Coreflooding Studies to Evaluate the Impact of Salinity and Wettability on Oil Recovery Efficiency

Agbalaka, Chinedu C.; Dandekar, Abhijit; Patil, Shirish; Khataniar, Santanu; Hemsath, James R.

doi:10.1007/s11242-008-9235-7

Cited by 104 publications

(50 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…recovery modes (Webb et al 2005;Zhang et al 2007;Lager et al 2007;Agbalaka et al 2009) while others showed no improvement in tertiary mode (Rivet et al 2010;Nasralla et al 2011). Extensive studies have been conducted to determine the LSW recovery mechanisms, and debatable conclusions were proposed.…”

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confidence: 99%

Efficiency of enhanced oil recovery using polymer-augmented low salinity flooding

AlQuraishi

AlHussinan

AlYami

2017

J Petrol Explor Prod Technol

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Oil recovery from heavy oil resources has always been a challenging task. This work is aimed at investigating the recovery efficiency of polymer-augmented low salinity waterflooding in heavy oil reservoirs. The main recovery mechanism behind low salinity waterflooding is wettability alteration to more water-wet state. On the other hand, polymer flooding is performed to control fluids mobility and hence improve displacement efficiency. Combining both recovery methods is expected to add to recovery efficiency obtained by individual methods, and the aim of this work is to explore this experimentally. In this study, several laboratory experiments were conducted using Berea and Bentheimer sandstone cores starting with base runs of continuous secondary seawater and tertiary twice and 10 times diluted seawaterflooding (low salinity). Significant incremental oil recovery was obtained when flooded with low salinity water, and 10 times diluted seawater was determined to be used as low salinity water. Contact angle and Zeta potential measurements indicate wettability alteration due to clay detachment as the main recovery mechanism. Synergy of water secondary flooding and polymer tertiary flooding at different water salinity levels proved the efficiency of hybrid low salinity polymer flooding process in Berea sandstone. Low water salinity during secondary injection mode played a major role on ultimate recovery with less contribution to tertiary polymer slug injection. High salinity waterflooding provided lower secondary recovery leaving more residual oil for polymer slug to act on at that cycle. Smaller polymer slug of 0.1 pore volume was found to be sufficient in tertiary flooding with low salinity water but with slightly slower recovery rate. Bentheimer sandstones known for its low clay content were subjected to polymer-augmented waterflooding at high and low salinity levels. Close secondary and tertiary recoveries were obtained for the two salinity levels with slower recovery rate for low salinity run. Minute clay content and water-wet characteristic as determined by contact angle measurements may explain the lack of water salinity effect on recovery. The lack of salinity role and the two shock fronts with connate water bank in between known to exist during low salinity flooding may explain the slower recovery rate encountered. Comparison of both sandstones indicates that less ultimate recovery from Berea rocks, and this can be attributed to their initial intermediate wet state in contrast to the water-wet Bentheimer sandstone rocks.

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confidence: 99%

Efficiency of enhanced oil recovery using polymer-augmented low salinity flooding

AlQuraishi

AlHussinan

AlYami

2017

J Petrol Explor Prod Technol

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“…The porosity and permeability measured with water was 44.03% and 1.59 d, respectively. Figure 3 shows the schematic of the laboratory setup that is similar to the one used by Agbalaka et al (2009). It consists of a constant-flux pump (2PB-00C), high-pressure liquid accumulators for injected fluid, a cylindrical high-pressure core holder with a diameter of 2.5 cm and a length of 50 cm, and a computer for the continuous monitoring of the core injection pressure as well as the differential pressure drop across the two taps 16.7 cm apart midway along the core.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Organosilicon-Acrylic Emulsion Treatment on Wettability of Porous Media

et al. 2011

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To investigate the influence of the organosilicon-acrylic on wetting properties of porous media, contact angle tests were performed on two different sandstones. In addition, the effectiveness of the emulsion on wettability alteration of porous media was validated by capillary rise and spontaneous imbibition tests. The results of wettability tests showed that the wettability of two sandstones was altered from water-wet to gas-wet after treatment with the emulsion. The principle that the critical radius of pore throats and wettability of porous media affect liquids flow was derived analytically and verified experimentally. Coreflood results demonstrated that the latex resulted in increasing the water permeability through altering the rock wettability to gas-wetting, then decreasing the friction drag between liquids and rocks surface. Thereby, the emulsion treatment could increase the flowback rate of trapped liquids. Experimental results were in good agreement with the theoretical analysis. In conclusion, all results indicated that the emulsion could alter the wettability from water-wet to intermediate gas-wet and enhance water permeability in porous media. It was extrapolated that the emulsion had the tremendous potential to be applied in field conditions, enhancing gas productivity through the cleanup of trapped water in the vicinity of the wellbore.

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“…In addition, there is extensive evidence showing that the salinity and composition of the formation water can alter wetting properties of the reservoir rock (Agbalaka et al 2009, Dumore 1964, Jerauld et al 2008, Loahardjo et al 2010, Piper and Morse 1982, Rezaeidoust et al 2009, Robertson 2009). …”

Section: Figure 1 Schematic Of the Contact Angles As Observed For A Cmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interfacial Tension and Contact Angle Determination in Water-sandstone Systems with Injection of Flue Gas and CO2

Shojaikaveh¹,

Rudolph²,

Rossen³

et al. 2013

Proceedings

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SUMMARYCarbon capture and storage (CCS) has the potential for reducing CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. This option includes storage strategies such as CO2 injection into deep saline aquifers, depleted oil and gas reservoirs, and unmineable coal seams. This process is largely controlled by the interactions between CO2, the reservoir fluid and reservoir rock. In particular, the wettability of the rock matrix has a strong effect on the distribution of the injected CO2 into geological formations.In this study, the wetting behavior of Bentheimer sandstone slabs and CO2 and/or flue gas is investigated by means of contact-angle measurements. In addition, the interfacial tension between CO2 and/or flue gas and connate water was determined. The experiments were conducted in a pendant-drop cell, adapted to allow captive-bubble contact-angle measurements and performed at a constant temperature of 318 K and pressures varying between 0.2 and 15 MPa, typical in-situ conditions.The experimental contact angle measurements show that the Bentheimer sandstone/water system is (and remains) water-wet even at high pressures with CO2 and/or flue gas injection. The determined data of the contact angle of the water-sandstone system demonstrate a strong dependence on the bubble size and surface roughness with CO2 and flue gas injection.

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Coreflooding Studies to Evaluate the Impact of Salinity and Wettability on Oil Recovery Efficiency

Cited by 104 publications

References 42 publications

Efficiency of enhanced oil recovery using polymer-augmented low salinity flooding

Efficiency of enhanced oil recovery using polymer-augmented low salinity flooding

Effect of Organosilicon-Acrylic Emulsion Treatment on Wettability of Porous Media

Interfacial Tension and Contact Angle Determination in Water-sandstone Systems with Injection of Flue Gas and CO2

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