Electromagnetic thermal stimulation of shale reservoirs for petroleum production

Chen, Jin-Hong; Georgi, Daniel T.; Liu, Hui‐Hai

doi:10.1016/j.jngse.2018.08.029

Cited by 29 publications

(18 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…The electric current is converted to heat through this pathway due to the electrical resistivity in the water formation containing dissolved salt ions. The form of electrical permittivity and conductivity along with the frequency used could determine current distributions which depend on the characteristic of the electrical medium (Chen et al, 2018;Rafiee et al, 2015;Roland et al, 2011;Sadeghi et al, 2017b). The advantages of the EM method are that the transfer of thermal energy to the reservoir is very effective and could be controlled directly, where it is not limited to depth, heterogeneous formations, low formation permeability, and lithology of the formation.…”

Section: Electromagnetic Heatingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Prospect of Electrical Enhanced Oil Recovery for Heavy Oil: A Review

Afdhol

Erfando

Hidayat

et al. 2020

J. earth energy eng.

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This paper presents a review of electrical heating for the recovery of heavy oil which the work adopts methods used in the past and the prospects for crude oil recovery in the future. Heavy oil is one of the crude oils with API more than 22 which has the potential to overcome the current light oil crisis. However, high viscosity and density are challenges in heavy oil recovery. The method is often used to overcome these challenges by using thermal injection methods, but this method results in economic and environmental issues. The electrical heating method could be a solution to replace conventional thermal methods in which the methodology of electrical heating is to transfer heat into the reservoir due to increasing oil mobility. Because the temperature rises, it could help to reduce oil viscosity, then heavy oil will flow easily. The applications of electrical heating have been adopted in this paper where the prospects of electrical heating are carried out to be useful as guidelines of electrical heating. The challenge of electrical heating is the excessive heat will damage the formation that must be addressed in the prospect of electrical heating which must meet energy efficiency. The use of Artificial intelligence becomes a new technology to overcome problems that are often found in conventional thermal methods where this method could avoid steam breakthrough and excessive heat. Therefore, it becomes more efficient and could reduce costs.

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Section: Electromagnetic Heatingmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Prospect of Electrical Enhanced Oil Recovery for Heavy Oil: A Review

Afdhol

Erfando

Hidayat

et al. 2020

J. earth energy eng.

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“…As illustrated in Figure a, microwave irradiation promotes rapid increase in temperature of the shale matrix, therefore significantly promoting physically adsorbed CH 4 desorption from shale. , Furthermore, microwave irradiation decreases adsorption pores for accommodating CH 4 of the dry shale matrix with a diameter below 10 nm, while it increases meso- and macropores with a diameter greater than 10 nm (Figure b) . Such transformation in full-scale pores of a dry shale matrix can not only promote CH 4 desorption but also strengthen diffusion capability of previously desorbed CH 4 within gas-bearing shale reservoirs. , In addition, the shale matrix contains a wide variety of inorganic minerals mainly including nonclay minerals, such as quartz, pyrite, calcite, feldspar, dolomite, and plagioclase, and clay minerals, such as illite and smectite. , The dielectric properties of typical inorganic materials of shale are listed in Table . , As shown in eq , the dielectric constant is measured by the real part of relative permittivity, indicating how much energy can be stored in the material, and by the loss factor, that is, the imaginary part of the relative permittivity, indicating the ability of converting the stored energy into heat. Among these minerals, pyrite, illite, and smectite with a greater dielectric constant and loss factor always show better microwave heating performance .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

“…Among these minerals, pyrite, illite, and smectite with a greater dielectric constant and loss factor always show better microwave heating performance . Given the difference in the dielectric constant and loss factor among various kinds of inorganic minerals, thermal stress is likely to occur in the interface between different inorganic minerals or inside the same inorganic mineral. Provided that the generated thermal stress exceeds mechanical strength of inorganic minerals, fracture will appear within the shale matrix and further increase shale reservoir permeability (Figure c), − thereby making CH 4 flow within the reservoir more easily .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…20 Such transformation in full-scale pores of a dry shale matrix can not only promote CH 4 desorption but also strengthen diffusion capability of previously desorbed CH 4 within gas-bearing shale reservoirs. 21,22 In addition, the shale matrix contains a wide variety of inorganic minerals mainly including nonclay minerals, such as quartz, pyrite, calcite, feldspar, dolomite, and plagioclase, and clay minerals, such as illite and smectite. 23,24 The dielectric properties of typical inorganic materials of shale are listed in Table 1.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Role of H₂O of Gas-Bearing Shale in Its Physicochemical Properties and CH₄ Adsorption Performance Alteration Due to Microwave Irradiation

et al. 2021

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Microwave irradiation is available to produce shale gas. Practical gas-bearing shale reservoirs often contain water (H2O). Given the special physicochemical property of H2O and its occurrence rule in the gas-bearing shale matrix, the presence of H2O has potential effect on electromagnetic energy penetration and dielectric property of the shale matrix, therefore affecting application of microwave irradiation to produce the chief component of shale gas, that is, methane (CH4), from the shale reservoir. Hence, to further explore shale gas production via microwave irradiation, the impact of H2O of gas-bearing shale in its physicochemical property response to microwave irradiation was mainly investigated. The H2O dependence of CH4 adsorption capability alteration due to microwave irradiation was also addressed. The results indicate that microwave irradiation exerts minor impact on the micropore of both dry and moist shales but a noticeable impact on their mesopore. Specifically, both the mesoporous surface area and volume of dry and moist shales decrease after microwave irradiation. The presence of H2O further decreases the typical mesoporous parameters including pore surface area and pore volume of shales in general. Moreover, fractal analysis reveals that both the roughness of the pore surface and complexity of pore structure decrease for all the shales after microwave irradiation, and those of moist shale after microwave irradiation decrease even further, thus facilitating shale gas migration and diffusion within the shale matrix. As for the surface chemical property of shale, the total amount of oxygenic groups consisting of highly conjugated carbonyl, conjugated carbonyl, and carboxyl of dry shales rises after microwave irradiation, but the aromaticity drops. Also, the same changing rule in functional groups is also found for moist shale after microwave irradiation; however, the change is even more pronounced. Finally, the CH4 adsorption capacity of both dry and moist shales decreases after microwave irradiation. In comparison to dry shale, CH4 adsorption capacity of moist shale containing low total organic carbon (TOC) and H2O decreases, but that of moist shale with high TOC content and H2O content increases. These alterations in CH4 adsorption capability of various moist shales are relevant to their pore structure and functional group response to microwave irradiation. Overall, the presence of H2O is beneficial for further weakening the adsorption affinity between CH4 and the shale matrix and strengthening migration capability of CH4 under microwave irradiation, thus making microwave irradiation become a competitive technology regarding shale gas production.

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“…Formation heat treatment (FHT) has been proposed to stimulate formation rocks; previous investigations summarized the mechanisms as dehydration to enhance the porosity and thermal stress to create fractures [7][8][9][10][11]. Electromagnetic radiation has been proposed as a nonaqueous method to stimulate shale formations [12]. Unlike the conventional methods, electromagnetic radiation fractures the formation rocks by the internal thermal stresses generated by the heterogeneous expansions of minerals [13].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evolution of pore structure and fractal characteristics of marine shale during electromagnetic radiation

Xie

Deng

et al. 2020

PLoS ONE

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Electromagnetic radiation has been proposed to non-aqueously stimulate shale formations, which can generate fractures and enhance the porosity of the matrix. The proposed method consumes electricity and thereby possesses significant advantages for sustainable and environmental hydrocarbon production. In this study, we investigate the pore structure variations of marine shale during electromagnetic radiation. First, the prepared marine shale samples are exposed to electromagnetic radiation for different times; an infrared thermometer monitors the temperatures. Then, the nitrogen adsorption/desorption technique is applied to examine the evolutions of the pore structure. Next, a scanning electron microscope is adopted to reveal the morphology and identify newly developed pores. Lastly, fractal analyses are performed to quantify pore structure variations. The sample exhibits quick temperature rises, whose temperature reaches about 300˚C after 5 min of electromagnetic radiation. The elevated temperature causes clay dehydration, thermal expansion, and organic matter decomposition, leading to significant changes in pore structures. The nitrogen adsorption/desorption characteristics demonstrate enhancements in pore spaces, including volume, size, and surface area. Fractal analyses show that the pores become rougher and exhibit less heterogeneity after electromagnetic radiation. The obtained results demonstrate a great potential of using electromagnetic radiation to enhance the porosity of shale rocks.

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Electromagnetic thermal stimulation of shale reservoirs for petroleum production

Cited by 29 publications

References 10 publications

The Prospect of Electrical Enhanced Oil Recovery for Heavy Oil: A Review

The Prospect of Electrical Enhanced Oil Recovery for Heavy Oil: A Review

Role of H₂O of Gas-Bearing Shale in Its Physicochemical Properties and CH₄ Adsorption Performance Alteration Due to Microwave Irradiation

Evolution of pore structure and fractal characteristics of marine shale during electromagnetic radiation

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Electromagnetic thermal stimulation of shale reservoirs for petroleum production

Cited by 29 publications

References 10 publications

The Prospect of Electrical Enhanced Oil Recovery for Heavy Oil: A Review

The Prospect of Electrical Enhanced Oil Recovery for Heavy Oil: A Review

Role of H2O of Gas-Bearing Shale in Its Physicochemical Properties and CH4 Adsorption Performance Alteration Due to Microwave Irradiation

Evolution of pore structure and fractal characteristics of marine shale during electromagnetic radiation

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Role of H₂O of Gas-Bearing Shale in Its Physicochemical Properties and CH₄ Adsorption Performance Alteration Due to Microwave Irradiation