Increased Oil Recovery by Permeability Modification in High Perm Contrast Slim Tubes

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Scott Jackson ◽  
John Fisher ◽  
Robert Fallon ◽  
Joseph Norvell ◽  
Edwin Hendrickson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Permeability Modification ◽  
Increased Oil Recovery

Enhancing Heavy-Oil-Recovery Efficiency by Combining Low-Salinity-Water and Polymer Flooding

SPE Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Shize Yin ◽  
Randall S. Seright ◽  
Samson Ning ◽  
Yin Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Heavy Oil ◽  
High Salinity ◽  
Polymer Flooding ◽  
Heavy Oil Recovery ◽  
Sweep Efficiency ◽  
Low Salinity ◽  
Low Salinity Water ◽  
Salinity Water ◽  
Increased Oil Recovery

Summary Combining low-salinity-water (LSW) and polymer flooding was proposed to unlock the tremendous heavy-oil resources on the Alaska North Slope (ANS). The synergy of LSW and polymer flooding was demonstrated through coreflooding experiments at various conditions. The results indicate that the high-salinity polymer (HSP) (salinity = 27,500 ppm) requires nearly two-thirds more polymer than the low-salinity polymer (LSP) (salinity = 2,500 ppm) to achieve the target viscosity at the condition of this study. Additional oil was recovered from LSW flooding after extensive high-salinity-water (HSW) flooding [3 to 9% of original oil in place (OOIP)]. LSW flooding performed in secondary mode achieved higher recovery than that in tertiary mode. Also, the occurrence of water breakthrough can be delayed in the LSW flooding compared with the HSW flooding. Strikingly, after extensive LSW flooding and HSP flooding, incremental oil recovery (approximately 8% of OOIP) was still achieved by LSP flooding with the same viscosity as the HSP. The pH increase of the effluent during LSW/LSP flooding was significantly greater than that during HSW/HSP flooding, indicating the presence of the low-salinity effect (LSE). The residual-oil-saturation (Sor) reduction induced by the LSE in the area unswept during the LSW flooding (mainly smaller pores) would contribute to the increased oil recovery. LSP flooding performed directly after waterflooding recovered more incremental oil (approximately 10% of OOIP) compared with HSP flooding performed in the same scheme. Apart from the improved sweep efficiency by polymer, the low-salinity-induced Sor reduction also would contribute to the increased oil recovery by the LSP. A nearly 2-year pilot test in the Milne Point Field on the ANS has shown impressive success of the proposed hybrid enhanced-oil-recovery (EOR) process: water-cut reduction (70 to less than 15%), increasing oil rate, and no polymer breakthrough so far. This work has demonstrated the remarkable economical and technical benefits of combining LSW and polymer flooding in enhancing heavy-oil recovery.

The Features of Microwave Thermal Conversion of Oil Sludge

2012 ◽  
Vol 232 ◽  
pp. 788-791
Author(s):  
Wan Fu Wang ◽  
Guo Li ◽  
Xing Yue Yong ◽  
Peng Liu ◽  
Xiao Fei Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Treatment ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Rapid Heating ◽  
Thermal Conversion ◽  
Conversion Process ◽  
Oil Sludge ◽  
Microwave Drying ◽  
Microwave Pyrolysis ◽  
Light Oil ◽  
Increased Oil Recovery

The microwave thermal conversion process of oil sludge was studied. It was found that the microwave thermal conversion process of oil sludge consisted of 5 stages: rapid heating, microwave drying, microwave hydrocarbons evaporation, microwave pyrolysis and microwave calcining. Using the residue produced from the microwave thermal treatment of oil sludge as a microwave absorbent can significantly accelerate the conversion. However, it does not show significant effect on the features of microwave thermal conversion. Meanwhile, the addition of residue at appropriate percentages increased oil recovery rate. The non-condensable gases consist of H2 and C1~C5 hydrocarbons. The recovered oil was mainly produced at microwave evaporation and microwave pyrolysis stages, consisting of 89% light oil and 11% heavy oil.

Effect of Chromatographic Transport in Hexylamine on Displacement of Oil by Water in Porous Media

1964 ◽  
Vol 4 (03) ◽  
pp. 231-239 ◽  
Author(s):  
A.S. Michaels ◽  
Arnold Stancell ◽  
M.C. Porter
Keyword(s):  
Contact Angle ◽  
Porous Media ◽  
Interfacial Tension ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Water Flooding ◽  
Massachusetts Institute ◽  
Massachusetts Institute Of Technology ◽  
Displacement Efficiency ◽  
Institute Of Technology ◽  
Increased Oil Recovery

MICHAELS, A.S., MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. MEMBER AIME STANCELL, ARNOLD, MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. PORTER, M.C., MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, CAMBRIDGE, MASS. Abstract Previous laboratory studies have demonstrated that the injection of small quantities of reverse wetting agents during water displacement can increase oil recovery from unconsolidated porous media. In the present investigation, an attempt has been made to determine more fully the effects of reverse wetting treatments and to clarify the mechanism by which increased oil recovery is effected Water-oil displacements were performed in beds of 140–200 mesh silica sand. Hexylamine slugs (injected after 0.25 pore volume of water through put), when adequate in size and concentration, were effective in promoting additional oil recovery. Their effectiveness increased with the quantity of amine injected. However, slugs of sufficient size and concentration to stimulate oil production at water flow rates of 34 ft/day did not do so at 4 ft/day.Visual studies in a glass grid micromodel have shown that the stimulation of oil production, via aqueous bexylamine, is a result of transient changes in the oil wettability of the pore walls. If the am in e slug is of sufficient size and concentration to induce significant changes in the adhesion-tension, large continuous oil masses will be formed. If the superficial water velocity is high enough to result in rapid desorption of the am in e, a favorable "wettability gradient" may be established across the masses; under such conditions, high oil mobility is observed, and increased oil recovery results. Introduction It is generally agreed that the efficiency of oil displacement by water in porous media is limited in part by capillary forces which cause the retention of isolated masses of oil - resulting in the so-called "irreducible minimum oil saturation". Recent estimates indicate that there are about 220 billion bbl of petroleum in United States reservoirs which are not economically recoverable with present techniques (such as water flooding). This amounts to almost five times the known recoverable reserves. It has been recognized for some time that a suitable alteration in the water-oil interfacial tension and/or the contact angle, as measured between the water-oil interface and the solid surface, should result in better displacement efficiency. Surface active agents can be used as interfacial tension depressants to accomplish this objective, but unfortunately, the additional oil recovery is seldom commensurate with the treatment cost.In contrast to interfacial tension depressants, the effect of contact angle alterations on water- oil displacements has received relatively little attention in the literature. It is known that the wettability affects the displacement process. Displacements in water-wet systems generally result in lower residual oil saturations than those in oil-wet systems. The effect of "transient" wettability alterations concurrent with the displacement process have been investigated by Wagner, Leach and coworkers, wherein it has been demonstrated that the establishment of water- wet conditions during water flooding of oil-wet, oil-saturated porous media is accompanied by significant increase in oil displacement efficiency. Michaels and Timmins studied the effects of transient contact angle alterations resulting from chromatographic transport of reverse wetting agents through unconsolidated sand. It was demonstrated that chromatographic transport of short-chain (C4 through C8) primary aliphatic amines can improve oil recovery and that the recovery increases with the quantity of amine injected (i.e., with either the amine concentration or the volume of the slug injected). Circumstantial evidence indicated that the increased displacement efficiency resulted primarily from transient changes in wettability of the porous medium.In the present investigation, additional information has been obtained on the effects of reverse wetting treatments and the mechanism by which increased oil recovery is accomplished. SPEJ P. 231^

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