Impact of physical phenomena and cyclical reinjection in miscible CO2-WAG recovery in carbonate reservoirs

Carbonated reservoirs with high percentage of CO2 have been discovered and produced in the Brazilian pre-salt cluster. Recovery techniques, such as CO2-WAG, have hence been evaluated and applied, as in the Lula field. Although studies demonstrate the advantages of this technique, it is still difficult to estimate an increase in oil recovery. Thus, this work presents a methodology to evaluate the impacts of the main phenomena that occur and how CO2 recycling can benefit the management of these fields. The results showed an increase in recovery with the modeling of the main phenomena such as relative permeability hysteresis and aqueous solubility of CO2, accompanied by a significant increase in CO2 injection. However, the recycling of the CO2 produced was shown to be fundamental in the reduction in this injection and to increase the NPV. The results showed a 4% increase in oil production and 9% in NPV, considering a producer–injector pair.

X-ray induced fragmentation of size-selected salt cluster-ions stored in an ion trap

A method combining X-ray synchrotron radiation and mass spectrometry is presented. Ammonium bisulphate cluster ions in an ion trap exhibit well-defined core-level absorption edges in the fragment-ion abundance spectra.

9.13 Inch Gas Export Flexible Pipe Prototype Development for Ultra Deep Water Projects in the Brazilian Pre-Salt Area

Although commercial operation of the Brazilian pre-salt cluster has already commenced with both the TUPI EWT and the TUPI Pilot projects employing both 4-inch and 6-inch flexible pipes, forthcoming developments will require the consolidation of large diameter pipeline technology to make fluid exportation feasible, since the pre-salt cluster is located approximately 300km offshore in water depths reaching up to 2500m. This paper discusses the main technological challenges and summarizes the development process of a 9.13-inch flexible pipe designed to function within the operating envelope expected for the TUPI Pilot project.