Experimental investigation on using CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion with high water cut in enhanced oil recovery

CO_(2) emulsions used for EOR have received a lot of interest because of its good performance on CO_(2)mobility reduction.However,most of them have been focusing on the high quality CO_(2) emulsion(high CO_(2) fraction),while CO_(2) emulsion with high water cut has been rarely researched.In this paper,we carried out a comprehensive experimental study of using high water cut CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion for enhancing oil recovery.Firstly,a nonionic surfactant,alkyl glycosides(APG),was selected to stabilize CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion,and the corresponding morphology and stability were evaluated with a transparent PVT cell.Subsequently,plugging capacity and apparent viscosity of CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion were measured systematically by a sand pack displacement apparatus connected with a 1.95-m long capillary tube.Furthermore,a high water cut(40 vol%) CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion was selected for flooding experiments in a long sand pack and a core sample,and the oil recovery,the rate of oil recovery,and the pressure gradients were analyzed.The results indicated that APG had a good performance on emulsifying and stabilizing CO_(2) emulsion.An inversion from H_(2)O/CO_(2) emulsion to CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion with the increase in water cut was confirmed.CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsions with lower water cuts presented higher apparent viscosity,while the optimal plugging capacity of CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion occurred at a certain water cut.Eventually,the displacement using CO_(2)/H_(2)O emulsion provided 18.98% and 13.36% additional oil recovery than that using pure CO_(2) in long sand pack and core tests,respectively.This work may provide guidelines for EOR using CO_(2) emulsions with high water cut.

Mechanism of CO_2 enhanced CBM recovery in China: a review

Permeability of coal reservoirs in China is in general low. Injection of CO2 into coal seams is one of the potential ap-proaches for enhancing coalbed methane (CBM) production. The feasibility of this technology has been investigated in China since the 1990s. Advances in mechanism of CO2 enhanced CBM recovery (CO2-ECBM) in China are reviewed in light of certain aspects, such as the competitive multi-component gas adsorption, sorption-induced coal swelling/shrinkage and its potential effect on CBM production and numerical simulation for CO2-ECBM recovery. Newer investigations for improving the technology are discussed. It is suggested that a comprehensive feasibility demonstration in terms of geology, technology, economics and environment-carrying capacity is necessary for a successful application of the technology for CBM recovery in China. The demonstration should be car-ried out after more investigations into such facets as the control of coal components and structure to a competitive multi-component-gas adsorption, the behavior and essence of super-critical adsorption by coal of gas, environmental and safe feasi-bility of coal mining after CO2 injection and more extensive pilot tests for CO2-ECBM recovery.

Research and Application of CO₂Flooding Enhanced Oil Recovery in Low Permeability Oilfield

This paper discusses the new progress and field application of CO2 flooding in low permeability reservoirs enhanced oil recovery. The study shows that CO2 flooding can improve the oil recovery rate of low permeability oilfield by more than 10%. The practice shows that the liquid CO2 injection in low permeability reservoir is easier than water injection, and the reservoir generally has better CO2 storage.

Experimental investigation into Fe3O4/SiO2 nanoparticle performance and comparison with other nanofluids in enhanced oil recovery

Nanofluids because of their surface characteristics improve the oil production from reservoirs by enabling different enhanced recovery mechanisms such as wettability alteration,interfacial tension(IFT)reduction,oil viscosity reduction,formation and stabilization of colloidal systems and the decrease in the asphaltene precipitation.To the best of the authors’ knowledge,the synthesis of a new nanocomposite has been studied in this paper for the first time.It consists of nanoparticles of both SiO2 and Fe3O4.Each nanoparticle has its individual surface property and has its distinct effect on the oil production of reservoirs.According to the previous studies,Fe3O4 has been used in the prevention or reduction of asphaltene precipitation and SiO2 has been considered for wettability alteration and/or reducing IFTs in enhanced oil recovery.According to the experimental results,the novel synthesized nanoparticles have increased the oil recovery by the synergistic effects of the formed particles markedly by activating the various mechanisms relative to the use of each of the nanoparticles in the micromodel individually.According to the results obtained for the use of this nanocomposite,understanding reservoir conditions plays an important role in the ultimate goal of enhancing oil recovery and the formation of stable emulsions plays an important role in oil recovery using this method.

Gas channeling control with an in-situ smart surfactant gel during water-alternating-CO_(2) enhanced oil recovery

Undesirable gas channeling always occurs along the high-permeability layers in heterogeneous oil reservoirs during water-alternating-CO_(2)(WAG)flooding,and conventional polymer gels used for blocking the“channeling”paths usually suffer from either low injectivity or poor gelation control.Herein,we for the first time developed an in-situ high-pressure CO_(2)-triggered gel system based on a smart surfactant,N-erucamidopropyl-N,N-dimethylamine(UC22AMPM),which was introduced into the aqueous slugs to control gas channeling inWAG processes.The water-like,low-viscosity UC22AMPM brine solution can be thickened by high-pressure CO_(2) owing to the formation of wormlike micelles(WLMs),as well as their growth and shear-induced structure buildup under shear flow.The thickening power can be further potentiated by the generation of denser WLMs resulting from either surfactant concentration augmentation or a certain range of heating,and can be impaired via pressurization above the critical pressure of CO_(2) because of its soaring solvent power.Core flooding tests using heterogeneous cores demonstrated that gas channeling was alleviated by plugging of high-capacity channels due to the in-situ gelation of UC22AMPM slugs upon their reaction with the pre-or post-injected CO_(2) slugs under shear flow,thereupon driving chase fluids into unrecovered low-permeability areas and producing an 8.0% higher oil recovery factor than the conventional WAG mode.This smart surfactant enabled high injectivity and satisfactory gelation control,attributable to low initial viscosity and the combined properties of one component and CO_(2)-triggered gelation,respectively.This work could provide a guide towards designing gels for reducing CO_(2) spillover and reinforcing the CO_(2) sequestration effect during CO_(2) enhanced oil recovery processes.

Review of CO_(2)-kerogen interaction and its effects on enhanced oil recovery and carbon sequestration in shale oil reservoirs

Shale oil resources have proven to be quickly producible in large quantities and have recently revolutionized the oil and gas industry.The oil content in a shale oil formation includes free oil contained in pores and trapped oil in the organic material called kerogen.The latter can represent a significant portion of the total oil and yet pro-duction of shale oil currently targets only the free oil rather than the trapped oil in kerogen.Shale oil reservoirs also have a substantial capacity to store CO_(2)by dissolving it in kerogen.In this paper,recent progress in the research of CO_(2)-kerogen interaction and its applications in CO_(2)enhanced oil recovery and carbon sequestration in shale oil reservoirs are reviewed.The relevant topics reviewed for this relatively new area include charac-terization of organic matter,supercritical CO_(2)extraction of oil in shale,experimental and simulation study of CO_(2)-hydrocarbons counter-current diffusion in organic matter,recovery of oil in kerogen during CO_(2)huff‘n’puffprocess,and changes in microstructure of shale caused by CO_(2)-kerogen interaction.The results presented in this paper show that at reservoir conditions,supercritical CO_(2)can spontaneously replace the hydrocarbons from the organic matter of shale formations.This mass transfer process is the key to releasing organic oil saturation and maximizing the capacity of carbon storage of a shale oil reservoir.It also presents a concern of the structure change of organic materials for long term CO_(2)sequestration with shale or mudstone as the sealing rocks.

A multi-mechanism numerical simulation model for CO_(2)-EOR and storage in fractured shale oil reservoirs

Under the policy background and advocacy of carbon capture,utilization,and storage(CCUS),CO_(2)-EOR has become a promising direction in the shale oil reservoir industry.The multi-scale pore structure distribution and fracture structure lead to complex multiphase flow,comprehensively considering multiple mechanisms is crucial for development and CO_(2) storage in fractured shale reservoirs.In this paper,a multi-mechanism coupled model is developed by MATLAB.Compared to the traditional Eclipse300 and MATLAB Reservoir Simulation Toolbox(MRST),this model considers the impact of pore structure on fluid phase behavior by the modified Peng—Robinson equation of state(PR-EOS),and the effect simultaneously radiate to Maxwell—Stefan(M—S)diffusion,stress sensitivity,the nano-confinement(NC)effect.Moreover,a modified embedded discrete fracture model(EDFM)is used to model the complex fractures,which optimizes connection types and half-transmissibility calculation approaches between non-neighboring connections(NNCs).The full implicit equation adopts the finite volume method(FVM)and Newton—Raphson iteration for discretization and solution.The model verification with the Eclipse300 and MRST is satisfactory.The results show that the interaction between the mechanisms significantly affects the production performance and storage characteristics.The effect of molecular diffusion may be overestimated in oil-dominated(liquid-dominated)shale reservoirs.The well spacing and injection gas rate are the most crucial factors affecting the production by sensitivity analysis.Moreover,the potential gas invasion risk is mentioned.This model provides a reliable theoretical basis for CO_(2)-EOR and sequestration in shale oil reservoirs.

Visualization of CO_2 and oil immiscible and miscible flow processes in porous media using NMR micro-imaging

CO2 flooding is considered not only one of the most effective enhanced oil recovery （EOR） methods, but also an important alternative for geological CO2 storage. In this paper, the visualization of CO2 flooding was studied using a 400 MHz NMR micro-imaging system. For gaseous CO2 immiscible displacement, it was found that CO2 channeling or fingering occurred due to the difference of fluid viscosity and density. Thus, the sweep efficiency was small and the final residual oil saturation was 53.1%. For supercritical CO2 miscible displacement, the results showed that piston-like displacement occurred, viscous fingering and the gravity override caused by the low viscosity and density of the gas was effectively restrained, and the velocity of CO2 front was uniform. The sweep efficiency was so high that the final residual oil saturation was 33.9%, which indicated CO2 miscible displacement could enhance oil recovery more than CO2 immiscible displacement. In addition, the average velocity of CO2 front was evaluated through analyzing the oil saturation profile. A special core analysis method has been applied to in-situ oil saturation data to directly evaluate the local Darcy phase velocities and capillary dispersion rate.

Opioid-sparing effect of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors on surgical outcomes after open colorectal surgery within an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol

AIM: To evaluate the opioid-sparing effect of selective cyclooxygenase-2(COX-2) inhibitors on short-term surgical outcomes after open colorectal surgery.METHODS: Patients undergoing open colorectal resection within an enhanced recovery after surgery protocol from 2011 to 2015 were reviewed. Patients with combined general anesthesia and epidural anesthesia, and those with acute colonic obstruction or perforation were excluded. Patients receiving selective COX-2 inhibitor were compared with well-matched individuals without such a drug. Outcome measures included numeric pain score and morphine milligram equivalent(MME) consumption on postoperative day(POD) 1-3, gastrointestinal recovery(time to tolerate solid diet and time to defecate), complications and length of postoperative stay.RESULTS: There were 75 patients in each group. Pain score on POD 1-3 was not significantly different between two groups. However, MME consumption and MME consumption per kilogram body weight on POD 1-3 was significantly less in patients receiving a selective COX-2 inhibitor(P < 0.001). Median MME consumption per kilogram body weight on POD 1-3 was 0.09, 0.06 and nil, respectively in patients receiving a selective COX-2 inhibitor and 0.22, 0.25 and 0.07, respectively in the comparative group(P < 0.001), representing at least 59% opioidreduction. Patients prescribing a selective COX-2 inhibitor had a shorter median time to resumption of solid diet [1(IQR 1-2) d vs 2(IQR 2-3) d; P < 0.001] and time to first defecation [2(IQR 2-3) d vs 3(IQR 3-4) d; P < 0.001]. There was no significant difference in overall postoperative complications between two groups. However, median postoperative stay was significantly 1-d shorter in patients prescribing a selective COX-2 inhibitor [4(IQR 3-5) d vs 5(IQR 4-6) d; P < 0.001]. CONCLUSION: Perioperative administration of oral selective COX-2 inhibitors significantly decreased intravenous opioid consumption, shortened time to gastrointestinal recovery and reduced hospital stay after open colorectal surgery.

CO_(2)storage with enhanced gas recovery(CSEGR):A review of experimental and numerical studies

CO_(2)emission mitigation is one of the most critical research frontiers.As a promising option of carbon capture,utilization and storage(CCUS),CO_(2)storage with enhanced gas recovery(CSEGR)can reduce CO_(2)emission by sequestrating it into gas reservoirs and simultaneously enhance natural gas production.Over the past decades,the displacement behaviour of CO_(2)—natural gas has been extensively studied and demonstrated to play a key role on both CO_(2)geologic storage and gas recovery performance.This work thoroughly and critically reviews the experimental and numerical simulation studies of CO_(2)displacing natural gas,along with both CSEGR research and demonstration projects at various scales.The physical property difference between CO_(2)and natural gas,especially density and viscosity,lays the foundation of CSEGR.Previous experiments on displacement behaviour and dispersion characteristics of CO_(2)/natural gas revealed the fundamental mixing characteristics in porous media,which is one key factor of gas recovery efficiency and warrants further study.Preliminary numerical simulations demonstrated that it is technically and economically feasible to apply CSEGR in depleted gas reservoirs.However,CO_(2)preferential flow pathways are easy to form(due to reservoir heterogeneity)and thus adversely compromise CSEGR performance.This preferential flow can be slowed down by connate or injected water.Additionally,the optimization of CO_(2)injection strategies is essential for improving gas recovery and CO_(2)storage,which needs further study.The successful K12—B pilot project provides insightful field-scale knowledge and experience,which paves a good foundation for commercial application.More experiments,simulations,research and demonstration projects are needed to facilitate the maturation of the CSEGR technology.

Exploitation of fractured shale oil resources by cyclic CO_2 injection

With shale oil reservoir pressure depletion and recovery of hydrocarbons from formations, the fracture apertures and conductivity are subject to reduction due to the interaction between stress effects and proppants. Suppose most of the proppants were concentrated in dominant fractures rather than sparsely allocated in the fracture network, the fracture conductivity would be less influenced by the induced stress effect. However, the merit of uniformly distributed proppants in the fracture network is that it increases the contact area for the injection gas with the shale matrix. In this paper, we address the question whether we should exploit or confine the fracture complexity for CO2-EOR in shale oil reservoirs. Two proppant transport scenarios were simulated in this paper： Case 1-the proppant is uniformly distributed in the complex fracture system, propagating a partially propped or un-propped fracture network; Case 2-the proppant primarily settles in simple planar fractures. A series of sensitivity studies of the fracture conductivity were performed to investigate the conductivity requirements in order to more efficiently produce from the shale reservoirs. Our simulation results in this paper show the potential of CO2 huff-n-puff to improve oil recovery in shale oil reservoirs. Simulation results indicate that the ultra-low permeability shales require an interconnected fracture network to maximize shale oil recovery in a reasonable time period. The well productivity of a fracture network with a conductivity of 4 mD ft achieves a better performance than that of planar fractures with an infinite conductivity. However, when the conductivity of fracture networks is inadequate,the planar fracture treatment design maybe a favorable choice. The available literature provides limited information on the relationship between fracture treatment design and the applicability of CO2 huff-n-puff in very low permeability shale formations. Very limited field test or laboratory data are available on the investigation of conductivity requirements for cyclic CO2 injection in shale oil reservoirs. In the context of CO2 huff-n-puff EOR, the effect of fracture complexity on well productivity was examined by simulation approaches.

Nuclear magnetic resonance experimental study of CO_(2) injection to enhance shale oil recovery

Factors affecting CO_(2) flooding of shale oil reservoir were studied by nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) experiments, the effects of time, pressure, temperature on the recovery of CO_(2) flooding in shale oil reservoir were analyzed based on nuclear magnetic resonance T2 spectrum, and the effect of fracture development degree on recovery of CO_(2) flooding in shale oil reservoir was analyzed based on NMR images. In the process of CO_(2) flooding, the recovery degree of the shale oil reservoir gradually increases with time. With the rise of pressure, the recovery degree of the shale oil reservoir goes up gradually. With the rise of temperature, the recovery degree of shale oil increases first and then decreases gradually. For CO_(2) flooding in matrix core, the crude oil around the core surface is produced in the initial stage, with recovery degree going up rapidly;with the ongoing of CO_(2) injection, the CO_(2) gradually diffuses into the inside of core to produce the oil, and the increase of recovery degree slows down gradually. For CO_(2) flooding in matrix core with fractures, in the initial stage, the oil in and around the fractures are produced first, and the recovery degree goes up fast;with the extension of CO_(2) injection time, CO_(2) diffuses into the inside of the core from the fractures and the core surface to produce the oil inside the core, and the increase of recovery degree gradually slows down. Fractures increase the contact area between injected CO_(2) and crude oil, and the more the fractures and the greater the evaluation index of fractures, the greater the recovery degree of shale oil will be.

Coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical simulation of CO2 enhanced gas recovery with an extended equation of state module for TOUGH2MP-FLAC3D

As one of the most important ways to reduce the greenhouse gas emission,carbon dioxide（CO2）enhanced gas recovery（CO2-EGR） is attractive since the gas recovery can be enhanced simultaneously with CO2sequestration.Based on the existing equation of state（EOS） module of TOUGH2 MP,extEOS7C is developed to calculate the phase partition of H2O-CO2-CH4-NaCl mixtures accurately with consideration of dissolved NaCI and brine properties at high pressure and temperature conditions.Verifications show that it can be applied up to the pressure of 100 MPa and temperature of 150℃.The module was implemented in the linked simulator TOUGH2MP-FLAC3 D for the coupled hydro-mechanical simulations.A simplified three-dimensional（3D）1/4 model（2.2 km×1 km×1 km） which consists of the whole reservoir,caprock and baserock was generated based on the geological conditions of a gas field in the North German Basin.The simulation results show that,under an injection rate of 200,000 t/yr and production rate of 200,000 sm3/d,CO2breakthrough occurred in the case with the initial reservoir pressure of 5 MPa but did not occur in the case of 42 MPa.Under low pressure conditions,the pressure driven horizontal transport is the dominant process;while under high pressure conditions,the density driven vertical flow is dominant.Under the considered conditions,the CO2-EGR caused only small pressure changes.The largest pore pressure increase（2 MPa） and uplift（7 mm） occurred at the caprock bottom induced by only CO2injection.The caprock had still the primary stress state and its integrity was not affected.The formation water salinity and temperature variations of ±20℃ had small influences on the CO2-EGR process.In order to slow down the breakthrough,it is suggested that CO2-EGR should be carried out before the reservoir pressure drops below the critical pressure of CO2.

2D Janus polymer nanosheets for enhancing oil recovery:From material ppreparation to property evaluation

Janus amphiphilic polymer nanosheets(JAPNs)with anisotropic morphology and distinctive perfor-mance have aroused widespread interest.However,due to the difficulty in synthesis and poor dispersion stability,JAPNs have been scarcely reported in the field of enhancing oil recovery(EOR).Herein,a kind of organic-based flexible JAPNs was prepared by paraffin emulsion methods.The lateral sizes of JAPNs were ranging from hundreds of nanometers to several micrometers and the thickness was about 3 nm.The organic-based nanosheets were equipped with remarkably flexible structures,which could improve their injection performance.The dispersion and interfacial properties of JAPNs were studied systematically.By modification of crosslinking agent containing multiple amino groups,the JAPNs had excellent hydro-philicity and salt resistance compared with conventional inorganic or composite nanosheets.The settling time of nanosuspension with NaCl and CaCl_(2) at a low salinity of 1000 mg/L was over 240 h.The value could also remain 124 h under the salinity of 10,000 mg/L NaCl.With the dual functionalities of Janus amphiphilic nature and nanoparticles'Pickering effect,JAPNs could change rock wettability and form emulsions as"colloidal surfactants",In particular,a new technology called optical microrheology was pioneered to explore the destabilization state of nanosuspensions for the first time.Since precipitation lagged behind aggregation,especially for stable suspension systems,the onset of the unstable behavior was difficult to be detected by conventional methods,which should be the indicator of reduced effec-tiveness for nanofluid products.In addition,the oil displacement experiments demonstrated that the JAPNs could enhance oil recovery by 17.14%under an ultra-low concentration of 0.005%and were more suitable for low permeability cores.The findings can help for a better understanding of the material preparation of polymer nanosheets.We also hope that this study could shed more light on the nano-flooding technology for EOR.

多周期CO_2吞吐研究与应用

通过数值模拟和室内、现场试验 ,对多周期CO2 吞吐进行了系统研究。在实践的基础上 ,得出了在低渗透油田进行多周期CO2 单井吞吐是可行的 ,并且具有较好的经济效益的结论。两口井 7个周期表明 ,单井最大吞吐周期可达 4次。

利用CO_2改善韦5稠油油藏开采效果

针对江苏油田韦5中低渗复杂小断块薄层稠油油藏进行CO2开采方式研究,为同类型稠油油藏利用CO2开采提供有益的借鉴。用数值模拟方法研究了CO2吞吐的敏感因素,结果认为,周期注气量、注气速度和生产过程的井底流压是影响吞吐效果的重要因素,浸泡时间对效果影响不大。以增产油量和换油率作为评价依据的计算结果表明,在大注气量、高注气速度和合理控制的生产井底流压下存在最优吞吐轮次,可以得到较好的CO2吞吐效果。

CO_2吞吐效果的影响因素分析

由于CO2 与原油接触时要求的混相压力低 ,且CO2 能使原油的粘度降低和体积膨胀 ,因而成为注气采油中优先选用的气体。影响CO2 吞吐效果的因素很多 ,通过对CO2 吞吐机理的研究 ,结合室内实验和矿场分析 ,综合考察了油层孔隙介质和油层流体的性质、原油中胶质与沥青质的含量、自由气含量、实验压力、施工中流体的配伍性等因素对CO2 吞吐效果的影响。结果表明 ,原油中胶质、沥青质的含量越高 ,吞吐效果越差 ;压力降低导致的CO2 脱气可降低油的产量。

大庆油田萨南东部过渡带注CO_2驱油先导性矿场试验研究

１９８８年大庆油田在萨南东部过渡带开辟了注ＣＯ２试验区，１９９０年至１９９５年底先后对葡Ⅰ２油层和萨Ⅱ１０～１４油层进行了非混相ＣＯ２驱油先导性矿场试验。两次试验均采用先进行前期水驱，尔后进行水、气交替注入方式，ＣＯ２气体注入总量各为０．２ＰＶ左右。矿场试验用的ＣＯ２是大庆炼油厂的副产品，纯度为９６％。这两次矿场试验结果表明，降低了水油比和水驱剩余油饱和度，采收率提高６．０％ＯＯＩＰ，每增采１ｔ原油需注入２２００ｍ３ＣＯ２气体。

油藏条件下溶解CO_2的稀油相特性实验研究

以胜利大芦湖油田樊 12 4区块稀油油藏为例 ,利用高温高压PVT物性分析仪 ,通过CO2 对地层油的膨胀降粘、多次脱气和多次接触实验 ,研究了用不同量CO2 饱和的稀油相特性 ,给出了大量CO2 溶解引起的原油相特性参数的变化规律 ,解释了CO2 驱提高原油采收率的机理。实验结果表明 ,CO2 可有效地使地层原油膨胀 ,改善原油的流动特性。同时还可大量萃取地层油中的轻烃 ,使气相不断富化 ,从而达到动态混相 ,最终提高原油采收率。

CO_(2)-EOR井中低温对封隔器及密封圈性能影响

“双碳”背景下,碳捕集、利用与封存(carbon capture, utilization and storage, CCUS)技术将发挥关键作用,其中针对CO_(2)-EOR井中低温对封隔器及密封圈老化问题,首先建立CO_(2)在注入井中温度分布理论模型;然后通过有限元方法建立密封圈数值模拟模型,开展不同温度下橡胶密封圈的等效应力、接触压力和真实应变的研究,并分析低温对密封圈力学性能影响和低温老化的原因。结果表明:CO_(2)注入井中封隔器密封工作温度在其玻璃化转变温度T_g以上,正常工作不会产生低温老化;低温对注入管阀门密封圈的力学性能影响显著,较常温环境下的Mises应力和接触压力上升3~4倍。当环境温度低于T_(g)后,密封圈将会从高弹态转变为玻璃态,其硬度增加、弹性降低,老化程度逐渐加深,导致密封圈接触压力小于介质压力而失效。