Investigation of the Effect of Capillary Barrier on Water–Oil Movement in Water Flooding

Hu, Bingtao; Gu, Zhaolin; Zhou, Chenxing; Wang, Le; Huang, Chuanqing; Su, Jun-Wei

doi:10.3390/app12126285

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 40 publications

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“…The specific values of the water-air factor are determined by various geological and field conditions for the implementation of the process. However, with an increase in oil density and viscosity (more precisely, with an increase in coke concentration), the required water-air factor decreases [98]. If the values of the water-air factor are less than those indicated, then the transfer of heat to the area ahead of the combustion front decreases.…”

Section: Wet In Situ Combustionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Overview of Methods for Enhanced Oil Recovery from Conventional and Unconventional Reservoirs

Malozyomov,

Martyushev,

Kukartsev

et al. 2023

Energies

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In world practice, the role of reproduction of raw material base of oil production by implementing modern methods of oil recovery enhancement (thermal, gas, chemical, microbiological) on the basis of innovative techniques and technologies is rapidly growing and is becoming more important. It is concluded that at present, the priority of increasing oil reserves in world oil production is the development and industrial introduction of modern integrated methods of enhanced oil recovery, which can provide a synergistic effect in the development of new and developed oil fields. This article presents a review and comparative analysis of theoretical and practical methods of improving oil recovery of conventional and unconventional reservoirs. The paper examines in detail methods of improving oil recovery, taking into account the factors of enhanced oil recovery of oil reservoirs. Considered the main methods and technologies currently used to develop oil fields and recommendations for their effective use, taking into account the variety of external factors of oil production: the geological structure of the reservoir, its volume, and properties of oils. It is shown that there is no universal method of oil reservoir development, and it must be chosen after a thorough feasibility study among several proposed models. When describing the methods of enhanced oil recovery, special attention is also paid to the physical processes that occur as a result of applying the technology. In conclusion, the positive and negative characteristics of the presented methods included in EOR are presented, and recommendations that may influence the choice of practical solutions for engineers and oil producers are given. Conclusions are made that development systems, placement and choice of operating mode of wells essentially depend on the geological structure of the reservoir, its volume and properties of oils. An important role in this is the construction of a geological model of the production facility. The used hydrodynamic models of development are based on physical laws, about which oil producers sometimes don’t even suspect, and the authors of the models are not always able to convey it to the real producers. The authors consider it reasonable to make a logical generalizing conclusion that understanding processes occurring in the reservoir and taking appropriate measures for optimization and intensification of oil production will allow making oil production as effective as possible.

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Section: Wet In Situ Combustionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Overview of Methods for Enhanced Oil Recovery from Conventional and Unconventional Reservoirs

Malozyomov,

Martyushev,

Kukartsev

et al. 2023

Energies

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“…[4,5] A significant fraction of the remaining oil within the rock pores is microscopically trapped due to capillary barriers induced by the complex structure inside the pores of rocks. [6][7][8] By reducing the interfacial tension (IFT) between the displacing fluid and oil, the surfactant can facilitate mobilization of the oils trapped in the rock pores. [9][10][11] In addition, surfactants are capable of changing the wetting state of the rock surface from oil-wet toward a neutral-or water-wetting state so that attached oils on the rock surfaces can be released and moved toward the production well.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microfluidic study of surfactant flooding of heavy oil in layered porous media containing fractures

Arabloo,

Ghazanfari,

Rashtchian

2024

Can J Chem Eng

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Surfactant injection is a promising method for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) due to its effective micro‐displacement mechanisms. However, understanding the interaction of a surfactant solution with heavy oil in porous media is neither straightforward nor well understood, particularly in heterogeneous systems. By enabling in‐situ real‐time monitoring of flow transport, microfluidic studies have provided novel insights into the underlying multiphase physics of flow at the pore scale. This paper examines the two‐phase displacement efficiency of a new surfactant in layered–fractured porous microfluidic patterns, a topic seldom discussed in the literature. To evaluate the performance of the proposed surfactant, we considered several heterogeneous media with varying layer and fracture geometrical characteristics, quantifying displacement efficiency for each case. Based on the analysis of pore‐scale snapshots, it was inferred that the primary mechanisms responsible for EOR during surfactant flooding into heavy oil include pore wall transportation, emulsifications, the deformation of residual oil, inter‐pore or intra‐pore bridging, and wettability alteration. Macroscopic displacement experiments revealed that the width of the swept area from surfactant injection significantly exceeded that of water injection, resulting in a substantially higher oil recovery. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the direction of fluid flow in relation to fracture orientation plays a critical role in the dynamics of surfactant solution movement and, consequently, the ultimate oil production.

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“…A series of studies revealed that the pore structure and wettability of porous media play a pivotal role in controlling two-phase immiscible displacement patterns, residual oil formation, and the rate of oil recovery rate [7][8][9][10]. Further, the capillary barrier effect, resulting from the abrupt change in geometry between the minor and major empty regions of porous media, is the fundamental cause of residual oil formation [16][17][18][19][20]. Here, the capillary barrier effect is defined as a phenomenon where the invading fluid stops advancing until the waterflooding pressure exceeds a specific value to induce fluid motion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Here, the capillary barrier effect is defined as a phenomenon where the invading fluid stops advancing until the waterflooding pressure exceeds a specific value to induce fluid motion. However, current investigations [16][17][18] concerning the capillary barrier phenomenon are phenomenological, and an accurate and exhaustive characterization of the pore-level flow dynamics quantitatively within porous media is essential for mobilizing the trapped oil in pore spaces.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights into the Microscopic Oil–Water Flow Characteristics and Displacement Mechanisms during Waterflooding in Sandstone Reservoir Rock Based on Micro-CT Technology: A Pore-Scale Numerical Simulation Study

Chai

Liu³

et al. 2023

Materials

Self Cite

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The low oil recovery rate observed in current oil fields is largely attributed to the presence of remaining oil trapped in the pores of porous media during waterflooding. To improve the recovery rate, it is imperative to gain an understanding of the oil–water flow characteristics and displacement mechanisms during waterflooding, as well as to elucidate the underlying mobilization mechanisms of residual oil at the pore scale. In this paper, we explore these issues in depth by numerically investigating the influence of factors such as water injection velocities, oil–water viscosity ratios, and wettability conditions on pore-scale oil–water flow characteristics and oil recovery rate. To this end, we employ a direct numerical simulation (DNS) method in conjunction with the volume of fluid (VOF) method to study the microscopic displacement mechanisms of waterflooding in a reconstructed two-dimensional digital rock core based on micro-CT technology. In addition, the particle tracing method is adopted to identify the flow path and dominant areas during waterflooding in order to mobilize the residual oil within the pores. The findings indicate that the oil–water flow characteristics in porous media are determined by the interplay between capillary and viscous forces. Furthermore, the oil recovery rate is 10.6% and 24.7% lower under strong water-wet and oil-wet conditions than that (32.36%) under intermediate wettability conditions, and the final oil recovery rate is higher under water-wet conditions than under oil-wet conditions. The seepage path and the dominant areas are directly linked to the capillarity formed during waterflooding. The findings of this study are significant in terms of enhancing the recovery rate of residual oil and provide a novel perspective for understanding the waterflooding process.

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Investigation of the Effect of Capillary Barrier on Water–Oil Movement in Water Flooding

Cited by 7 publications

References 40 publications

Overview of Methods for Enhanced Oil Recovery from Conventional and Unconventional Reservoirs

Overview of Methods for Enhanced Oil Recovery from Conventional and Unconventional Reservoirs

Microfluidic study of surfactant flooding of heavy oil in layered porous media containing fractures

Insights into the Microscopic Oil–Water Flow Characteristics and Displacement Mechanisms during Waterflooding in Sandstone Reservoir Rock Based on Micro-CT Technology: A Pore-Scale Numerical Simulation Study

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