Low-Salinity Polymer Flooding: Improving Polymer Flooding Technical Feasibility and Economics by Using Low-Salinity Make-up Brine

Vermolen, Esther C. M.; Almada, Monica Pingo; Wassing, B.; Ligthelm, D.J.; Masalmeh, Shehadeh K.

doi:10.2523/17342-ms

Cited by 44 publications

(20 citation statements)

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“…The same numerical study by Alzayer and Sohrabi [25] shows effectiveness of polymer low salinity water flooding for heavy oil recovery. Analyses of some experimental data were consistent with above statements [26]. Besides, the low salinity media, polymer is more stable at higher temperature and shear degradation.…”

Section: International Journal Of Chemical Engineering and Applicatiosupporting

confidence: 73%

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Low Salinity as New Technique of Enhanced Oil Recovery

Abdalla¹,

Sun²,

Tang³

et al. 2017

IJCEA

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Abstract-Low salinity water flooding is a very promising EOR method in recent years in which chemistry play major role in improving oil recovery. Several studies shown that oil recovery significantly increase by low salinity water flooding (LSWF) in sandstone. However, the mechanisms of oil recovery improvement are still controversial, its considered to be decrease of residual oil saturation and alteration of rock wettability, the solution and surface chemistry as well as rock/fluid interactions have important roles that can be attributed to reservoir minerals being sensitive to small changes in solution properties. This paper provides a comprehensive review of low salinity water flooding. Attempt is made to cover all aspects and features of low salinity water flooding to shed light on critical and challengeable features and clear the gaps and deficiencies of conducted studies. The proposed mechanisms are discussed and their success and failure are explained. Analytical and numerical modeling of low salinity water flooding is presented. Secondary and tertiary low salinity water flooding are compared in the term of additional oil recovered. Surfaces forces and rock/fluid/brine interaction and its relationship to wettability are discussed. Results of combined low salinity and EOR methods are described which includes simultaneous use of low salinity with polymer flooding, surfactant flooding. Accordingly, low salinity water flooding EOR methods have great potential for enhanced oil recovery in the future.Index Terms-Low salinity water flooding, oil recovery, secondary recovery, tertiary recovery.

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Section: International Journal Of Chemical Engineering and Applicatiosupporting

confidence: 73%

“…On the opposite side, it causes some disadvantage such as clay swelling and breakthrough delay. Both sides should be considered in economics of the process [26].…”

Section: International Journal Of Chemical Engineering and Applicatiomentioning

confidence: 99%

Low Salinity as New Technique of Enhanced Oil Recovery

Abdalla¹,

Sun²,

Tang³

et al. 2017

IJCEA

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“…As a practical waterflood‐based chemical EOR process, PF increases the viscosity of the displacing fluid and significantly improves the sweep efficiency. The low salinity condition of this hybrid technology has the additional benefit of mitigating chemical degradation and securing polymer stability and viscosity . Previous studies have investigated the hybrid process of CO 2 ‐WAG and LSWF or PF, and LSWF.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The low salinity condition of this hybrid technology has the additional benefit of mitigating chemical degradation and securing polymer stability and viscosity. 14,15 Previous studies have investigated the hybrid process of CO 2 -WAG and LSWF or PF, and LSWF. However, to the best of our knowledge, hybrid EOR as a polymer-assisted carbonated low salinity waterflood (PCLSWF) improving displacement and sweep efficiencies has not been investigated yet.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybrid CO₂ EOR using polymer‐assisted carbonated low salinity waterflood to improve CO₂ deliverability and mobility

2017

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A hybrid polymer‐assisted carbonated low‐salinity waterflood (PCLSWF) is a low‐salinity waterflood‐based enhanced oil recovery (EOR) co‐injecting CO2 and polymer. In the hybrid process, the low salinity of make‐up brine enhances CO2 deliverability into a reservoir due to the salting‐out phenomenon. This PCLSWF introduces the following synergetic effects: 1) wettability modification; 2) decreasing oil viscosity; 3) increasing brine viscosity. These effects are evaluated in core‐ and pilot‐scaled systems. First, the PCLSWF induces ion‐exchange of Ca2+ and improves wettability following MIE (multi‐components ionic exchange) theory. The wettability modification effect is enhanced in the pilot‐scaled system because the low pH of the PLCSWF dissolves more cemented calcite mineral producing Ca2+ and resulting in more ion‐exchange of Ca2+. Secondly, a lot of dissolved CO2 in brine is transferred into oil, consequently decreasing the viscosity and density of oil. Finally, polymer injection increases the viscosity of the displacing fluid. Although it undergoes mechanical and chemical degradation, it still improves mobility ratio and sweep efficiency. In the pilot‐scaled system, the PCLSWF enhances oil recovery up to 12%, 6%, and 2% over the low salinity waterflood (LSWF), low salinity polymer flood (LSPF), and carbonated low salinity waterflood (CLSWF) respectively. The optimization process maximizes the efficiency of the PCLSWF, and it is recommended that tertiary PCLSWF is deployed following the secondary CLSWF. The optimized injection design of the PCLSWF increases the net present value up to 18% more than the LSWF. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…However, by combining low-salinity waterflooding and polymer flooding, mutual benefits can be amplified (Ayirala et al, 2014;Vermolen et al, 2014). Firstly, at the same polymer concentration, the polymer viscosity is higher at low salinity than high salinity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of the Potential of High-Temperature, Low-Salinity Polymer Flood for the Gao-30 Reservoir in the Huabei Oilfield, China: Experimental and Reservoir Simulation Results

Zhuoyan¹,

Xie²,

Jian³

et al. 2015

All Days

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This paper summarizes the laboratory and simulation studies conducted to evaluate the potential of low-salinity polymer flood for the Gao-30 reservoir in Huabei Oilfield, China which has a high reservoir temperature of 113°C, moderate formation salinity of 9,000 ppm total dissolved solids and in-situ oil viscosity of 25 cP.Our studies have identified GL-100, a specially designed rigid structure modified polyacrylamide, as a polymer candidate for the Gao-30 reservoir because it exhibits adequate thermal stability and acceptable injectivity. Laboratory results show that for GL-100, low-salinity brine has the dual benefits of improved thermal stability and higher viscosity compared to formation brine. Spontaneous imbibition experiments using Gao-30 core plugs show that secondary mode imbibition by softened formation brine recovers more oil than imbibition by formation brine. In addition, significant incremental oil recovery was observed with injection of low-salinity polymer into a heterogeneous Gao-30 core, compared with formation water flooding.Corefloods in secondary mode were conducted with low-salinity and formation brines. Results were history matched to obtain the relative permeability and capillary pressure curves. These results and laboratory measured polymer rheology and adsorption were used as input into reservoir simulations to forecast benefits of low-salinity polymer flood in two pilot locations chosen from full field history matching of 20 years of waterflood in the Gao-30 reservoir.Reservoir simulations were run to compare the incremental oil recovery resulting from injection of various slug sizes of formation-salinity polymer and low-salinity polymer. Our simulations only considered the increase in viscosity due to polymer and the improvement of thermal stability of polymer in low-salinity brine. Low-salinity chemical effects through changes in the relative permeability curves were not included. Results show that injection of 0.3 PV formation-salinity polymer and low-salinity polymer gives incremental oil recovery of 9% and 13%, respectively, compared to formation-salinity waterflood.Preliminary economic evaluations show that formation-salinity polymer flood based on 0.3 PV of 1800 ppm GL-100 to be economical in Gao-30 reservoir based on economics of on-going polymer projects in China. The additional 4% incremental oil obtained by tuning the brine composition (the low-salinity effect) may be economical, especially if it is achieved through softened brine instead of low-salinity brine.

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Low-Salinity Polymer Flooding: Improving Polymer Flooding Technical Feasibility and Economics by Using Low-Salinity Make-up Brine

Cited by 44 publications

References 0 publications

Low Salinity as New Technique of Enhanced Oil Recovery

Low Salinity as New Technique of Enhanced Oil Recovery

Hybrid CO₂ EOR using polymer‐assisted carbonated low salinity waterflood to improve CO₂ deliverability and mobility

Evaluation of the Potential of High-Temperature, Low-Salinity Polymer Flood for the Gao-30 Reservoir in the Huabei Oilfield, China: Experimental and Reservoir Simulation Results

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Low-Salinity Polymer Flooding: Improving Polymer Flooding Technical Feasibility and Economics by Using Low-Salinity Make-up Brine

Cited by 44 publications

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Low Salinity as New Technique of Enhanced Oil Recovery

Low Salinity as New Technique of Enhanced Oil Recovery

Hybrid CO2 EOR using polymer‐assisted carbonated low salinity waterflood to improve CO2 deliverability and mobility

Evaluation of the Potential of High-Temperature, Low-Salinity Polymer Flood for the Gao-30 Reservoir in the Huabei Oilfield, China: Experimental and Reservoir Simulation Results

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Hybrid CO₂ EOR using polymer‐assisted carbonated low salinity waterflood to improve CO₂ deliverability and mobility