94 research outputs found
Insight into nano-chemical enhanced oil recovery from carbonate reservoirs using environmentally friendly nanomaterials
Get PDFThe use of nanoparticles (NPs) in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes is very effective in reducing the interfacial tension (IFT) and surface tension (ST) and altering the wettability of reservoir rocks. The main purpose of this study was to use the newly synthesized nanocomposites (KCl / SiO2 / Xanthan NCs) in EOR applications. Several analytical techniques including X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were applied to confirm the validity of the synthesized NCs. From the synthesized NCs, nanofluids were prepared at different concentrations of 100-2000 ppm and characterized using electrical conductivity, IFT, and ST measurements. From the obtained results, it can be observed that 1000 ppm is the optimal concentration of the synthesized NCs that had the best performance in EOR applications. The nanofluid with 1000 ppm KCl / SiO2 / Xanthan NCs enabled reducing the IFT and ST from 33 and 70 to 29 and 40 mN/m, respectively. However, the contact angle was highly decreased under the influence of the same nanofluid to 41° and the oil recovery improved by an extra 17.05 % OOIP. To sum up, KCl / SiO2 / Xanthan NCs proved highly effective in altering the wettability of rocks from oil-wet to water-wet and increasing the cumulative oil production
Investigating the effect of [C8Py][Cl] and [C18Py][Cl] ionic liquids on the water/oil interfacial tension by considering Taguchi method
Get PDFCapillary and interfacial forces are of great influences of trapping hydrocarbon in porous media after primary and secondary recovery processes. The trapped crude oil in the reservoir can be mobilized and produced by reducing these forces. Thus, surfactant flooding, as a main enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method, is usually applied to reduce the interfacial tension (IFT) of crude oilâwater system in porous medium and improves the oil recovery. This study focused on the effect of [C8Py][Cl] and [C18Py][Cl] ionic liquids (ILs), as a new family of surfactant, in combination with various salts including sodium chloride, potassium chloride, magnesium sulfate and potassium sulfate on IFT reduction. EOR injection solutions were prepared from mixing the ILs at different concentrations of 100, 250, 500 and 1000 ppm with the salts ranging from 500 to 80,000 ppm. Obtained results showed that the minimum IFT value from both ILs was achieved when the concentration of the ILs was about 1000 g/mL, and the concentrations of KCl, K2SO4, MgSO4 and NaCl were 1000, 2000, 500 and 80,000 ppm, respectively. The minimum IFTs were achieved when NaCl and ILs concentrations were the maximum and MgSO4 concentration was the minimum
Hybrid Application of Nanoparticles and Polymer in Enhanced Oil Recovery Processes
Get PDFNowadays, the addition of nanoparticles to polymer solutions would be of interest; however, the feasible property of nanoparticles and their impact on oil recovery has not been investigated in more detail. This study investigates the rheology and capillary forces (interfacial tension and contact angle) of nanoparticles in the polymer performances during oil recovery processes. Thereby, a sequential injection of water, polymer, and nanoparticles; Nanosilica (SiO2) and nano-aluminium oxide (Al2O3) was performed to measure the oil recovery factor. Retention decrease, capillary forces reduction, and polymer viscoelastic behavior increase have caused improved oil recovery due to the feasible mobility ratio of polymerânanoparticle in fluid loss. The oil recovery factor for polymer flooding, polymerâAl2O3, and polymerâSiO2 is 58%, 63%, and 67%, respectively. Thereby, polymerâSiO2 flooding would provide better oil recovery than other scenarios that reduce the capillary force due to the structural disjoining pressure. According to the relative permeability curves, residual oil saturation (Sor) and water relative permeability (Krw) are 29% and 0.3%, respectively, for polymer solution; however, for the polymerânanoparticle solution, Sor and Krw are 12% and 0.005%, respectively. Polymer treatment caused a dramatic decrease, rather than the water treatment effect on the contact angle. The minimum contact angle for water and polymer treatment are about 21 and 29, respectively. The contact angle decrease for polymer treatment in the presence of nanoparticles related to the surface hydrophilicity increase. Therefore, after 2000 mg Lâ1 of SiO2 concentration, there are no significant changes in contact angle
Application of Green Polymeric Nanocomposites for Enhanced Oil Recovery by Spontaneous Imbibition from Carbonate Reservoirs
Get PDFThis study experimentally investigates the effect of green polymeric nanoparticles on the interfacial tension (IFT) and wettability of carbonate reservoirs to effectively change the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) parameters. This experimental study compares the performance of xanthan/magnetite/SiO2 nanocomposites (NC) and several green materials, i.e., eucalyptus plant nanocomposites (ENC) and walnut shell ones (WNC) on the oil recovery with performing series of spontaneous imbibition tests. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDAX), and BET (Brunauer, Emmett, and Teller) surface analysis tests are also applied to monitor the morphology and crystalline structure of NC, ENC, and WNC. Then, the IFT and contact angle (CA) were measured in the presence of these materials under various reservoir conditions and solvent salinities. It was found that both ENC and WNC nanocomposites decreased CA and IFT, but ENC performed better than WNC under different salinities, namely, seawater (SW), double diluted salted (2 SW), ten times diluted seawater (10 SW), formation water (FW), and distilled water (DIW), which were applied at 70 °C, 2000 psi, and 0.05 wt.% nanocomposites concentration. Based on better results, ENC nanofluid at salinity concentrations of 10 SW and 2 SW ENC were selected for the EOR of carbonate rocks under reservoir conditions. The contact angles of ENC nanocomposites at the salinities of 2 SW and 10 SW were 49 and 43.4°, respectively. Zeta potential values were â44.39 and â46.58 for 2 SW and 10 SW ENC nanofluids, which is evidence of the high stability of ENC nanocomposites. The imbibition results at 70 °C and 2000 psi with 0.05 wt.% ENC at 10 SW and 2 SW led to incremental oil recoveries of 64.13% and 60.12%, respectively, compared to NC, which was 46.16%.The publication of this article was funded by the Qatar National Library
Application of polymeric nanofluids for enhanced oil recovery in mid-permeability sandstone
Get PDFEnhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) processes are used to recover bypassed and residual oil trapped in a reservoir after primary and secondary recovery methods. Recently, polymeric nanofluid, a novel material formed from the incorporation of polymer and nanoparticle has gained prodigious attention and is proposed for EOR due to its sterling and fascinating properties. Nonetheless, previous studies have focussed more on the suitability of inorganic silica and non-metallic polymeric nanofluids (PNFs). Besides, the performance evaluation of PNFs on pore scale displacement efficiency remains obscure while the mechanistic understanding of this novel material for heavy oil recovery in typical reservoir conditions is elusive in literature. The aim of this study is to explore and exploit the effect of nanoparticles on rheological properties of partially hydrolysed polyacrylamide (HPAM) at varying electrolyte concentration and temperature conditions. Besides, IFT and wettability alteration potential of the PNFs in the presence of heavy oil were evaluated. Herein, two PNFs namely silicon dioxide (SiO2) and aluminium oxide (AhOs), formulated from the combination of the individual nanoparticles and HPAM were exclusively studied. The nanoparticles were characterised using transmission electron microscopy, while the formulated PNFs were characterised using Fourier transform infrared microscopy and thermo gravimetric analysis to determine the morphology and thermal stability respectively. The rheological properties of the PNFs and HPAM were determined using Brookfield RST. Furthermore, the behaviour of the PNFs and HPAM at oil-water interface was investigated using Kruss tensiometer. Moreover, the wettability effect of the fluids in sandstone cores was examined using DataPhysics optical contact angle equipment. Finally, heavy oil displacement in mid-permeability sandstone cores at typical reservoir condition was carried out using HPHT core flooding equipment. Experimental results show that the rheological properties improved while degradation of HPAM molecules was inhibited due to the addition of NPs. At 2,000 ppm HPAM solution (27 mol % hydrolysis degree), 0.1 wt.% NP concentration was found to be the optimal choice for AhO3 and SiO2 NP which gives rise to the highest viscosity on the rheological characterization. PNFs exhibited better steady shear viscosity performance under the different electrolyte concentration and temperature studied due to shielding effects. Besides, PNFs lowers IFT of heavy oil due to irreversible adsorption of the NPâs at the oil-water interface. Moreover, PNFâs alter wettability of sandstone cores from oil-wet to water-wet due to structural disjoining pressure mechanism. Field emission scanning electron microscope and energy-dispersive x-ray analysis confirm adsorption of nanoparticles on the sandstone cores. Finally, heavy oil displacement test in midpermeability sandstone cores showed that incremental oil recoveries of AhO3 and SiO2 PNFs at their optimum concentration were 10.6% and 6.1% respectively over HPAM. Physical filtration phenomena lowered the efficiency of the PNFâs at higher concentrations. The synergic combination of NPs and polymer resulted in enhanced properties of HPAM, hence, culminating in enhanced sweep and pore scale displacement efficiencies. This study is beneficial for extending the frontiers of knowledge in nanotechnology application for EOR
Experimental investigation into l-Arg and l-Cys eco-friendly surfactants in enhanced oil recovery by considering IFT reduction and wettability alteration
Get PDFSurfactant flooding is an important technique used to improve oil recovery from mature oil reservoirs due to minimizing the interfacial tension (IFT) between oil and water and/or altering the rock wettability toward water-wet using various surfactant agents including cationic, anionic, non-ionic, and amphoteric varieties. In this study, two amino-acid based surfactants, named lauroyl arginine (l-Arg) and lauroyl cysteine (l-Cys), were synthesized and used to reduce the IFT of oilâwater systems and alter the wettability of carbonate rocks, thus improving oil recovery from oil-wet carbonate reservoirs. The synthesized surfactants were characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and nuclear magnetic resonance analyses, and the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of surfactant solutions was determined using conductivity, pH, and turbidity techniques. Experimental results showed that the CMCs of l-Arg and l-Cys solutions were 2000 and 4500 ppm, respectively. It was found that using l-Arg and l-Cys solutions at their CMCs, the IFT and contact angle were reduced from 34.5 to 18.0 and 15.4 mN/m, and from 144° to 78° and 75°, respectively. Thus, the l-Arg and l-Cys solutions enabled approximately 11.9% and 8.9% additional recovery of OOIP (original oil in place). It was identified that both amino-acid surfactants can be used to improve oil recovery due to their desirable effects on the EOR mechanisms at their CMC ranges
Effect of environment-friendly non-ionic surfactant on interfacial tension reduction and wettability alteration; Implications for enhanced oil recovery
Get PDF© 2020 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. Production from mature oil reservoirs can be optimized by using the surfactant flooding technique. This can be achieved by reducing oil and water interfacial tension (IFT) and modifying wettability to hydrophilic conditions. In this study, a novel green non-ionic surfactant (dodecanoyl-glucosamine surfactant) was synthesized and used to modify the wettability of carbonate reservoirs to hydrophilic conditions as well as to decrease the IFT of hydrophobic oil-water systems. The synthesized non-ionic surfactant was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and chemical shift nuclear magnetic resonance (HNMR) analyses. Further pH, turbidity, density, and conductivity were investigated to measure the critical micelle concentration (CMC) of surfactant solutions. The result shows that this surfactant alters wettability from 148.93° to 65.54° and IFT from 30 to 14 dynes/cm. Core-flooding results have shown that oil recovery was increased from 40% (by water flooding) to 59% (by surfactant flooding). In addition, it is identified that this novel non-ionic surfactant can be used in CO2 storage applications due to its ability to alter the hydrophobicity into hydrophilicity of the reservoir rocks
Nanotechnology Application in Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery: Current Opinion and Recent Advances
Get PDFChemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has been adjudged as an efficient oil recovery technique to recover bypassed oil and residual oil trapped in the reservoir. This EOR method relies on the injection of chemicals to boost oil recovery. Recently, due to the limitations of the application of chemical EOR methods to reservoirs having elevated temperatures and high salinity and hardness concentrations, nanotechnology have been applied to enhance its efficiency and improve oil productivity. The synergistic combination of nanoparticles and conventional EOR chemicals has opened new routes for the synthesis and application of novel materials with sterling and fascinating properties. In this chapter, an up-to-date synopsis of nanotechnology applications in chemical EOR is discussed. A detailed explanation of the mechanism and applications of these novel methods for oil recovery are appraised and analyzed. Finally, experimental and laboratory results were outlined. This overview presents extensive information about new frontiers in chemical EOR applications for sustainable energy production
Effects of Diagenetic Alterations on Hydrocarbon Reservoirs and Water Aquifers
Get PDFReservoir quality (porosity and permeability) and heterogeneity in carbonate and siliciclastic hydrocarbon reservoirs and groundwater aquifers are significantly constrained by diagenetic processes, such as biological, chemical, biochemical, and mechanical changes, that occur in sediments subsequent to deposition and prior to low-grade metamorphism. Diagenesis, which has a variable but overall important impact on reservoir quality evolution, is controlled by several inter-related parameters. These parameters include the depositional composition of the sediments, depositional facies, sequence stratigraphy, pore water chemistry, burial history and tectonic setting of the basin, and paleoclimatic conditions.Carbonate and siliciclastic sediments often undergo multiple stages of diagenesis, which are related to complex patterns of burial-thermal history (subsidence and uplift) that are controlled by the tectonic evolution of the basin. Tectonic evolution of the basin is controlled by the position of the basin with respect to the type and activity along the plate boundaries. The episodes of burial and uplift may result in profound modifications in the pressureâtemperature regimes and in the extent of mineralâwater interaction, and hence in various phases of compaction, as well as mineral dissolution, recrystallization, transformation, and cementation. Diagenesis impacts reservoir quality in the following ways: (i) destruction by mechanical compaction and extensive cementation, (ii) preservation by prevention of mechanical and chemical compaction, or (iii) generation by dissolution of labile framework grains and intergranular cements
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