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13 pages, 3166 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Carbonyl and Hydroxyl Compounds on Swelling Factor, Interfacial Tension, and Viscosity in CO₂ Injection: A Case Study on Aromatic Oils

by Asep Kurnia Permadi, Egi Adrian Pratama, Andri Luthfi Lukman Hakim and Doddy Abdassah

Processes 2021, 9(1), 94; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr9010094 - 04 Jan 2021

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2341

Abstract

A factor influencing the effectiveness of CO₂ injection is miscibility. Besides the miscible injection, CO₂ may also contribute to oil recovery improvement by immiscible injection through modifying several properties such as oil swelling, viscosity reduction, and the lowering of interfacial tension [...] Read more.

A factor influencing the effectiveness of CO₂ injection is miscibility. Besides the miscible injection, CO₂ may also contribute to oil recovery improvement by immiscible injection through modifying several properties such as oil swelling, viscosity reduction, and the lowering of interfacial tension (IFT). Moreover, CO₂ immiscible injection performance is also expected to be improved by adding some solvent. However, there are a lack of studies identifying the roles of solvent in assisting CO₂ injection through observing those properties simultaneously. This paper explains the effects of CO₂–carbonyl and CO₂–hydroxyl compounds mixture injection on those properties, and also the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) experimentally by using VIPS (refers to viscosity, interfacial tension, pressure–volume, and swelling) apparatus, which has a capability of measuring those properties simultaneously within a closed system. Higher swelling factor, lower viscosity, IFT and MMP are observed from a CO₂–propanone/acetone mixture injection. The role of propanone and ethanol is more significant in Sample A1, which has higher molecular weight (MW) of C7+ and lower composition of C1–C4, than that in the other Sample A9. The solvents accelerate the ways in which CO₂ dissolves and extracts oil, especially the extraction of the heavier component left in the swelling cell. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Polymer-Coated Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery)

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14 pages, 5572 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Effect of Wettability and Flow Rate on Oil Displacement Using Polymer-Coated Silica Nanoparticles: A Microfluidic Study

by Mohamed Omran, Salem Akarri and Ole Torsaeter

Processes 2020, 8(8), 991; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8080991 - 15 Aug 2020

Cited by 25 | Viewed by 4640

Abstract

Polymer-coated silica nanoparticles (PSiNPs) have been experimentally investigated in core- and micro-scale studies for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Wettability and flow rate have a considerable effect on oil displacement in porous media. This work investigates the efficiency of PSiNPs for oil recovery on [...] Read more.

Polymer-coated silica nanoparticles (PSiNPs) have been experimentally investigated in core- and micro-scale studies for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Wettability and flow rate have a considerable effect on oil displacement in porous media. This work investigates the efficiency of PSiNPs for oil recovery on micro-scale at three wettability states (water-wet, intermediate-wet, and oil-wet). In addition, a cluster mobilization regime is considered in all experiments. A microfluidic approach was utilized to perform flooding experiments with constant experimental settings such as flowrate, pore-structure, initial oil topology, porosity, and permeability. In this study, the wettability of the microfluidic chips was altered to have three states of wettability. Firstly, a micro-scale study (brine-oil-glass system) of each wettability condition effect on flow behavior was conducted via monitoring dynamic changes in the oleic phase. Secondly, the obtained results were used as a basis to understand the changes induced by the PSiNPs while flooding at the same conditions. The experimental data were extracted by means of image processing and analysis at a high spatial and temporal resolution. Low injection rate experiments (corresponding to ~1.26 m/day in reservoir) in a brine-oil-glass system showed that the waterflood invaded with a more stable front with a slower displacement velocity in the water-wet state compared to the other states, which had water channeling through the big pores. As a result, a faster stop of the dynamic changes for the intermediate- and oil-wet state was observed, leading to lower oil recoveries compared to the water-wet state. In a cluster mobilization regime, dynamic changes were noticeable only for the oil-wet condition. For the aforementioned different conditions, PSiNPs improved oil displacement efficiency. The usage of PSiNPs showed a better clusterization efficiency, leading to a higher mobilization, smaller remaining oil clusters, and lower connectivity of the residual oil. The knowledge from this experimental work adds to the understanding of the behavior of polymer-coated silica nanoparticles as a recovery agent at different wettability states and a cluster mobilization regime. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Polymer-Coated Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery)

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21 pages, 3993 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Enhancing the Performance of HPAM Polymer Flooding Using Nano CuO/Nanoclay Blend

by Saket Kumar, Roshan Tiwari, Maen Husein, Nitesh Kumar and Upendra Yadav

Processes 2020, 8(8), 907; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8080907 - 01 Aug 2020

Cited by 21 | Viewed by 4577

Abstract

A single polymer flooding is a widely employed enhanced oil recovery method, despite polymer vulnerability to shear and thermal degradation. Nanohybrids, on the other hand, resist degradation and maintain superior rheological properties at different shear rates. In this article, the effect of coupling [...] Read more.

A single polymer flooding is a widely employed enhanced oil recovery method, despite polymer vulnerability to shear and thermal degradation. Nanohybrids, on the other hand, resist degradation and maintain superior rheological properties at different shear rates. In this article, the effect of coupling CuO nanoparticles (NPs) and nanoclay with partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) polymer solution on the rheological properties and the recovery factor of the nanohybrid fluid was assessed. The results confirmed that the NP agents preserved the polymer chains from degradation under mechanical, chemical (i.e., salinity), and thermal stresses and maintained good extent of entanglement among the polymer chains, leading to a strong viscoelastic attribute, in addition to the pseudoplastic behavior. The NP additives increased the viscosity of the HPAM polymer at shear rates varying from 10–100 s⁻¹. The rheological properties of the nanohybrid systems varied with the NP additive content, which in turn provided a window for engineering a nanohybrid system with a proper mobility ratio and scaling coefficient, while avoiding injectivity issues. Sandpack flooding tests confirmed the superior performance of the optimized nanohybrid system and showed a 39% improvement in the recovery ratio relative to the HPAM polymer injection. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Polymer-Coated Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery)

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19 pages, 6974 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Study on the Water/Polymer Co-Flooding Seepage Law and Reasonable Polymer Injection Volume in Offshore Oilfields

by Jiwei Wang, Liyang Song, Kaoping Song, Chi Dong, Lingyu Tian and Gang Chen

Processes 2020, 8(5), 515; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8050515 - 27 Apr 2020

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2022

Abstract

To analyze the water/polymer co-flooding seepage law in offshore oilfields, we took the Jinzhou 9-3 oilfield as an example, analyzed the dynamic characteristics of water/polymer co-flooding, and then applied streamline simulation and tracer simulation technology to obtain the water/polymer co-flooding seepage law. The [...] Read more.

To analyze the water/polymer co-flooding seepage law in offshore oilfields, we took the Jinzhou 9-3 oilfield as an example, analyzed the dynamic characteristics of water/polymer co-flooding, and then applied streamline simulation and tracer simulation technology to obtain the water/polymer co-flooding seepage law. The interference degree of the water/polymer co-flooding was quantified, and the accuracy of the seepage law was tested. Finally, a reasonable polymer injection volume was obtained using the economic law. The results demonstrated that the water-cut of the Jinzhou 9-3 oilfield in the water/polymer co-flooding stage was high, the annual decrease of polymer store ratio increased by 2.02 times, and the swept area of polymer was limited to some extent. Mutual interference existed in the water/polymer flooding, and the oil increment of per ton polymer decreased by 36.5%. In the late stage of the water/polymer co-flooding, the utilization rate of water and polymer was low, and the plane swept area and vertical swept volume were small. If the oil price was 50 dollars/bbl, when the output-input ratio was set at 1, the reasonable polymer injection volume was 0.59 PV, and the continuous polymer injection volume was 0.29 PV in the water/polymer co-flooding stage. The study results could improve the development benefit of the Jinzhou 9-3 oilfield, and they could also provide the references for the development of the same type oilfield. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Polymer-Coated Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery)

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12 pages, 3941 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Ketone Solvent to Reduce the Minimum Miscibility Pressure for CO₂ Flooding at the South Sumatra Basin, Indonesia

by Adi Novriansyah, Wisup Bae, Changhyup Park, Asep K. Permadi and Shabrina Sri Riswati

Processes 2020, 8(3), 360; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8030360 - 21 Mar 2020

Cited by 7 | Viewed by 3361

Abstract

This paper experimentally analyzes the chemical additives, i.e., methanol and ethanol, as alcohol solvents, and acetone as a ketone solvent, and the temperature influencing the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) that is essential to design miscible CO₂ flooding at an oil field, the [...] Read more.

This paper experimentally analyzes the chemical additives, i.e., methanol and ethanol, as alcohol solvents, and acetone as a ketone solvent, and the temperature influencing the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) that is essential to design miscible CO₂ flooding at an oil field, the South Sumatra basin, Indonesia. The experiments were designed to measure CO₂-oil interfacial tension with the vanishing interfacial tension (VIT) method in the ranges up to 3000 psi (208.6 bar) and 300 degrees Celsius. The experiment results show that lower temperatures, larger solvent volumes, and the acetone were effective in reducing MMP. The acetone, an aprotic ketone solvent, reduced MMP more than the methanol and the ethanol in the CO₂-oil system. The high temperature was negative to obtain the high CO₂ solubility into the oil as well as the lower MMP. The experimental results confirm that the aprotic ketone solvent could be effective in decreasing the MMP for the design of miscible CO₂ flooding at the shallow mature oilfields with a low reservoir temperature. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Polymer-Coated Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery)

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20 pages, 2558 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Stability of Produced Water from Alkali/Surfactant/Polymer Flooding under the Synergetic Effect of Quartz Sand Particles and Oil Displacement Agents

by Bin Huang, Chen Wang, Weisen Zhang, Cheng Fu, Haibo Liu and Hongwei Wang

Processes 2020, 8(3), 315; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8030315 - 09 Mar 2020

Cited by 9 | Viewed by 2570

Abstract

With the wide application of ASP (alkali/surfactant/polymer) flooding oil recovery technology, the produced water from ASP flooding has increased greatly. The clay particles carried by crude oil in the process of flow have a synergetic effect with oil displacement agents in the produced [...] Read more.

With the wide application of ASP (alkali/surfactant/polymer) flooding oil recovery technology, the produced water from ASP flooding has increased greatly. The clay particles carried by crude oil in the process of flow have a synergetic effect with oil displacement agents in the produced water, which increases the treatment difficulty of produced water. The stability of produced water is decided by the stability of oil droplets in the ASP-flooding-produced water system. The oil content, Zeta potential, interfacial tension and oil droplet size are important parameters to characterize the stability of produced water. In this paper, the changes of the oil content, Zeta potential, interfacial tension and oil droplet size of ASP flooding oily wastewater under the synergetic effect of different concentrations of quartz sand particles and oil displacement agents were studied by laboratory experiments. The experimental results show that the negatively charged quartz sand particles can absorb active substances in crude oil and surfactant molecules in the water phase and migrate to the oil–water interface, which increases the repulsion between quartz sand particles, decreasing the oil–water interfacial tension. Thus, the stability of oil droplets is enhanced, and the aggregation difficulty between oil droplets and quartz sand particles is increased. With the continually increasing quartz sand concentration, quartz sand particles combine with surfactant molecules adsorbed on the oil–water interface to form an aggregate. Meanwhile, the polymer molecules crimp from the stretching state, and the number of them surrounding the surface of the flocculation structure is close to saturation, which makes the oil droplets and quartz sand particles prone to aggregation, and the carried active substances desorb from the interface, resulting in the instability of the produced water system. The research on the synergetic effect between quartz sand particles and oil displacement agents is of great significance for deepening the treatment of ASP-produced water. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Polymer-Coated Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery)

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21 pages, 2304 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Study on the Effect of ASP Flooding on Improving Oil Recovery in Low Permeability Reservoirs Based on a Partial Quality Tool

by Bin Huang, Xinyu Hu, Cheng Fu and Quan Zhou

Processes 2020, 8(3), 296; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8030296 - 05 Mar 2020

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2683

Abstract

In order to solve the problem of the poor oil displacement effect of high molecular weight alkali/surfactant/polymer (ASP) solution in low permeability reservoirs, Daqing Oilfield uses a partial quality tool to improve the oil displacement effect in low permeability reservoirs. In the formation, [...] Read more.

In order to solve the problem of the poor oil displacement effect of high molecular weight alkali/surfactant/polymer (ASP) solution in low permeability reservoirs, Daqing Oilfield uses a partial quality tool to improve the oil displacement effect in low permeability reservoirs. In the formation, the partial quality tool degrades the polymer through active shearing action, reducing the molecular weight of the polymer, to improve the matching degree to the low permeability oil layer and the oil recovery. In order to study the ability of the partial quality tool to improve the oil displacement effect, the matching degree of high molecular weight ASP solution to low permeability cores is studied, and the ability of quality control tools to change the molecular weight is studied. Then, experimental research on the pressure and oil displacement effect of high molecular weight ASP solution before and after the actions of the partial quality tool is carried out. The results show that ASP solutions with molecular weights of 1900 × 10⁴ and 2500 × 10⁴ have a poor oil displacement effect in low permeability reservoirs. After the action of the partial quality tool, the injection pressure is reduced by 5.22 MPa, and the oil recovery is increased by 7.79%. The injection pressure of the ASP solution after shearing by the partial quality tool is lower than that of the ASP solution with the same molecular weight and concentration without shearing, but the oil recovery is lower. On the whole, the use of the partial quality tool can obviously improve the oil displacement effect in low permeability reservoirs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Polymer-Coated Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery)

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Review

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17 pages, 3968 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperReview

Nanotechnology in Enhanced Oil Recovery

by Goshtasp Cheraghian, Sara Rostami and Masoud Afrand

Processes 2020, 8(9), 1073; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8091073 - 01 Sep 2020

Cited by 84 | Viewed by 9105

Abstract

Nanoparticles (NPs) are known as important nanomaterials for a broad range of commercial and research applications owing to their physical characteristics and properties. Currently, the demand for NPs for use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is very high. The use of NPs can [...] Read more.

Nanoparticles (NPs) are known as important nanomaterials for a broad range of commercial and research applications owing to their physical characteristics and properties. Currently, the demand for NPs for use in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is very high. The use of NPs can drastically benefit EOR by changing the wettability of the rock, improving the mobility of the oil drop and decreasing the interfacial tension (IFT) between oil/water. This paper focuses on a review of the application of NPs in the flooding process, the effect of NPs on wettability and the IFT. The study also presents a review of several investigations about the most common NPs, their physical and mechanical properties and benefits in EOR. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Polymer-Coated Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery)

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60 pages, 48506 KiB

Open AccessReview

A Review on the Control Parameters of Natural Convection in Different Shaped Cavities with and without Nanofluid

by Sara Rostami, Saeed Aghakhani, Ahmad Hajatzadeh Pordanjani, Masoud Afrand, Goshtasp Cheraghian, Hakan F. Oztop and Mostafa Safdari Shadloo

Processes 2020, 8(9), 1011; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/pr8091011 - 19 Aug 2020

Cited by 101 | Viewed by 6956

Abstract

Natural convection in cavities is an interesting subject for many researchers. Especially, in recent years, the number of articles written in this regard has grown enormously. This work provides a review of recent natural convection studies. At first, experimental studies were reviewed and, [...] Read more.

Natural convection in cavities is an interesting subject for many researchers. Especially, in recent years, the number of articles written in this regard has grown enormously. This work provides a review of recent natural convection studies. At first, experimental studies were reviewed and, then, numerical studies were examined. Then, the articles were classified based on effective parameters. In each section, numerical studies were examined the parameters added to the cavity such as magnetic forces, fin, porous media and cavity angles. Moreover, studies on non-rectangular cavities were investigated. Free convection in enclosures depends more on the fluid velocity relative to the forced convection, leading to the opposite effect of some parameters that should essentially enhance rate of heat transfer. Nanoparticle addition, magnetic fields, fins, and porous media may increase forced convection. However, they can reduce free convection due to the reduction in fluid velocity. Thus, these parameters need more precision and sometimes need the optimization of effective parameters. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on the Polymer-Coated Nanoparticles for Enhanced Oil Recovery)

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