Experimental Microemulsion Flooding Study to Increase Low Viscosity Oil Recovery Using Glass Micromodel

Abstract

The growing demand for clean energy can be met by improving the recovery of current resources. One of the effective methods in recovering the unswept reserves is chemical flooding. Microemulsion flooding is an alternative for surfactant flooding in a chemical-enhanced oil recovery method and can entirely sweep the remaining oil in porous media. The efficiency of microemulsion flooding is guaranteed through phase behavior analysis and customization regarding the actual field conditions. Reviewing the literature, there is a lack of experience that compared the macroscopic and microscopic efficiency of microemulsion flooding, especially in low viscous oil reservoirs. In the current study, one-quarter five-spot glass micromodel was implemented for investigating the effect of different parameters on microemulsion efficiency, including surfactant types, injection rate, and micromodel pattern. Image analysis techniques were applied to represent the phase saturations throughout the microemulsion flooding tests. The results confirm the appropriate efficiency of microemulsion flooding in improving the ultimate recovery. LABS microemulsion has the highest efficiency, and the increment of the injection rate has an adverse effect on oil recovery. According to the pore structure’s tests, it seems that permeability has little impact on recovery. The results of this study can be used in enhanced oil recovery designs in low-viscosity oil fields. It shows the impact of crucial parameters in microemulsion flooding.

The Utilization of Ultrasound for Improving Oil Recovery and Formation Damage Remediation in Petroleum Reservoirs: Review of Most Recent Researches

“…Energies 2022, 15, 4906 18 of 20 Glass micromodel experiments, on the other hand, will allow for continuous real-time visualization of fluid flow processes throughout the experiment [45][46][47], but an investigation under reservoir conditions will require glass that can withstand high temperatures. Because glass may not be able to resist excessive pressure, a confining cell for the glass may be required for safety purposes [48] but adapted with ultrasound.…”

“…The confining pressure, core sizes, and type of fluid to be injected will all influence the design and material to be used. Glass micromodel experiments, on the other hand, will allow for continuous realtime visualization of fluid flow processes throughout the experiment [45][46][47], but an investigation under reservoir conditions will require glass that can withstand high temperatures. Because glass may not be able to resist excessive pressure, a confining cell for the Oil viscosity was reduced by ultrasonic, and the reduction was higher when the power and frequency were increased.…”

Oil Recovery Performance by Surfactant Flooding: A Perspective on Multiscale Evaluation Methods

“…It was also concluded that the designed flow model allowed the visual evaluation of the sweep efficiency by allowing more complex reservoir flow experiments to be carried out. Hematpur et al 172 used a low-pressure micromodel apparatus to evaluate surfactant-based microemulsions. Two patterns were designed with different coordination numbers and pore-throat ratios (Figures 18a and b).…”

“…Flow patterns designed by Hematpur et al Reproduced with permission from ref . Copyright 2021 Hindawi.…”

Design of an Eco-Friendly Model for the Formation of Winsor III (Ultralow IFT) through Smart Injection of Biosurfactants in Oil Reservoirs

“…Recently, microemulsions have been used in EOR processes in which chemicals are used for oil recovery. They also give low IFT and subsequently mobilize the trapped crude oil after secondary recovery, for this reason, they are found quite appropriate for EOR processes. , Due to different conditions such as type and amount of surfactant and cosurfactant, salinity, temperature, etc., microemulsions can have different phase behaviors, and each of these phases is called Winsor. , According to the results of previous researchers, usually three types of Winsors containing Winsors I (oil in water), II (water in oil), and III (bicontinuous oil and water or middle phase microemulsion) are formed in oil reservoirs in EOR processes.…”