In-Situ Electromagnetic Heating for Hydrocarbon Recovery and Environmental Remediation

Abstract

FIGURE 7: Temperature contours in the contaminated soil of a decommissioned gas station after 115 days of electrical heating.

Modeling of Microwave Heating and Oil Filtration in Stratum

“…Due to deep penetration and the volumetric heat release, and absence of coolant, electromagnetic radiation can provide (compared to traditional methods) high speed and uniform heating, the possibility of optimal control and automation of technological processes, virtually eliminate the harmful effects on the environment. The results of laboratory and field trials in Russia (Sayakhov et al, 1970, Makogon et al, 1989, Sayakhov et al, 2002 and practical experience of using this technology on an industrial scale in the U.S. and Canada (Da Mata et al, 1997, Vermeulen & McGee, 2000, Sahni et al, 2000, Chhetri & Islam, 2008 show perspective utility of this trend. However, the effective realization of these opportunities is hindered by the lack of reliable data on the study of heat and mass transfer processes in multiphase media, typical for the oil and gas technologies, when subjected to these media microwave electromagnetic radiation.…”

“…This process produces significantly greater yields and lower costs than are available using existing technologies. Over the past 10-15 years several reviews of methods of electromagnetic heating for enhanced oil recovery (Da Mata et al, 1997, Vermeulen & McGee, 2000, Sahni et al, 2000, Chhetri & Islam, 2008) have been published. Theoretical studies of heat and mass transfer in the oil stratum under the influence of high frequency electromagnetic radiation were carried out by teams of specialists under the leadership of R.I. Nigmatulin and F.P.…”

Gas production and transport during bench-scale electrical resistance heating of water and trichloroethene

“…Although each of these mechanisms contributes to DNAPL removal, gas capture of vaporized VOCs is the dominant mechanism of removal during a thermal remediation application (e.g., Baker and Hiester, 2009;Beyke and Fleming, 2005;Heron et al, 2005Heron et al, , 2006Heron et al, , 2013Vermeulen and McGee, 2000). As such, the effectiveness of ISTT requires that temperatures are high enough within the treatment volume to vaporize VOCs and establish connected gas transport pathways to soil vapor or multiphase extraction points (e.g., Baker and Hiester, 2009;Heron et al, 2006;McGee et al, 2004).…”

Electromagnetically Induced Transport in Water for Geoenvironmental Applications

“…The use of direct electric current, DC, or alternating current, AC (Suthersan and Raton, 1999), can enhance air sparging but create uncontrolled heat, and DC alters the pH of soils, adversely affecting microbial life in soils. Electromagnetic (EM) heating of the soil (Vermeulen and McGee, 2000) was also attempted to improve air sparging or other remediation technologies. The main objective of this work is to study the effect of electromagnetic waves on transport mechanisms in saturated media at frequencies where heat generation is minimal.…”