Numerical Simulation of Residual Oil Flooded by Polymer Solution in Microchannels

Liu, Yang; Fan, Jiawei; Liu, Huan; Yang, Shuren

doi:10.1155/2018/8947839

Cited by 5 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…The polymer effect on displacement efficiency due to the viscoelasticity effect is drawing more and more attention [19][20][21][22][23][24][25], while its mechanism explanation is not satisfactory or even contradictory [19]. Some researchers investigate microscopic residual oil remobilization mechanisms [26][27][28][29][30]. However, the claimed displacement improvement due to polymer viscoelasticity and normal stress difference [25,31] is not inconsistent with other researchers' observation [19].…”

Section: Eor Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances of Surfactant-Polymer (SP) Flooding Enhanced Oil Recovery Field Tests in China

Sun

Guo

et al. 2020

Geofluids

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Recently, there are increasing interests in chemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR) especially surfactant-polymer (SP) flooding. Although alkali-surfactant-polymer (ASP) flooding can make an incremental oil recovery factor (IORF) of 18% original oil in place (OOIP) according to large-scale field tests in Daqing, the complex antiscaling and emulsion breaking technology as well as potential environment influence makes some people turn to alkali-free SP flooding. With the benefit of high IORF in laboratory and no scaling issue to worry, SP flooding is theoretically better than ASP flooding when high quality surfactant is available. Many SP flooding field tests have been conducted in China, where the largest chemical flooding application is reported. 10 typical large-scale SP flooding field tests were critically reviewed to help understand the benefit and challenge of SP flooding in low oil price era. Among these 10 field tests, only one is conducted in Daqing Oilfield, although ASP flooding has entered the commercial application stage since 2014. 2 SP tests are conducted in Shengli Oilfield. Both technical and economic parameters are used to evaluate these tests. 2 of these ten tests are very successful; the others were either technically or economically unsuccessful. Although laboratory tests showed that SP flooding can attain IORF of more than 15%, the average predicted IORF for these 10 field tests was 12% OOIP. Only two SP flooding tests in (SP 1 in Liaohe and SP 7 in Shengli) were reported actual IORF higher than 15% OOIP. The field test in Shengli was so successful that many enlarged field tests and industrial applications were carried out, which finally lead to a commercial application of SP flooding in 2008. However, other SP projects are not documented except two (SP7 and SP8). SP flooding tests in low permeability reservoirs were not successful due to high surfactant adsorption. It seems that SP flooding is not cost competitive as polymer flooding and ASP flooding if judged by utility factor (UF) and EOR cost. Even the most technically and economically successful SP1 has a much higher cost than polymer flooding and ASP flooding, SP flooding is thus not cost competitive as previously expected. The cost of SP flooding can be as high as ASP flooding, which indicates the importance of alkali. How to reduce surfactant adsorption in SP flooding is very important to cost reduction. It is high time to reevaluate the potential and suitable reservoir conditions for SP flooding. The necessity of surfactant to get ultra-low interfacial tension for EOR remains further investigation. This paper provides the petroleum industry with hard-to-get valuable information.

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Section: Eor Mechanismsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Recent Advances of Surfactant-Polymer (SP) Flooding Enhanced Oil Recovery Field Tests in China

Sun

Guo

et al. 2020

Geofluids

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“…For example, at 0.25 s, the bubbles in the former had a reduced neck, whereas those in the latter displayed nearly constant sizes in the upper and lower parts, as shown in Figure 9(b). At 0.29 s, the bubbles in the former broke and escaped with a volume of 22.76 mm 3 , whereas it took 0.36 s for the bubbles in the latter to escape, with a volume of 32.97 mm 3 . The main cause is that, when increasing the consistency coefficient, the viscosity of the liquid phase and the viscous force that the bubble has to overcome to escape increases.…”

Section: Consistency Coefficient Kmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The contact between the gas and liquid phases is an important phenomenon in petroleum engineering [1][2][3][4][5][6][7]. The gas-liquid contact usually occurs in two forms: either the liquid enters the gas in the form of droplets, or the gas is bubbled into the liquid.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Simulation Analysis of Gas Bubble Formation and Escape in Non-Newtonian Drilling Fluids

et al. 2021

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In this study, the formation and escape movements of a bubble injected in non-Newtonian drilling fluid through a pore were numerically simulated using a volume of fluid method. The pattern of a single bubble and the pressure and velocity fields of the surrounding liquid phase during the bubble formation were analyzed and compared with experimental results; based on the comparison, the formation and escape properties of the bubble were further studied. In particular, the effects of static shear force, consistency coefficient, and flow behavior index on the growth and escape time of the bubble were analyzed. The results show that, owing to the effect of velocity on the viscosity of a non-Newtonian drilling fluid, the escape time and volume of the bubble increase with an increase in static shear force, consistency coefficient, and flow behavior index. Among the three parameters, the flow behavior index has the greatest effect. This is because the shear disturbance of a bubble to its surrounding fluid during its growth and escape, caused by the shear thinning of a yield-power-law fluid, reduces the fluid viscosity. The shear thinning decreases, and the resistance to the bubble increases as the flow behavior index approaches 1, leading to larger bubble formation times and separation volumes. An empirical formula for predicting the equivalent radius of bubbles considering the liquid yield stress, inertial force, viscous force, and surface tension is established. The average error of predicting the equivalent radius of detached bubble is 0.80%, which can provide a reference for the better study of bubble migration and flow pattern in non-Newtonian fluid.

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“…Wang et al. , studied the mechanism of how viscoelastic fluids improve oil displacement efficiency and proposed the concept of microforces. Liu et al , treated “potential fields” as a research basis and the dynamic to displace oil by steam injection as a benchmark, introduced the concepts of “flow” and “force” of irreversible thermodynamics into the oil displacement process, and interpreted the mechanism of oil displacement by steam injection as three field synergies, i.e., the synergy between the dynamic potential fields, the synergy between the resistance potential fields, and the synergy between dynamic potential field and resistance potential field. Sun et al studied the oil displacement mechanism of continuous and dispersed phase flooding agents and found that SMG dispersion has better performance in increasing oil production and lowering water production.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Displacement Mechanisms of Residual Oil Film in 2D Microchannels

Fan

Liu

et al. 2021

ACS Omega

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This paper explores displacement mechanisms of the residual oil film in microchannels by analyzing the following items after wetting hysteresis occurs: resistance on the residual oil film by the rock wall, the interfacial tension between displacement fluid and residual oil film, and horizontal stress acting on residual oil film by displacement fluids. Based on the continuity equations, motion equations, and constitutive equations of viscoelastic fluid, the numerical simulation is used to calculate the distribution of horizontal stress acting on the residual oil film by displacement fluids with different rheological properties. The results of the study show that increasing the horizontal stress on the oil film fundamentally mobilized the oil film and made it movable. Under the condition that the flow rate of the displacement fluid was constant, the value and direction of the horizontal stress acting on the oil film by the viscoelastic fluid changed. The elasticity changed the law of stress on the residual oil film, which is more conducive to mobilizing the oil film.

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Numerical Simulation of Residual Oil Flooded by Polymer Solution in Microchannels

Cited by 5 publications

References 29 publications

Recent Advances of Surfactant-Polymer (SP) Flooding Enhanced Oil Recovery Field Tests in China

Recent Advances of Surfactant-Polymer (SP) Flooding Enhanced Oil Recovery Field Tests in China

Simulation Analysis of Gas Bubble Formation and Escape in Non-Newtonian Drilling Fluids

Displacement Mechanisms of Residual Oil Film in 2D Microchannels

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