流度控制能力研究显示，三者增稠能力及在多孔介质中流度控制能力强弱顺序为：定优胶>黄原胶>魔芋胶。与另两种生物多糖相比较，定优胶有更好的耐温、耐盐特性及在高温中良好的长期稳定性。结合石英砂润湿性改性及原液、产出液流体力学半径变化情况，分析了3种多糖建立阻力的主要机理，对于魔芋胶、黄原胶、定优胶，机械捕集作用对多孔介质动态滞留量的贡献率分别为45.90%、60.78%、81.83%，定优胶较大的流体力学半径更易被多孔介质捕集，降低高渗多孔介质水相渗透率能力更强，且室内驱油实验中，定优胶提高采收率高达24.31%，明显优于黄原胶(17.02%)及魔芋胶(8.19%)，是一种很有前景的提高高温、高盐油藏稠油采收率的驱油剂。     

Effect of salinity and alcohol partitioning on phase behavior and oil displacement efficiency in surfactant-polymer flooding

The equivalent alkane carbon number (EACN) of a crude oil, namely Ankleshwar crude, is successfully modeled by a mixture of pure alkanes. The EACN of the crude oil is found to be 9.3, and an appropriate mixture of nonane and decane exhibited phase behavior similar to that of the crude oil. A surfactant system for a water flooded reservoir at 80 C and having a salinity in the range of 2% to 3% NaCl is formulated by blending a phosphated ester with a petroleum sulfonate in the weight ratio of 2/5. The addition of phosphate ester not only increases the salt tolerance of the petroleum sulfonate system, it also broadens the IFT minimum. The oil displacement tests at 80 C in sandpacks and Berea cores showed that the surfactant formulation containing tertiary amyl alcohol (TAA) displaced 92% oil in sandpacks and 79% crude oil in Berea cores. The oil recovery efficiency was poor when formulations contained other alcohols. From the effluent surfactant concentration, it is shown that there is a correlation between the tertiary oil recovery, surfactant breakthrough and surfactant retention in porous media. It is proposed that, because alcohols such as isopropyl alcohol (IPA), isobutyl alcohol (IBA) and secondary butyl alcohol (SBA) partition significantly in the equilibrated excess brine phase, the alcohol-depleted surfactant slug forms stable emulsions resulting in faster breakthrough of surfactant in the effluent and lower oil displacement efficiency. In the case of TAA-containing formulation, there is a partitioning of TAA in the oil phase. Therefore, there is a mass transfer of alcohol from surfactant slug to the oil ganglia in porous media. This produces a transient ultralow IFT between residual oil and the surfactant solution which mobilizes oil, resulting in higher oil displacement efficiency. Presented in part at International Symposium on Oilfield and Geothermal Chemistry, June 1983, in Denver, CO.     

微凝胶调驱效果实验研究

为考察可动微凝胶这一新型调驱体系在非均质模型中的调驱效果,采用人造填砂管模型,对该体系进行了室内实验评价。结果表明,微凝胶可明显改善低渗层的分流量,具有较好的改善注入剖面效果。当注入0.3 PV浓度2 000 mg/L的可动微凝胶时,可提高采收率7.7%;浓度越高,注入量越大,驱油效果越好,但当注入量超过0.3 PV以后,采收率增加幅度已不太明显。     

低渗油藏表面活性剂驱油体系优选

针对低渗油藏渗流阻力大、注水压力高及水驱采收率偏低的问题,通过性能评价,优选一种适合该类油藏的表面活性剂驱油体系。以研制的阴非离子型表面活性剂(GJ剂)为主剂,其它表面活性剂为助剂,分别考察其油水界面张力、润湿性、防膨性、洗油效率、驱油效率。结果表明,GJ+YJ体系与原油界面张力为6.15×10-3mN/m,该体系可使油湿岩片接触角由76.80°降低至48.83°,防膨率达66.63%,洗油效率为61.28%,驱油效率提高11.80%。因此,GJ+YJ体系在低渗油藏改善水驱效果中具有良好的应用前景。     

Flow characteristics of three enhanced oil recovery polymers in porous media

This article presents an experimental study aiming to explore the relationship among rheological properties, flow characteristics in porous media, and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) performance of three typical EOR polymers. The results suggest that xanthan gum exhibits a very pronounced shear‐thinning behavior, which is probably also the reason explaining its moderate adsorption extent within porous media (thickness of adsorbed layer, e = 3.1 μm). The advanced viscoelastic properties coupled with the less adsorption extent compared to the hydrophobically modified copolymer (HMSPAM) allow xanthan gum to establish a “piston‐like” displacement pattern and lead up to 49.4% original oil in place (OOIP) of the cumulative oil recovery during polymer flooding. Regarding HMSPAM, the significant permeability reduction of the porous media induced by multilayer adsorption (e = 5.6 μm) results in much higher drive forces (ΔP) in the extended waterflooding stage, which further raises the cumulative oil recovery by 18.5% OOIP. In general, xanthan gum and HMSPAM totally produced 84% OOIP which is 15% higher than the extensively used EOR polymer, hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM), under the same experimental conditions. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2015 , 132, 41598.     

微乳液泡沫驱油技术原理、挑战和研究进展

微乳液驱和泡沫驱是强化采油领域中的两个重要技术。前者利用表面活性剂形成油-水微乳液提高增溶能力,降低油水界面张力和毛细管阻力,从而提高驱替效率和微观采收率;后者利用泡沫剂将气体稳定地分散在水相中,在油藏孔隙中形成泡沫,封堵优势通道和已驱替区域,从而扩大波及体积并提高宏观采收率。通过综述两个技术的国内外发展历史和研究进展,阐明了其优势和局限性。近年来提出的微乳液泡沫驱油技术,又称为低张力泡沫驱,其既可以保留两个独立技术的优势,又可以克服他们的缺点,最终同时提高微观和宏观采收率。但是在实际研究中,微乳液泡沫驱技术却面临理论和应用上的双重挑战。通过调查国内外相关研究进展,详细阐述了微乳液泡沫驱技术目前面临的挑战、研发思路和研究建议。     

微乳液泡沫驱油技术原理、挑战和研究进展

微乳液驱和泡沫驱是强化采油领域中的两个重要技术,可以分别提高驱油过程的微观和宏观采收率.通过综述两个技术在国内外的发展历史和研究进展,阐明了其优势和局限性,并引出结合两者优势的新型采油技术:微乳液泡沫驱,又称为低张力泡沫驱.虽然此新型技术可以同时提高微观和宏观采收率,但是在实际应用中,仍然面临理论和应用上的双重挑战,如...     

Characterizations of surfactant synthesized from Jatropha oil and its application in enhanced oil recovery

Surfactants are frequently used in chemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) as it reduces the interfacial tension (IFT) to an ultra‐low value and also alter the wettability of oil‐wet rock, which are important mechanisms for EOR. However, most of the commercial surfactants used in chemical EOR are very expensive. In view of that an attempt has been made to synthesis an anionic surfactant from non‐edible Jatropha oil for its application in EOR. Synthesized surfactant was characterized by FTIR, NMR, dynamic light scattering, thermogravimeter analyser, FESEM, and EDX analysis. Thermal degradability study of the surfactant shows no significant loss till the conventional reservoir temperature. The ability of the surfactant for its use in chemical EOR has been tested by measuring its physicochemical properties, viz., reduction of surface tension, IFT and wettability alteration. The surfactant solution shows a surface tension value of 31.6 mN/m at its critical micelle concentration (CMC). An ultra‐low IFT of 0.0917 mN/m is obtained at CMC of surfactant solution, which is further reduced to 0.00108 mN/m at optimum salinity. The synthesized surfactant alters the oil‐wet quartz surface to water‐wet which favors enhanced recovery of oil. Flooding experiments were conducted with surfactant slugs with different concentrations. Encouraging results with additional recovery more than 25% of original oil in place above the conventional water flooding have been observed. © 2017 American Institute of Chemical Engineers AIChE J, 63: 2731–2741, 2017     

FIVE-SPOT INJECTION/PRODUCTION WELL LOCATION DESIGN BASED ON FRACTURE GEOMETRICAL CHARACTERISTICS IN HEAVY OIL FRACTURED RESERVOIRS DURING MISCIBLE DISPLACEMENT: AN EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH

Mapping fracture characteristics by using seismic acquisition and processing is important not only to identify sweet spots, but also to optimize production, especially for unconventional heavy oil reservoirs. In this experimental work we used five-spot micromodels initially saturated with heavy oil to find the optimum well locations during first-contact miscible displacement. The experiments were performed at a fixed injection rate on fractured micromodels with various patterns. The optimum location for injection/production wells was found in the pattern where fractures make an angle of 45° with the mean flow direction. Moreover, oil recovery was increased with the density, length, level of scattering, and discontinuity of fractures. The analysis of the experimentally measured recovery curve revealed that there are three distinct stages for each displacement. The efficiency of the first stage was found to be dominated by dispersion and diffusion. However, the recovery of the second stage was significantly affected by the fracture orientation. The displacement efficiency of the third stage was controlled by solvent dispersion, which is at maximum for the pattern with higher density, length, scattering, and discontinuity of fractures. Saturation monitoring showed that the fracture geometrical characteristics strongly affected the splitting, spreading, and shielding of the produced fingers and solvent front shape and consequently affected the recovery factor. As a result, five-spot micromodels can be used to investigate the optimum location of injection/production wells during miscible displacements in fractured heavy oil reservoirs.     

p-Sulfocalix[4]arene functionalized hydrophobically associative polyacrylamide: Flow characteristics and potential application to enhanced oil recovery

Hydrophobically associative polymers have been verified having enhanced oil recovery (EOR) potential. In this paper, a hydrophobically associative polyacrylamide functionalized with p-sulfocalix[4]arene (denoted as SHPAM) was firstly prepared through redox free-radical polymerization technique. Then, the water solubility, comprehensive properties, flowing behaviors, and displacement characteristics of SHAPM were investigated. Experimental results illustrated that SHPAM had benign water solubility, thickening ability, salt tolerance, temperature resistance, anti-shearing performance, thixotropy, and long-term stability. Also, SHPAM could reduce heterogeneity and extend sweep efficiency. Moreover, the adsorbed and retained SHPAM in porous media owned favorable viscoelasticity, which enhanced microscopic displacement efficiency. All the experiments results revealed that SHPAM has great applicable in enhancing oil recovery.     

Polymer‐coated nanoparticles for enhanced oil recovery

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes aim to recover trapped oil left in reservoirs after primary and secondary recovery methods. New materials and additives are needed to make EOR economical in challenging reservoirs or harsh environments. Nanoparticles have been widely studied for EOR, but nanoparticles with polymer chains grafted to the surface—known as polymer‐coated nanoparticles (PNPs)—are an emerging class of materials that may be superior to nanoparticles for EOR due to improved solubility and stability, greater stabilization of foams and emulsions, and more facile transport through porous media. Here, we review prior research, current challenges, and future research opportunities in the application of PNPs for EOR. We focus on studies of PNPs for improving mobility control, altering surface wettability, and for investigating their transport through porous media. For each case, we highlight both fundamental studies of PNP behavior and more applied studies of their use in EOR processes. We also touch on a related class of materials comprised of surfactant and nanoparticle blends. Finally, we briefly outline the major challenges in the field, which must be addressed to successfully implement PNPs in EOR applications. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014 , 131, 40576.     

稠油聚合物驱渗流速度及驱替效果影响因素分析

考虑稠油的非牛顿特性、聚合物的粘弹性、水相渗透率的下降、不可及孔隙体积以及残余油饱和度的降低等因素,建立并求解了稠油粘弹性聚合物驱渗流数学模型,分析了注入量及聚合物溶液的弹性对驱替速度和驱替效果的影响。结果表明:注入量一定的情况下,在聚合物溶液波及范围内,聚合物溶液弹性越大,注采井间的速度越大,驱替效果越好;聚合物溶液弹性一定的情况下,注入量越大,注采井间的速度越大,驱替效果越好。     

Synergistic surfactant mixtures containing lignosulphonates

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) schemes have been gaining importance over the past several years. Of the various methods being tested, surfactant (or micellar) flooding appears to be one of the most promising ones. It involves injecting into the well the solution of a surfactant which reduces the inter-facial tension between the displacing aqueous solution and the oil trapped in the reservoir. Depending on the concentration of the surfactant, oil displacement proceeds either by a miscible process (surfactant concentration > 10%) or by a immiscible process (surfactant concentration = 2–3%). Miscible flooding converts to the immiscible process as the system is diluted by connate (interstitial) water. Under immiscible conditions, the most significant parameter affecting recovery is the interfacial tension^(1,2). Petroleum sulfonates are perhaps the most important group of surfactants capable of producing very low interfacial tensions between crude oil and the water phase. Their relatively high cost, however, renders many potential applications uneconomical.