scholarly journals Freezing in porous media: Phase behavior, dynamics and transport phenomena

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Wettlaufer
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Phase Behavior ◽  
Transport Phenomena ◽  
Behavior Dynamics

Solvent Flooding Displacement Efficiency in Relation to Ternary Phase Behavior

1972 ◽  
Vol 12 (02) ◽  
pp. 89-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmad H.M. Totonji ◽  
S.M. Farouq Ali
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Porous Media ◽  
Phase Behavior ◽  
Ternary Phase ◽  
Ternary Systems ◽  
Ternary Mixtures ◽  
Displacement Mechanism ◽  
Irreducible Water Saturation ◽  
Experimental Runs

Abstract The chief objective of the study was to exercise control on the system phase behavior through the use of mixtures of two alcohols exhibiting opposite phase behavior characteristics in the alcohol-hydrocarbon-water system involved. Such systems were employed in displacements in porous media to ascertain their effectiveness. Introduction Displacement of oil and water in a porous medium by a mutually miscible alcohol or other solvent has been the subject of numerous investigations. This process, in spite of its limited scope as an oil recovery method, has certain mechanistic features that are of value in gaining an understanding of some of the newer recovery techniques (e.g., the Maraflood* process). The works of Gatlin and Slobod, proposing piston-like displacement of oil and water by a miscible alcohol; of Taber et al., describing the displacement mechanism in terms of the ternary phase behavior involved; and of Holm and Csaszar, defining displacement mechanism in terms of phase velocity ratio, are major contributions in this area. In a later work, Taber and Meyer suggested the addition of small amounts of oil and water (as the case may be) to the alcohol used for displacement, since this helped to obtain piston-like displacements with systems that are usually characterized by the efficient displacement of either oil or water. APPARATUS, EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURE, AND SIMULATOR PROCEDURE, AND SIMULATOR The procedure employed for determining the equilibrium phase behavior of ternary systems involved the titration of a hydrocarbon-water (or brine) mixture by the particular solvent (pure alcohol, or alcohol mixture) for the determination of the binodal curve, and the analysis by refractive index measurement of ternary mixtures having known compositions for the determination of the tie lines. Since the procedure is valid for strictly ternary systems, its use in this case where essentially quaternary systems are involved would yield the total alcohol content rather than the correct proportion of each alcohol. The ternary diagrams presented should be viewed with this limitation in mind. presented should be viewed with this limitation in mind. The apparatus used for experimental runs in porous media consisted of a positive displacement Ruska pump and a core encased in a steel pipe. Suitable sampling apparatus and auxiliary equipment were employed. Most runs consisted of injecting a slug of the particular solvent into a core initially containing a residual oil (waterflood) or irreducible water saturation, at a constant rate, and then following the slug by water or brine. The effluent samples collected were analyzed for the hydrocarbon, water and alcohol in order to plot the production histories. Complete experimental details and fluid production histories. Complete experimental details and fluid properties are given in Ref. 6. Table 1 lists the properties properties are given in Ref. 6. Table 1 lists the properties of the porous media used. Computer simulations of some of the experimental runs, as well as exploratory simulations, were carried out using the method earlier reported. The method basically consists in the representation of a porous medium by a certain number of cells containing immobile oil (or oleic) and water (or aqueous) fractions into which alcohol is injected in a stepwise manner allowing for phase changes. SPEJ P. 89

Surfactant Retention in Berea Sandstone- Effects of Phase Behavior and Temperature

1982 ◽  
Vol 22 (06) ◽  
pp. 962-970 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Novosad
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Crude Oil ◽  
Phase Behavior ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Liquid Interface ◽  
Divalent Ions ◽  
Surfactant Precipitation ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Solid Liquid Interface ◽  
Solid Liquid

Novosad, J., SPE, Petroleum Recovery Inst. Abstract Experimental procedures designed to differentiate between surfactant retained in porous media because of adsorption and surfactant retained because Of unfavorable phase behavior are developed and tested with three types of surfactants. Several series of experiments with systematic changes in one variable such as surfactant/cosurfactant ratio, slug size, or temperature are performed, and overall surfactant retention then is interpreted in terms of adsorption and losses caused by unfavorable phase behavior. Introduction Adsorption of surfactants considered for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications has been studied extensively in the last few years since it has been shown that it is possible to develop surfactant systems that displace oil from porous media almost completely when used in large quantities. Effective oil recovery by surfactants is not a question of principle but rather a question of economics. Since surfactants are more expensive than crude oil, development of a practical EOR technology depends on how much surfactant can be sacrificed economically while recovering additional crude oil from a reservoir.It was recognized earlier that adsorption may be only one of a number of factors that contribute to total surfactant retention. Other mechanisms may include surfactant entrapment in an immobile oil phase surfactant precipitation by divalent ions, surfactant precipitation caused by a separation of the cosurfactant from the surfactant, and surfactant precipitation resulting from chromatographic separation of different surfactant specks. The principal objective of this work is to evaluate the experimental techniques that can be used for measuring surfactant adsorption and to study experimentally two mechanisms responsible for surfactant retention. Specifically, we try to differentiate between the adsorption of surfactants at the solid/liquid interface and the retention of the surfactants because of trapping in the immobile hydrocarbon phase that remains within the core following a surfactant flood. Measurement of Adsorption at the Solid/Liquid Interface Previous adsorption measurements of surfactants considered for EOR produced adsorption isotherms of unusual shapes and unexpected features. Primarily, an adsorption maximum was observed when total surfactant retention was plotted against the concentration of injected surfactant. Numerous explanations have been offered for these peaks, such as a formation of mixed micelles, the effects of structure-forming and structurebreaking cations, and the precipitation and consequent redissolution of divalent ions. It is difficult to assess which of these effects is responsible for the peaks in a particular situation and their relative importance. However, in view of the number of physicochemical processes taking place simultaneously and the large number of components present in most systems, it seems that we should not expect smooth monotonically increasing isotherms patterned after adsorption isothemes obtained with one pure component and a solvent. Also, it should be realized that most experimental procedures do not yield an amount of surfactant adsorbed but rather a measure of the surface excess.An adsorption isotherm, expressed in terms of the surface excess as a function of an equilibrium surfactant concentration, by definition must contain a maximum if the data are measured over a sufficiently wide range of concentrations. SPEJ P. 962^

Slip effects associated with Knudsen transport phenomena in porous media

Cryogenics ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 28 (2) ◽  
pp. 110-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.H.K. Frederking ◽  
W.A. Hepler ◽  
P.K. Khandhar
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Transport Phenomena ◽  
Slip Effects ◽  
Knudsen Transport
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