Optimization of Gravity-Stable Surfactant Flooding

Lu, Jun; Pope, Gary A.

doi:10.2118/174033-ms

Cited by 25 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…In another vertically placed flood test (Lu and Pope 2017), gravity-stable surfactant flooding without addition of the polymer (to control the mobility) achieved a very high recovery, which was not reported for horizontally placed core floods or field tests. In addition, this CDC (Figure 13) was obtained in a secondary recovery model at high initial oil saturation where oil was more continuously distributed.…”

Section: Cdcs For Polymer Floodsmentioning

confidence: 75%

A Brief Review of Capillary Number and its Use in Capillary Desaturation Curves

2022

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Capillary number, understood as the ratio of viscous force to capillary force, is one of the most important parameters in enhanced oil recovery (EOR). It continues to attract the interest of scientists and engineers, because the nature and quantification of macroscopic capillary forces remain controversial. At least 41 different capillary numbers have been collected here from the literature. The ratio of viscous and capillary force enters crucially into capillary desaturation experiments. Although the ratio is length scale dependent, not all definitions of capillary number depend on length scale, indicating potential inconsistencies between various applications and publications. Recently, new numbers have appeared and the subject continues to be actively discussed. Therefore, a short review seems appropriate and pertinent.

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Section: Cdcs For Polymer Floodsmentioning

confidence: 75%

A Brief Review of Capillary Number and its Use in Capillary Desaturation Curves

2022

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“…Adding a small amount of emulsification flooding agent to water can provide a better EOR effect by using the adsorption characteristics of surfactants on an oil–water interface to emulsify the oil into the O/W emulsion . An emulsification flooding agent has the characteristics of simple construction and a remarkable EOR effect compared with other chemical agents, so it has been widely studied and applied. − …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of Emulsification Characteristics on the Pressure Dynamics during Chemical Flooding for Oil Recovery

Liu

Zhang³

et al. 2023

Energy Fuels

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Chemical flooding agents, especially surfactant-based flooding oil agents, have been widely studied due to their excellent emulsification ability. Nevertheless, there are many evaluation methods for chemical flooding agents, and the focus of each test is different. How to combine routine testing with reservoir conditions is an urgent problem to be solved. In this study, different kinds of chemical flooding agents were evaluated for interfacial tension (IFT), minimum emulsification speed, emulsification state, droplet size distribution, viscoelasticity, apparent viscosity in porous media, stability, and flooding efficiency. The influence of their characteristics on the pressure dynamics during flooding is analyzed, and the mechanism in the different stages of chemical flooding is clarified. A comprehensive analysis of IFT and the minimum emulsification speed is needed to evaluate the emulsification ability. The apparent viscosity when W/O emulsion flows through porous media is more accurate to evaluate the viscosity reduction of the chemical flooding agents than the traditional viscosity test. The chemical flooding dynamics is mainly divided into three stages: pressure increase (emulsification ability), pressure decrease (fluidity of formed oil in water (O/W) emulsion), and pressure stabilization (flooding efficiency). The stronger the emulsification ability, the faster the pressure increase and the wider the main flow channel. The easier the O/W emulsion is formed, the smaller the droplet size, the stronger the elastic deformation ability, and the higher the oil flooding efficiency. The smaller the droplet size and the stronger the viscoelasticity of O/W emulsion, the lower the maximum pressure in the flooding process and the slower the pressure decrease in the middle stage. Therefore, the evaluation of chemical flooding agents should mainly consider their emulsification ability and the formed O/W emulsion droplet size, viscoelasticity, and stability. This study clarified the evaluation focus of chemical flooding, and laid a foundation for the research and development and screening of chemical flooding agents, and the dynamic analysis of chemical flooding.

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“…Surfactants have been widely used for EOR and NAPL remediation, and the effectiveness of surfactants has been proven in numerous laboratory studies and field tests (Huo et al., 2020; Javanbakht & Goual, 2016; Jayanti et al., 2002; Lu et al., 2014; Lu & Pope, 2016; Mayer et al., 1999; Seethepalli et al., 2004; Stoll et al., 2010). There are two main mechanisms by which surfactants improve NAPL recovery: IFT reduction and wettability alteration (Leslie Zhang et al., 2006; Reed & Healy, 1977).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Surfactant‐Assisted Wettability Alteration on Immiscible Displacement: A Microfluidic Study

Yang

Brownlow

Walker

et al. 2021

Water Resources Research

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Drainage displacement at unfavorable viscosity ratios is often encountered in oil recovery, CO2 sequestration, and NAPL remediation, which significantly limits recovery of fluids from porous media. Surfactants have been extensively used as wettability modifiers to improve hydrocarbon recovery from rock matrix by imbibition. But little attention has been paid to the effect of surfactant‐assisted wettability alteration on displacement in non‐fractured porous media. In this study, we investigate surfactant‐assisted immiscible displacement in NAPL‐wet microfluidic chips. We find that the change of advancing contact angle by surfactant is velocity dependent. A stable displacement can be achieved at low velocity when wettability‐altering surfactant solution is used as injection fluid. In comparison, fingering occurs at all capillary numbers for water injection, resulting in low NAPL recovery. The generation of NAPL ganglion during waterflooding is significantly different from that during wettability‐altering surfactant flooding. The generation of NAPL ganglion during wettability‐altering surfactant flooding is related to velocity and saturation due to the wettability alteration and interfacial tension reduction. In contrast, the production of NAPL ganglion during waterflooding is only saturation dependent. NAPL ganglia generated during wettability‐altering surfactant flooding are primarily within the pore‐size range and can be easily recovered in subsequent recovery processes. To the best of our knowledge, this study reveals for the first time the pore‐scale mechanism of surfactant‐assisted wettability on the immiscible displacement, which is important for highly efficient NAPL remediation.

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Optimization of Gravity-Stable Surfactant Flooding

Cited by 25 publications

References 22 publications

A Brief Review of Capillary Number and its Use in Capillary Desaturation Curves

A Brief Review of Capillary Number and its Use in Capillary Desaturation Curves

Influence of Emulsification Characteristics on the Pressure Dynamics during Chemical Flooding for Oil Recovery

Effect of Surfactant‐Assisted Wettability Alteration on Immiscible Displacement: A Microfluidic Study

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