Article
Energy & Fuels
Lu Xiangguo, Cao Bao, Xie Kun, Cao Weijia, Liu Yigang, Zhang Yunbao, Wang Xiaoyan, Zhang Jie
Summary: In polymer flooding, there is no positive correlation between the viscosity of polymer displacement agents and displacement performance. While polymer with sheet-net structure has the ability to increase viscosity, it has poor compatibility with reservoir rock pore throat structure. On the other hand, heterogeneous weak gel system has higher adsorption and retention capacity, making it easier to establish seepage resistance in porous media.
PETROLEUM EXPLORATION AND DEVELOPMENT
(2021)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Han Cao, Yiqiang Li, Wenbin Gao, Jinxin Cao, Bingyu Sun, Jin Zhang
Summary: Chemical compound flooding with ultra-low interfacial tension (IFT) has been effective in enhancing light oil recovery. However, the optimization of chemical systems for heavy oil displacement has not been clear. This study aimed to address this issue by designing polymer and surfactant-polymer systems with varying IFT and interfacial viscoelasticity. The results showed that a system with low IFT and high interfacial viscoelasticity had better displacement efficiency for heavy oil. The mechanisms driving this enhanced recovery were identified as emulsion formation and interface expansion facilitated by low IFT, as well as increased emulsion stability and reduced snap-off of oil droplets due to the presence of an elastic oil-water interfacial film.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Houfeng He, Qiu Li, Haoran Zheng, Pengcheng Liu, Junshi Tang, Yuning Ma
Summary: This study compares and evaluates the follow-up development methods of steam flooding, steam assisted gravity drainage (SAGD), and fire flooding (FF) in complex well patterns of heavy oil reservoirs. The results show that the combination of vertical and horizontal wells in fire flooding has the best performance, while SAGD with a single horizontal well performs the worst.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Huiyu Wang, Bei Wei, Jian Hou, Yongsheng Liu, Qingjun Du
Summary: This study used microfluidics to observe the fluid flow phenomenon in blind-ends and analyzed the oil displacement mechanism in blind-ends. The results showed that the width of blind-ends affected the displacement efficiency, and heavy oil was more difficult to displace. Polymer flooding and surfactant reduced capillary force and improved the displacement of light oil.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Xuwei Liang, Leiting Shi, Liang Cheng, Xiao Wang, Zhongbin Ye
Summary: The study reveals that polymer flooding can balance permeability discrepancies between layers, with high permeability layers playing a crucial role in increasing oil recovery. Within the research scope, increasing RRF is suitable for the majority of polymers, allowing for greater incremental recovery under reasonable pressure increases.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
A. N. El-hoshoudy
Summary: Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) using polymeric nanocomposites flooding is a prospering technology in the petroleum industry. Nanofluids, polymeric nanofluids, polymer nanocomposites, and polymer-g-nanoparticles are implemented for chemical flooding to retrieve residual oil. This review highlights the preparation and characterization of polymeric nanocomposites, the implementation of nanofluids and graphene oxide in flooding process, and the application of biopolymers as water thickening agent and flow diversion. The study also discusses the stability of nanocomposites, hydrophilicity/hydrophobicity of nanoparticles, and limitations in pressure drop and permeability.
ARABIAN JOURNAL FOR SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Zhou Zhu, Hai-qun Kou, Zhi Zhang, Yu-xiu Wang, Hai-qing Wan
Summary: In this study, the oil displacement performance and mechanism of betaine-type amphiphilic polymers with different hydrophobic group content in high salinity reservoirs were investigated. The results showed a positive correlation between the hydrophobic group content and the recovery ratio of polymer flooding, and the synergistic effect of the two aspects in improving oil washing efficiency.
PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sugandha Mahajan, Harender Yadav, Sandeep Rellegadla, Akhil Agrawal
Summary: As the demand for crude oil production increases, the use of EOR technology to recover residual oil from oil fields becomes a primary solution. Currently, polymer flooding technology is widely used, but synthetic polymers show lower stability under extreme reservoir conditions and natural polymers are prone to microbial degradation.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Sandeep Rellegadla, Ganshyam Prajapat, Shikha Jain, Akhil Agrawal
Summary: This study investigated the dynamics of resident microbial communities in oil-field simulating sand pack bioreactors after the polymer flooding stage resumed with waterflooding. The results revealed alternating dominance of minority populations in each bioreactor following the flooding process. Additionally, the study found that some microbial species were more positively correlated with the oil recovery process, while others acted as competitors for the carbon source.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Maaike Berger, Francesco Picchioni, Pablo Druetta
Summary: This paper presents a 2D model of the Ghawar field and investigates the flow behavior in the field during secondary and tertiary recoveries using chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) with polymer solutions. The effects of factors such as degradation and oil viscosity on recovery factor and well placement efficiency are analyzed. The study demonstrates the interdependence of fluid flow and mass transfer and shows how polymer properties and rock formation influence recovery behavior.
Article
Materials Science, Multidisciplinary
Sandeep Rellegadla, Shikha Jain, Jitendra S. Sangwai, Meeta Lavania, Banwari Lal, Lisa Gieg, Aruliah Rajasekar, Achinta Bera, Akhil Agrawal
Summary: This study successfully altered the surface wettability by preparing VAG solution, which effectively enhanced the EOR potential.
ACS APPLIED POLYMER MATERIALS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Lan Wang, Qianhui Zhao, Zhiping Li
Summary: With the increasing attention on greenhouse gas reduction, CO2 capture, utilization, and storage technology has rapidly developed. This research investigates the influence of CO2 injection on the properties of heavy oil in offshore reservoirs in eastern China through experiments and simulations, and defines the adaptability and oil displacement mechanism of CO2 flooding in the reservoirs.
Article
Mathematics, Applied
Yun-guang Lu, Changfeng Xue, Christian Klingenberg
Summary: This paper investigates the existence of global entropy solutions for nonstrictly hyperbolic systems modeling polymer flooding in enhanced oil recovery, with a more flexible condition on the function beta(T) which represents polymer adsorption on rock. The results improve upon previous findings by allowing for a wider range of beta(T) functions compared to earlier limitations.
APPLIED MATHEMATICS LETTERS
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jie Tian, Wende Yan, Zhilin Qi, Shiwen Huang, Yingzhong Yuan, Mingda Dong
Summary: Cyclic supercritical multi-thermal fluid stimulation (CSMTFS) is a novel technology that efficiently recovers heavy oil. This study conducted a physical simulation experiment and analyzed the heating effect, production, and heat loss characteristics of CSMTFS. The results show that CSMTFS can effectively extract heavy oil and solve the problems of traditional thermal recovery techniques.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Yingrui Bai, Feng Wang, Xiaosen Shang, Kaihe Lv, Changyin Dong
Summary: Intercalated polymer is a promising chemical flooding agent for enhanced oil recovery, with its microstructure and dispersion characteristics closely related to its performance. The intercalated polymer studied in this work shows uniform dispersion in both water and oil phases, with the ability to soften the oil-water interface and improve oil recovery. Sandpack core flooding experiments demonstrate that the intercalated polymer outperforms conventional polymers in terms of enhanced oil recovery, with favorable incremental oil production achievable through optimization of injection parameters.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2021)