High performance clay swelling inhibitors play a vital role in improving inhibition characteristics of shales. The linkages between the inhibition's characteristics of the non-ionic surfactant extract from bio-based inhibitors are yet to be fully explored in the literature. This paper reports the use of a crude extract containing saponins from
Chromolaena odorata
(CO) leaf, which act as surfactants for inhibiting shale hydration. Determination of the inhibitive property of nonionic surfactant was made through measurements of surface-active properties, inhibition tests, filtration, rheological and strength test.
The experimental findings on CO showed that it was highly compatible and very stable with conventional water-based drilling fluids (WBDFs), a highly effective shale inhibitor and a works through plugging and viscosity acting effect in the shale system.
Synthetic chemical surfactants deployed in the petroleum industry to improve oil recovery to meet growing global energy demand are described to have detrimental environmental impacts and are expensive. In recent times, the exploration of saponin-rich plants as a substitute for environmentally threatening synthetic surfactants has garnered significant interest from researchers. Saponin-based natural surfactants (SBNSs) are nontoxic, biodegradable, and possess desirable properties for use in the oil and gas industry. This paper reviews the potential application of saponin-based natural surfactants in enhanced oil recovery processes that coincide with the interests of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goal 7 for Affordable and Clean Energy. We reviewed the mechanisms of saponin-based natural surfactants in enhanced oil recovery (EOR), surfactant adsorption, and the recent advances in utilizing saponin-based natural surfactants for EOR purposes. We also provided a comprehensive analysis of the impact of salinity and temperature on the performance of SBNSs. Moreover, the study also presented the economic feasibility and limitations of SBNSs for field enhanced oil recovery applications. We identified that a good number of SBNSs can withstand harsh reservoir conditions, optimize interfacial tension by as high as 95.82% (although not to ultralow levels), and alter rock wettability from hydrophobicity to hydrophilicity, thereby reducing the contact angle by 3.64% to 87.5%. SBNSs also successfully yielded a high incremental oil recovery factor of up to 36% in the postsecondary recovery stage. The advent of techniques, such as alkali incorporation and nanotechnology, support the achievement of ultralow interfacial tension, mitigation of surfactant adsorption, and oil recovery improvement. Future studies can adopt the recommendations outlined in this study to minimize uncertainty in the utilization of SBNSs and enhance their design for "green" chemical enhanced oil recovery applications.
During the development of naturally fractured carbonate reservoirs, understanding the change in fracture permeability is the basis for production evaluation and scientific development. The conventional method of analyzing fracture permeability is to take core samples for laboratory experiments. This paper presents a new method to calculate the fracture permeability decrease using actual reservoir pressure data. The mathematical model of fracture permeability change with pressure is established based on material balance in the production process of a fractured reservoir. The model considers crossflow coefficient as well as compression coefficient. According to the results of the model, the fracture permeability decreases with decrease of the formation pressure, but the degree of decline is related to the crossflow coefficient and the compression coefficient. By using this model, the change in fracture permeability can be calculated under different production pressures. This provides a new method for stress sensitivity determination of fractured reservoirs.
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