Article
Energy & Fuels
Matteo Fasano, Matteo Morciano, Luca Bergamasco, Eliodoro Chiavazzo, Massimo Zampato, Stefano Carminati, Pietro Asinari
Summary: The decrease in oil discoveries has driven the development of innovative and efficient extraction processes. Enhanced Oil Recovery techniques offer potential for producing a significant amount of trapped oil, with the injection of low salinity water into oilfields significantly enhancing oil extraction. Surface Reverse Osmosis plants provide the necessary low salinity water for this EOR technique, especially in offshore sites.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Mikio Takeda, Mitsuo Manaka, Takashi Tuji
Summary: The study demonstrates that crude oil migration induced by chemical osmosis can be effective for low-salinity water flooding within a feasible time frame, depending on time and salinity control parameters. The experiments and simulations presented are based on the assumption of clay-originated semipermeability of reservoir rocks, but they could also be applied to estimate the effect of oil-originated semipermeabilities.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Dongkyu Cha, Subhash C. Ayirala, Mohammed B. AlOtaibi, Ali A. AlYousef
Summary: This study utilizes a cryogenic electron microscope and liquid-cell holder to visualize and characterize the interactions between injection brine, oil, and carbonate rock. The results provide nanoscale images and chemical mapping, providing valuable insights for optimizing salinity and injection water compositions in carbonate reservoirs.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Jie Cao, Yingpeng Chen, Xiujun Wang, Jian Zhang, Ying Li, Zhao Hua, Xinming Wang, Shang Zhao
Summary: This paper proposes a novel Janus graphene nanofluid that enhances the low salinity water oil flooding performance. The nanofluid alters the oil-water interface and rock surface properties, resulting in improved oil recovery during low salinity water flooding.
COLLOIDS AND SURFACES A-PHYSICOCHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING ASPECTS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ozan Uzun, Hossein Kazemi
Summary: The traditional waterflooding method is not feasible in shale reservoirs. Osmotic pressure initiated by low-salinity water entering fractures and matrix leads to enhanced oil recovery by counter-current flow of oil from matrix into fractures. Experiments show that using low-salinity water in low-permeability shale cores can improve oil recovery and calculate 'membrane efficiency'.
Article
Engineering, Geological
Binh T. Bui
Summary: This study evaluates the effects of water injection on oil recovery in liquid-rich unconventional reservoirs using a new mass transport model and geomechanical model. The results show that osmosis significantly contributes to oil recovery from very low permeability shale matrix over a long time period, while shale swelling significantly reduces overall oil recovery. Water injection is not recommended for formations with swelling potential.
ROCK MECHANICS AND ROCK ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Patrizio Raffa, Francesco Picchioni
Summary: Amphiphilic block polyelectrolytes are investigated for their potential as chemical agents in low salinity polymer flooding for the first time, showing higher oil recovery rates than commercial partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide at comparable weight concentration and viscosity. The mechanism of recovery may differ from traditional polymer flooding due to possible emulsification of oil. Promising results suggest further research is warranted.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Petroleum
Qiuhao Chang, Liangliang Huang, Xingru Wu
Summary: The microscopic displacement efficiency of supercritical CO2-based enhanced oil recovery depends on the phase behavior of CO2 and residual oil. Traditionally, it was believed that the main drive mechanisms of supercritical CO2 EOR are oil swelling and reduced oil viscosity. However, recent studies suggest that CO2 partitions into the aqueous and oil phases, reducing the interfacial tension between water and oil.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Ranjan Phukan, Rahul Saha
Summary: A low salinity surfactant (LSS) system was developed to enhance the performance of immiscible surfactant alternating gas/CO2 (SAG) flooding in sandstone reservoir cores. LSS solutions showed positive impacts on various mechanisms responsible for enhanced oil recovery (EOR), including reducing surface and interfacial tension, altering wettability, improving CO2-foam stability, and decreasing surfactant adsorption.
JOURNAL OF PETROLEUM SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
(2022)
Review
Energy & Fuels
Tuo Liang, Ji-Rui Hou, Ming Qu, Jia-Xin Xi, Infant Raj
Summary: This review focuses on the application of nanofluids in enhanced oil recovery, discussing the preparation methods of amphiphilic nanoparticles and the stability of nanofluids. The mechanisms of nanofluids in improving oil recovery are summarized, and the synergistic effects of nanofluids with traditional surfactants and polymers are explored. The challenges and prospects of nanofluids are outlined as well.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Ahmed Ashraf Soliman, Mohammed Amr ElSahaa, Shimaa. M. Elsaeed, Elsayed Gamal Zaki, Attia Mahmoud Attia
Summary: With the increasing demand for petroleum products, oil consumption has also increased, leading to the need for finding more economical and effective ways to increase hydrocarbon production. This paper introduces an innovative method using two novel types of surfactants synthesized from sulfonamide derivatives to enhance oil recovery. The surfactants were analyzed and characterized using various spectroscopy techniques, and their effectiveness was evaluated through interfacial tension measurements. The combination of the surfactants with alkaline was also investigated. Coreflood and sandpack tests under high-salinity conditions were conducted to assess the effects of the surfactant alone and alkaline-surfactant combination on improving oil recovery. The results showed that the alkaline-surfactant flooding achieved a higher oil recovery rate compared to surfactant flooding and waterflooding, and exhibited noticeable reductions in oil-water interfacial tension and changes in rock wettability.
Article
Chemistry, Physical
Rohit Kumar Saw, Prathibha Pillai, Ajay Mandal
Summary: In recent decades, low salinity water flooding (LSWF) has gained attention for its effectiveness in oil recovery. However, there is a lack of studies in the literature on the potential of using Ionic Liquids (ILs) as candidates for chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) combined with LSWF. This study evaluates the synergistic effect of ILs with varying chain lengths with low saline ion tuned seawater (ITSW) for enhanced oil recovery from carbonate reservoirs. The analysis shows that ILs demonstrate a better synergistic effect with ITSW, reducing interfacial tension, altering rock wettability, and exhibiting less adsorption density at the reservoir temperature. ILs with the longest chain length ([C12mim] [BF4]) show superior properties and significantly increase oil recovery in low saline ITSW.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Chemistry, Physical
M. B. Abdullahi, S. R. Jufar, S. Kumar, T. M. Al-shami, B. M. Negash
Summary: Low salinity water (LSW) flooding combined with the traditional polymer flooding process (called low salinity polymer, LSP flooding) could significantly improve oil recovery efficiency. This study investigated the effect of polymer concentration, salinity, and temperature on LSP flooding, as well as the interaction between clay minerals and LSP slug. The experiments showed that LSP flooding recovered more additional oil compared to high salinity polymer (HSP) flooding.
JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR LIQUIDS
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Rohit Kumar Saw, Ajay Mandal
Summary: The low salinity water flooding (LSWF) technique is cost-effective and environmentally friendly, but its mechanisms are not yet clear. Recovery in LSWF depends on fluid/fluid and rock/fluid interactions. This study investigated both interactions and found different optimal conditions for improved oil recovery. Rock/fluid interaction showed an incremental recovery of 14%, while fluid/fluid interaction showed an incremental recovery of 7% over simple seawater injection. Results highlight the importance of considering both interactions and wettability alteration in LSWF design.
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)