Fundamentals of Enhanced Oil Recovery

Lake, Larry W.; Johns, Russell T.; Rossen, W.R.; Pope, Gary A.

doi:10.2118/9781613993286

Cited by 571 publications

(166 citation statements)

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“…As an example, the introduction of low salinity water into reservoirs, has been shown to result in the enhanced recovery of oil stuck inside dead-end geological channels. 1,2 Salt diffusion across these channels appears to be critical for the recovery process. 3 Disturbances in the earth's crust, caused from earthquakes or drilling, have also been found to generate flows across cracks and fissures and have been correlated with the simultaneous observation of spontaneous electric potentials (SP).…”

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confidence: 99%

Enhanced Transport into and out of Dead-End Pores

et al. 2015

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Dead-end micro- and nanoscale channels are ubiquitous in nature and are found in geological and biological systems subject to frequent disruptions. Achieving fluid flows in them is not possible through conventional pressure-driven mechanisms. Here we show that chemically driven convective flows leading to transport in and out of dead-end pores can occur by the phenomenon of "transient diffusioosmosis". The advective velocity depends on the presence of an in situ-generated transient ion gradient and the intrinsic charge on the pore wall. The flows can reach speeds of 50 μm/s and cause extraction of otherwise-trapped materials. Our results illustrate that chemical energy, in the form of a transient salt gradient, can be transduced into mechanical motion with the pore wall acting as the pump. As discussed, the phenomena may underlie observed transport in many geological and biological systems involving tight or dead-end micro- and nanochannels.

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confidence: 99%

Enhanced Transport into and out of Dead-End Pores

et al. 2015

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“…Traditional enhanced oil recovery polymers (xanthan gum and polyacrylamide derivatives) 14,15 usually contain ionic components, and they were found to have high retention (adsorption) to reservoir surfaces. 32 Based on the finding here, in high salinity the charged groups on these polymers may electrostatically adsorb onto the adsorbed salts on surfaces as well and increase the polymer retention.…”

Section: ■ Conclusionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…9 In enhanced oil recovery applications, many carbohydrate polymers have been proposed as additives for waterflood (i.e., a method in which water is injected into oil reservoirs to displace residual oil) to decrease water mobility and improve the sweep efficiency. 14,15 In spite of its immediate relevance in such applications, however, to the best of our knowledge there have been no thorough studies on the carbohydrate−calcite interactions in reservoir environments. A fundamental difference for carbohydrate−calcite interactions in oil reservoirs relative to the well-studied biomineralization process is that oil reservoirs represent a much harsher environment with high temperature (>100 °C), high pressure, and high salinity (>120 000 ppm of total dissolved solids: here, we use the convention that ppm corresponds to mg of solute/L of solution).…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Atomistic Molecular Dynamics Simulations of Carbohydrate–Calcite Interactions in Concentrated Brine

2015

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We report atomistic molecular dynamics simulations to study the interactions of a model carbohydrate monomer (Glucopyranose) and calcite slabs in brine. We show that the interactions between the sugar molecules and the mineral decrease with increasing salinity. The decrease is due to the formation of salt layers on the calcite surfaces, which screen the carbohydrate-calcite hydrogen bonding. This screening effect depends on the affinities of calcite surface to specific ions as well as to the carbohydrate molecules.

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“…1−10 For example, in the case of enhanced oil recovery (EOR), it is known that mobilization of residual oil from a reservoir by injection of a water solution is mainly influenced by the viscosity of the displacing phase and the interfacial tension between the water phase and the oil. 11,12 Thickening agents such as water-soluble high molecular weight polymers, 13 in combination with surfactants, 11 are often used in EOR for this reason. The possibility of using amphiphilic copolymers for applications in EOR is therefore interesting, as an effect on both rheology and interfacial properties of water may be expected.…”

Section: ■ Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%