Petroleum Engineering – Reservoir
Seyed Reza Shadizadeh; Amin Derakhshan
Abstract
Oil recovery from oil-wet carbonate rock is a significant challenge in the oil industry. The present study investigates the influence of the natural surfactant Hawthorn leaves extract (HLE) on oil recovery from carbonate rock. Two chemical surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyl tri methyl ...
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Oil recovery from oil-wet carbonate rock is a significant challenge in the oil industry. The present study investigates the influence of the natural surfactant Hawthorn leaves extract (HLE) on oil recovery from carbonate rock. Two chemical surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and dodecyl tri methyl ammonium bromide (DTAB), were used to validate and compare oil recovery with the new natural surfactant HLE. A wettability alteration test using the contact angle method, an interfacial test (IFT) using pendant drop, and core flooding were employed to investigate the behavior of the surfactants on oil recovery. The experimental results show that the critical micellar concentration (CMC) point of different concentrations of HLE, SDS, and DTAB solution occurs at 3.25, 3.00, and 4.06 wt %, respectively. In wettability alteration, the natural surfactant HLE is more effective than other chemical surfactants (SDS and DTAB) at the CMC point. As observed, the contact angle of the carbonate pellet and the HLE at the CMC point is 86°, and this angle for SDS and DTAB is 112° and 92°, respectively. The core flooding results show that the oil recovery factor improves from 37% with water flooding to 47.6% with SDS, 56.2% with DTAB, and 54.7% with HLE. The results prove that this new natural surfactant (HLE) can be used as a novel surfactant for the chemically enhanced oil recovery process in carbonate oil reservoirs. HLE has beneficial effects in oil recovery because of its environment friendly compared to SDS and DTAB.
Petroleum Engineering
Mehdi Rezaei Abiz; Saeid Norouzi Apourvari; Saeed Jafari; Mahin Schaffie
Abstract
Although experimental studies confirmed the effectiveness of nanoparticles in enhanced oil recovery applications, no comprehensive investigation has been carried out to reveal the effect of different subsurface factors on this improvement. Proper application of nanoparticles mainly depends on their ability ...
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Although experimental studies confirmed the effectiveness of nanoparticles in enhanced oil recovery applications, no comprehensive investigation has been carried out to reveal the effect of different subsurface factors on this improvement. Proper application of nanoparticles mainly depends on their ability to travel long distances within a reservoir without agglomeration, retention, and blocking the pore throats. This study strengthens our understanding of the effect of the main subsurface factors on the nanofluid-assisted enhanced oil recovery. To this end, a transport approach utilizing the kinetic Langmuir model is developed and validated using experimental data. After that, the effects of reservoir rock type and its properties (clay content and grain size), the salinity of injected fluid, and the reservoir temperature on the transport and retention of nanoparticles in porous media concerning enhanced oil recovery methods are investigated. Since the concentration of nanoparticles in the injected fluid and on the rock surface (as deposited) control the mobility and wettability alteration, the effect of subsurface factors and salinity of injected fluid on this deposition is also analyzed. The results showed that the rock type and its properties significantly affect the transport and retention of nanoparticles in porous media. Brine salinity also has the most significant impact on the amount of nanoparticles deposited on the rock surface. The surface covered by nanoparticles increased from 10% to 82% after changing salinity from 3 wt % NaCl to the API brine.
Petroleum Engineering – Reservoir
Seyed Reza Shadizadeh; Seyed Ramin Seyedi Abandankashi; Siyamak Moradi
Abstract
In recent years, the use of natural surfactants as surface active agents in chemical methods of oil recovery over chemical surfactants has been under consideration due to the absence of environmental problems. In this study, a new plant, Albizia julibressin (Albizia), was introduced as a natural surfactant. ...
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In recent years, the use of natural surfactants as surface active agents in chemical methods of oil recovery over chemical surfactants has been under consideration due to the absence of environmental problems. In this study, a new plant, Albizia julibressin (Albizia), was introduced as a natural surfactant. Our novelty resides in a unified approach that deals with the introduction of Albizia julibressin (Albizia) as a new natural surfactant, interpretation of the chemical EOR objectives, interface reactions, and the induced optimization to improve oil recovery. For this purpose, the plant was extracted using Soxhlet extraction method, aqueous base solutions and interfacial tension between natural surfactant aqueous solutions and kerosene as an oil phase were measured by pendant drop method. The critical micelle concentration structures formed by this material has been determined by interfacial tension tests and confirmed by electrical conductivity tests. The results show that Albizia extract at 3.5 wt% begins to form micelles structures, which is the critical concentration of Albizia plant micelles. At this concentration, the interfacial tension between the deionized water and the oil phase is reduced from 34 mN /m to 10 mN/m, which indicates a significant decrease in interfacial tension by this plant. Carbonate rock was employed to core flooding experiments in order to investigate the effect of Albizia extract (AE) on oil recovery. Also based on results, by using AE, wettability of oil-wet carbonate rocks, was altered from about 165.02◦ to 86.59◦. Finally, AE enhanced ultimate oil recovery about 11.6% of original oil in place in tertiary recovery for a carbonate rock.
Petroleum Engineering – Production
Alimorad Rashidi; Alireza Solaimany Nazar; Hamideh Radnia
Abstract
In this paper, the potentials of using particles, especially nanoparticles, in enhanced oil recovery is investigated. The effect of different nanoparticles on wettability alteration, which is an important method to increase oil recovery from oil-wet reservoirs, is reviewed. The effect of different kinds ...
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In this paper, the potentials of using particles, especially nanoparticles, in enhanced oil recovery is investigated. The effect of different nanoparticles on wettability alteration, which is an important method to increase oil recovery from oil-wet reservoirs, is reviewed. The effect of different kinds of particles, namely solid inorganic particles, hydrophilic or hydrophobic nanoparticles, and amphiphilic nanohybrids on emulsion formation (which is cited as a contributing factor in crude oil recovery) and emulsion stability is described. The potential of nanohybrids for simultaneously acting as emulsion stabilizers and transporters for catalytic species of in situ reactions in reservoirs is also reviewed. Finally, the application of nanoparticles in core flooding experiments is classified based on the dominant mechanism which causes an increase in oil recovery from cores. However, the preparation of homogeneous suspensions of nanoparticles is a technical challenge when using nanoparticles in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Future researches need to focus on finding out the proper functionalities of nanoparticles to improve their stability under harsh conditions of reservoirs.
Masoumeh Tajmiri; Seyed Mousa Mousavi; Mohammad Reza Ehsani; Emad Roayaei; Ali Emadi
Abstract
Efforts to enhance oil recovery through wettability alteration by nanoparticles have been attracted in recent years. However, many basic questions have been ambiguous up until now. Nanoparticles penetrate into pore volume of porous media, stick on the core surface, and by creating homogeneous water-wet ...
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Efforts to enhance oil recovery through wettability alteration by nanoparticles have been attracted in recent years. However, many basic questions have been ambiguous up until now. Nanoparticles penetrate into pore volume of porous media, stick on the core surface, and by creating homogeneous water-wet area, cause to alter wettability. This work introduces the new concept of adding ZnO nanoparticles by an experimental work on wettability alteration and oil recovery through spontaneous imbibition mechanism. Laboratory tests were conducted in two experimental steps on four cylindrical core samples (three sandstones and one carbonate) taken from a real Iranian heavy oil reservoir in Amott cell. In the first step, the core samples were saturated by crude oil. Next, the core samples were flooded with nanoparticles and saturated by crude oil for about two weeks. Then, the core samples were immersed in distilled water and the amount of recovery was monitored during 30 days for both steps. The experimental results showed that oil recovery for three sandstone cores changed from 20.74, 4.3, and 3.5% of original oil in place (OOIP) in the absence of nanoparticles to 36.2, 17.57, and 20.68% of OOIP when nanoparticles were added respectively. Moreover, for the carbonate core, the recovery changed from zero to 8.89% of OOIP by adding nanoparticles. By the investigation of relative permeability curves, it was found that by adding ZnO nanoparticles, the crossover-point of curves shifted to the right for both sandstone and carbonate cores, which meant wettability was altered to water- wet. This study, for the first time, illustrated the remarkable role of ZnO nanoparticles in wettability alteration toward more water-wet for both sandstone and carbonate cores and enhancing oil recovery.
Mohsen Seid Mohammadi; Jamshid Moghadasi; Amin Kordestany
Abstract
Wettability alteration is an important method for increasing oil recovery from oil-wet carbonate reservoirs. Chemical agents like surfactants are known as wettability modifiers in carbonate systems. Oil can be recovered from initially oil-wet carbonate reservoirs by wettability alteration from oil-wet ...
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Wettability alteration is an important method for increasing oil recovery from oil-wet carbonate reservoirs. Chemical agents like surfactants are known as wettability modifiers in carbonate systems. Oil can be recovered from initially oil-wet carbonate reservoirs by wettability alteration from oil-wet to water-wet condition with adding dilute surfactant and electrolyte solutions. This paper investigates the effects of brine concentration, surfactant concentration, and the pH of injection water on the wettability alteration of carbonate reservoirs by different class of surfactants. Scanning electron microscopy images verified the formation of surfactant layer surfaces and the adsorption of surfactant molecules on the rock. The results revealed that TX-100, as a nonionic surfactant, and CTAB, as a cationic surfactant, were better wettability modifiers than SDS, as an anionic surfactant, for carbonate rocks. At the concentration of 1 wt.% and higher, the contact angle reduction was approximately unchanged. The results also proved that there was an optimum salinity for the maximum wettability alteration by surfactants. Increasing the pH of aging fluid resulted in better wettability alteration by CTAB, while, in the case of SDS, the wettability alteration was reduced. Acidic conditions had a negligible effect on the wetting behavior of TX-100.
Mohsen Seid Mohammadi; Jamshid Moghadasi; Saeed Naseri
Abstract
Wettability alteration is one of the most important methods for oil recovery from sandstone and carbonate reservoirs. The effects of salinity, pH, temperature, and chemicals such as surfactants and fatty acids on the alteration of the wettability were described in previous studies. In recent years, attention ...
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Wettability alteration is one of the most important methods for oil recovery from sandstone and carbonate reservoirs. The effects of salinity, pH, temperature, and chemicals such as surfactants and fatty acids on the alteration of the wettability were described in previous studies. In recent years, attention has been directed to nanoparticles as a wettability alteration agent. The effect of some nanoparticles on the wettability alteration and oil recovery of sandstone and a few carbonate reservoir rocks have been investigated in several works. In this study, the effect of γ-Al2O3 on the wettability alteration of one of the Iran carbonate reservoirs is presented. The results show that the adsorption of γ-Al2O3 nanoparticles on the calcite surface changes the wettability from oil-wet to water-wet. At a γ- Al2O3 nanofluid concentration of 0.5 wt.%, the maximum change in contact angle was observed. It was observed that the oil recovery increased by 11.25% when 0.5 wt.% γ-Al2O3 nanofluid was injected into the core sample in a tertiary mode. This work illustrates the successful application of gamma alumina nanoparticle in enhancing oil recovery in carbonate rocks through the wettability alteration of rock surfaces.