Polymer-based EOR methods in low-permeability reservoirs face injectivity issues and increased fracturing due to near wellbore plugging,as well as high-pressure gradients in these reservoirs.Polymer may cause pore blo...Polymer-based EOR methods in low-permeability reservoirs face injectivity issues and increased fracturing due to near wellbore plugging,as well as high-pressure gradients in these reservoirs.Polymer may cause pore blockage and undergo shear degradation and even oxidative degradation at high temperatures in the presence of very hard brine.Low-tension gas(LTG) flooding has the potential to be applied successfully for low-permeability carbonate reservoirs even in the presence of high formation brine salinity.In LTG flooding,the interfacial tension between oil and water is reduced to ultra-low values(10^-3 dyne/cm) by injecting an optimized surfactant formulation to maximize mobilization of residual oil post-waterflood.Gas(nitrogen,hydrocarbon gases or C02) is co-injected along with the surfactant slug to generate in situ foam which reduces the mobility ratio between the displaced(oil) and displacing phases,thus improving the displacement efficiency of the oil.In this work,the mechanism governing LTG flooding in low-permeability,high-salinity reservoirs was studied at a microscopic level using microemulsion properties and on a macroscopic scale by laboratory-scale coreflooding experiments.The main injection parameters studied were injected slug salinity and the interrelation between surfactant concentration and injected foam quality,and how they influence oil mobilization and displacement efficiency.Qualitative assessment of the results was performed by studying oil recovery,oil fractional flow,oil bank breakthrough and effluent salinity and pressure drop characteristics.展开更多
Steam-assisted gravity drainage(SAGD)is a mature technology for bitumen recovery from oil sands.However,it is an energy-intensive process that requires large amounts of steam to heat and mobilize bitumen.The purpose o...Steam-assisted gravity drainage(SAGD)is a mature technology for bitumen recovery from oil sands.However,it is an energy-intensive process that requires large amounts of steam to heat and mobilize bitumen.The purpose of this work is to develop ways to enhance SAGD performance through the use of organic base additives.The research is approached from three focus areas that supplement and guide each other:characterization tests,sand-pack floods,and computational simulation.A number of key mechanisms for enhancing oil recovery were identified,high-temperature additive characterization tests were developed,and promising alkalis were tested in porous media.Simulation was employed to history-match sandpack flood production data,in order to demonstrate the effect of an additive on the oil–water relative permeability.Based on these results,it was concluded that oxygenated organic bases had the most potential for improving bitumen recovery through reducing the oil–water interfacial tension(IFT)by increasing the pH of the system.These organic bases favorably modify the interfacial energies between the immiscible oil–water phases and enable them to flow easily through the porous media during production.Sand-pack flood tests have successfully demonstrated a 10%–15%improvement in bitumen recovery,over baseline,in the presence of IFT-reducing additives.Simulation results further showed that an IFT reduction had a positive impact on SAGD performance.This work demonstrates the potential of organic bases to improve not only SAGD,but other steam injection processes.Furthermore,a number of experimental methods were developed,tried,and tested during the course of this work.展开更多
基金supported by Petroleum Development Oman and Shell Global Solutions International。
文摘Polymer-based EOR methods in low-permeability reservoirs face injectivity issues and increased fracturing due to near wellbore plugging,as well as high-pressure gradients in these reservoirs.Polymer may cause pore blockage and undergo shear degradation and even oxidative degradation at high temperatures in the presence of very hard brine.Low-tension gas(LTG) flooding has the potential to be applied successfully for low-permeability carbonate reservoirs even in the presence of high formation brine salinity.In LTG flooding,the interfacial tension between oil and water is reduced to ultra-low values(10^-3 dyne/cm) by injecting an optimized surfactant formulation to maximize mobilization of residual oil post-waterflood.Gas(nitrogen,hydrocarbon gases or C02) is co-injected along with the surfactant slug to generate in situ foam which reduces the mobility ratio between the displaced(oil) and displacing phases,thus improving the displacement efficiency of the oil.In this work,the mechanism governing LTG flooding in low-permeability,high-salinity reservoirs was studied at a microscopic level using microemulsion properties and on a macroscopic scale by laboratory-scale coreflooding experiments.The main injection parameters studied were injected slug salinity and the interrelation between surfactant concentration and injected foam quality,and how they influence oil mobilization and displacement efficiency.Qualitative assessment of the results was performed by studying oil recovery,oil fractional flow,oil bank breakthrough and effluent salinity and pressure drop characteristics.
基金support of this research from The Dow Chemical Company
文摘Steam-assisted gravity drainage(SAGD)is a mature technology for bitumen recovery from oil sands.However,it is an energy-intensive process that requires large amounts of steam to heat and mobilize bitumen.The purpose of this work is to develop ways to enhance SAGD performance through the use of organic base additives.The research is approached from three focus areas that supplement and guide each other:characterization tests,sand-pack floods,and computational simulation.A number of key mechanisms for enhancing oil recovery were identified,high-temperature additive characterization tests were developed,and promising alkalis were tested in porous media.Simulation was employed to history-match sandpack flood production data,in order to demonstrate the effect of an additive on the oil–water relative permeability.Based on these results,it was concluded that oxygenated organic bases had the most potential for improving bitumen recovery through reducing the oil–water interfacial tension(IFT)by increasing the pH of the system.These organic bases favorably modify the interfacial energies between the immiscible oil–water phases and enable them to flow easily through the porous media during production.Sand-pack flood tests have successfully demonstrated a 10%–15%improvement in bitumen recovery,over baseline,in the presence of IFT-reducing additives.Simulation results further showed that an IFT reduction had a positive impact on SAGD performance.This work demonstrates the potential of organic bases to improve not only SAGD,but other steam injection processes.Furthermore,a number of experimental methods were developed,tried,and tested during the course of this work.
