Effect of Brine Composition On Recovery of an Alaskan Crude Oil By Waterflooding

Morrow, Norman R.; Valat, Marc; Yidliz, H.

doi:10.2118/96-94

Cited by 29 publications

(8 citation statements)

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“…The decrease in Na + is believed to weaken the Coulombic interactions between ionic materials dissolved within the reservoir fluids. Depending on the ionic strength of the effluent, Morrow et al proposed several interactions between resident oil, divalent (or monovalent) ion, and the mineral rock. These interactions include oil–M 2+ –oil, mineral–M 2+ –mineral, and oil–M 2+ –mineral, where M 2+ is a divalent ion.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The decrease in Na + is believed to weaken the Coulombic interactions between ionic materials dissolved within the reservoir fluids. Depending on the ionic strength of the effluent, Morrow et al 44 In this type of interaction, the divalent ions (present in the formation brine) form a buffer layer between residual and displacing fluid. Their presence, if proven, could provide a deeper explanation of the loss of efficiency of the formulations.…”

Section: Energy and Fuelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Interactions between Formation Rock and Petroleum Fluids during Microemulsion Flooding and Alteration of Heavy Oil Recovery Performance

et al. 2016

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In situ emulsification/solubilization is an oil recovery technique routinely used to mobilize residual oil after the secondary oil production (waterflooding). The oil is produced after a subsequent reduction of interfacial tension between stranded crude oil and water in the reservoir. Herein, a recovery method is presented for heavy crude oils whose scheme consists of injection of a fully solubilized (or emulsified) oil. Theoretically, the fully solubilized oil, referred hereinafter as microemulsion formulation, reduces the viscous forces that keep residual oil stranded. Different microemulsion formulations were prepared ex situ from two heavy oils (API 11.5 and 16.6), micellar slugs (formulated from cationic Gemini surfactant), and low-saline water (0.1 wt % NaCl). Tertiary heavy oil recovery consisted of displacing residual oil from a waterflooded core by a specific microemulsion formulation followed by low-saline water, which acted as buffer solution. Thirty-one percent of initial oil-in-place (IOIP) was recovered from the waterflooded core by microemulsion followed by an incremental oil recovery of about 20% of IOIP with chase water. The oil recovery efficiency by microemulsion and chase water floodings was lowered to 15 and 28%, respectively, in a strong oil-wet core (i.e., non waterflooded core). Despite the promising results presented herein, the performance of the microemulsion formulations and thus the oil recovery efficiency were found to be strongly dependent on (1) the nature of the core, i.e., its mineralogy, (2) the wetting state of plug, and (3) the chemical composition advancing fluid. The microemulsion formulations prompted a series of chemical reactions which subsequently altered their performance as a displacing agent. Ion tracking analysis of the effluent fractions showed that the pH and concentration in divalent and/or monovalent ions were also altered at each stage of production. When the plug was not waterflooded, the oil was produced along with a deposit of sludge and a high emulsion cut. However, the use of preflush enriched with an alkali (Na2CO3) was found to abate both effects. Furthermore, the spectral analysis of effluent fractions revealed the formation of calcium bridges which are thought to alter the efficiency of microemulsion formulations. Also, a series of chemical schemes are proposed in this investigation to support these results. Lastly, this investigation proposes a simplified electrostatic model that explains further the formation of clusters which were promoted by propagation of displacing fluids.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The decrease in Na + is believed to weaken the Coulombic interactions between ionic materials dissolved within the reservoir fluids. Depending on the ionic strength of the effluent, Morrow et al 44 In this type of interaction, the divalent ions (present in the formation brine) form a buffer layer between residual and displacing fluid. Their presence, if proven, could provide a deeper explanation of the loss of efficiency of the formulations.…”

Section: Energy and Fuelsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Interactions between Formation Rock and Petroleum Fluids during Microemulsion Flooding and Alteration of Heavy Oil Recovery Performance

et al. 2016

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“…Another important observation was the strong impact of rock wettability on oil recovery. The recovery efficiency of low salinity water in sandstone reservoirs is demonstrated by laboratory experiments of several other researchers such as Morrow et al [8], Morrow et al [9], Zhang and Morrow [7], and Agbalaka et al [10]; all of them came to the conclusion that, by decreasing the salinity of injected brine, the oil recovery factor could be enhanced.…”

Section: Early Studies On Low Salinity Water Floodingmentioning

confidence: 90%

A Review on the Progress of Ion-Engineered Water Flooding

Kilybay

Ghosh

Thomas

2017

Journal of Petroleum Engineering

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In the oil and gas industry, Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) plays a major role to meet the global requirement for energy. Many types of EOR are being applied depending on the formations, fluid types, and the condition of the field. One of the latest and promising EOR techniques is application of ion-engineered water, also known as low salinity or smart water flooding. This EOR technique has been studied by researchers for different types of rocks. The mechanisms behind ion-engineered water flooding have not been confirmed yet, but there are many proposed mechanisms. Most of the authors believe that the main mechanism behind smart water flooding is the wettability alteration. However, other proposed mechanisms are interfacial tension (IFT) reduction between oil and injected brine, rock dissolution, and electrical double layer expansion. Theoretically, all the mechanisms have an effect on the oil recovery. There are some evidences of success of smart water injection on the field scale. Chemical reactions that happen with injection of smart water are different in sandstone and carbonate reservoirs. It is important to understand how these mechanisms work. In this review paper, the possible mechanisms behind smart water injection into the carbonate reservoir with brief history are discussed.

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“…The results from contact angle and Amott tests illustrated that decreasing the injected brine salinity led to a favorable change in rock wettability conditions. Additionally, the authors showed that decreasing water ionic strength and the ion type substantially impact oil recovery [9][10][11].…”

Section: Experimental Observations and Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling Oil Recovery in Brazilian Carbonate Rock by Engineered Water Injection Using Numerical Simulation

et al. 2021

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Waterflooding remains the most commonly used method to improve oil recovery. Although the injected brine type is mainly dependent on its availability, few of its characteristics can be controlled during project design. Published laboratory work indicates that the adjustment of injected brine composition can cause an increase in oil production by wettability alteration. This research objective is to propose a novel four-step framework for modeling improved oil recovery by Engineered Water Injection from laboratory to numerical simulation for carbonate formations. We use a geochemical-based model that estimates contact angles to predict wettability alteration. The steps are (1) screening criteria, (2) geochemical evaluation, (3) wettability alteration modeling, and (4) coreflood history-match. We validate our framework by conducting history-match simulations of Brazilian Pre-Salt corefloods. Incremental oil recovery factors are between 5 to 11%, consistent with those reported during experiments. The reduction in residual oil saturation varied from 3 to 5%. This work is a new systematic procedure to model oil recovery using a comprehensive approach that is fundamental to understanding the underlying wettability alteration mechanisms by Engineered Water Injection.

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Effect of Brine Composition On Recovery of an Alaskan Crude Oil By Waterflooding

Cited by 29 publications

References 0 publications

Interactions between Formation Rock and Petroleum Fluids during Microemulsion Flooding and Alteration of Heavy Oil Recovery Performance

Interactions between Formation Rock and Petroleum Fluids during Microemulsion Flooding and Alteration of Heavy Oil Recovery Performance

A Review on the Progress of Ion-Engineered Water Flooding

Modeling Oil Recovery in Brazilian Carbonate Rock by Engineered Water Injection Using Numerical Simulation

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