Research progress and potential of new enhanced oil recovery methods in oilfield development

This paper reviews the basic research means for oilfield development and also the researches and tests of enhanced oil recovery(EOR)methods for mature oilfields and continental shale oil development,analyzes the problems of EOR methods,and proposes the relevant research prospects.The basic research means for oilfield development include in-situ acquisition of formation rock/fluid samples and non-destructive testing.The EOR methods for conventional and shale oil development are classified as improved water flooding(e.g.nano-water flooding),chemical flooding(e.g.low-concentration middle-phase micro-emulsion flooding),gas flooding(e.g.micro/nano bubble flooding),thermal recovery(e.g.air injection thermal-aided miscible flooding),and multi-cluster uniform fracturing/water-free fracturing,which are discussed in this paper for their mechanisms,approaches,and key technique researches and field tests.These methods have been studied with remarkable progress,and some achieved ideal results in field tests.Nonetheless,some problems still exist,such as inadequate research on mechanisms,imperfect matching technologies,and incomplete industrial chains.It is proposed to further strengthen the basic researches and expand the field tests,thereby driving the formation,promotion and application of new technologies.

Assessment of Nanoparticle-Enriched Solvents for Oil Recovery Enhancement

Solvents are generally used to reduce the viscosity of heavy crude oil and ultimately enhance oil recovery.Recently,a new method has been introduced where nanoparticles(NPs)are exploited to induce enhanced oil recovery owing to their ability to improve the mobility ratio,dampen the interfacial tension,and alter rock wett-ability.This study investigated the integration of nano-alumina(Al_(2)O_(3))NPs with an n-hexane solvent.In parti-cular,a Brookfield viscometer has been used to measure the crude oil viscosity and it has been found that NPs can effectively lead to a significant decrease in the overall oil viscosity(70 cp using the solvent only,45 cp when NPs are added).

Progress of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery in Laboratory Investigation

This paper describes a simple, easy process for screening microorganisms, and introduces a laboratory simulation device and process of microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) , which is a necessary research step for trial in oilfields. The MEOR mechanism and the influence of adsorption, diffusion, metabolism, nutrition, porosity, and permeability are analyzed. The research indicates that different microbes have different efficiencies in EOR and that different culture types play different roles in EOR. The effect of syrup is better than that of glucose, and larger porosity is favorable to the reproduction and growth of microbes, thereby improving the oil recovery. Using crude oil as a single carbon source is more appreciable because of the decrease in cost of oil recovery. At the end of this paper, the development of polymerase chain reaction (PCR) for the future is discussed.

Research on the Jilin Oilfield Field Trials of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery

This paper describes the experience of Jilin oilfield trials for Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR). A new technique to identify microbes with DNA for MEOR has been established, and useful microbes selected for use in field trials. Behaviors of bacteria activated in the reservoir, oil recovery and water cut, and the viscosity of crude oil produced through huff & puff testing and flooding with molasses-injection tests, have been investigated in situ. CJF-002, which produces biopolysaccharide, is the best among the microbes used for field trials, as it can use molasses as nutrient and produce a small quantity of CO2 and a mass of water-insoluble biopolymer. The metabolic behavior in the reservoir showed that CJF-002 had a good potentiality for MEOR.

Synergistic anionic/zwitterionic mixed surfactant system with high emulsification efficiency for enhanced oil recovery in low permeability reservoirs

Emulsification is one of the important mechanisms of surfactant flooding. To improve oil recovery for low permeability reservoirs, a highly efficient emulsification oil flooding system consisting of anionic surfactant sodium alkyl glucosyl hydroxypropyl sulfonate(APGSHS) and zwitterionic surfactant octadecyl betaine(BS-18) is proposed. The performance of APGSHS/BS-18 mixed surfactant system was evaluated in terms of interfacial tension, emulsification capability, emulsion size and distribution, wettability alteration, temperature-resistance and salt-resistance. The emulsification speed was used to evaluate the emulsification ability of surfactant systems, and the results show that mixed surfactant systems can completely emulsify the crude oil into emulsions droplets even under low energy conditions. Meanwhile,the system exhibits good temperature and salt resistance. Finally, the best oil recovery of 25.45% is achieved for low permeability core by the mixed surfactant system with a total concentration of 0.3 wt%while the molar ratio of APGSHS:BS-18 is 4:6. The current study indicates that the anionic/zwitterionic mixed surfactant system can improve the oil flooding efficiency and is potential candidate for application in low permeability reservoirs.

Shale oil recovery by CO_(2)injection in Jiyang Depression,Bohai Bay Basin,East China

Laboratory experiments,numerical simulations and fracturing technology were combined to address the problems in shale oil recovery by CO_(2)injection.The laboratory experiments were conducted to investigate the displacement mechanisms of shale oil extraction by CO_(2)injection,and the influences of CO_(2)pre-pad on shale mechanical properties.Numerical simulations were performed about influences of CO_(2)pre-pad fracturing and puff-n-huff for energy replenishment on the recovery efficiency.The findings obtained were applied to the field tests of CO_(2)pre-pad fracturing and single well puff-n-huff.The results show that the efficiency of CO_(2)puff-n-huff is affected by micro-and nano-scale effect,kerogen,adsorbed oil and so on,and a longer soaking time in a reasonable range leads to a higher exploitation degree of shale oil.In the"injection+soaking"stage,the exploitation degree of heavy hydrocarbons is enhanced by CO_(2)through its effects of solubility-diffusion and mass-transfer.In the"huff"stage,crude oil in large pores is displaced by CO_(2)to surrounding larger pores or bedding fractures and finally flows to the production well.The injection of CO_(2)pre-pad is conducive to keeping the rock brittle and reducing the fracture breakdown pressure,and the CO_(2)is liable to filter along the bedding surface,thereby creating a more complex fracture.Increasing the volume of CO_(2)pre-pad can improve the energizing effect,and enhance the replenishment of formation energy.Moreover,the oil recovery is more enhanced by CO_(2)huff-n-puff with the lower shale matrix permeability,the lower formation pressure,and the larger heavy hydrocarbon content.The field tests demonstrate a good performance with the pressure maintained well after CO_(2)pre-pad fracturing,the formation energy replenished effectively after CO_(2)huff-n-puff in a single well,and the well productivity improved.

CO_(2)flooding in shale oil reservoir with radial borehole fracturing for CO_(2)storage and enhanced oil recovery

This study introduces a novel method integrating CO_(2)flooding with radial borehole fracturing for enhanced oil recovery and CO_(2)underground storage,a solution to the limited vertical stimulation reservoir volume in horizontal well fracturing.A numerical model is established to investigate the production rate,reservoir pressure field,and CO_(2)saturation distribution corresponding to changing time of CO_(2)flooding with radial borehole fracturing.A sensitivity analysis on the influence of CO_(2)injection location,layer spacing,pressure difference,borehole number,and hydraulic fractures on oil production and CO_(2)storage is conducted.The CO_(2)flooding process is divided into four stages.Reductions in layer spacing will significantly improve oil production rate and gas storage capacity.However,serious gas channeling can occur when the spacing is lower than 20 m.Increasing the pressure difference between the producer and injector,the borehole number,the hydraulic fracture height,and the fracture width can also increase the oil production rate and gas storage rate.Sensitivity analysis shows that layer spacing and fracture height greatly influence gas storage and oil production.Research outcomes are expected to provide a theoretical basis for the efficient development of shale oil reservoirs in the vertical direction.

Eco-friendly calcium alginate microspheres enable enhanced profile control and oil displacement

Polymer microspheres(PMs),such as polyacrylamide,have been widely applied for enhanced oil recovery(EOR),yet with environmental concerns.Here,we report a microfluid displacement technology containing a bio-based eco-friendly material,i.e.,calcium alginate(CaAlg)microspheres for EOR.Two dominant mechanisms responsible for EOR over Ca Alg fluid have been verified,including the microscopic oil displacement efficacy augmented by regulating capillary force(determined by the joint action of interfacial tension and wettability between different phases)and macroscopic sweep volume increment through profile control and mobility ratio reduction.This comprehensive effectiveness can be further impacted when the CaAlg microsphere is embellished ulteriorly by using appropriate amount of sodium dodecyl sulfonate(SDS).The core flooding and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)tests demonstrate that CaAlg-SDS microsphere can balance the interphase property regulation(wettability alteration and IFT reduction)and rheology properties,enabling simultaneous profile control and oil displacement.Excessive introduction of SDS will have a negative impact on rheological properties,which is not favored for EOR.Our results show that the involvement of 4-m M SDS will provide the best behavior,with an EOR rate of 34.38%.This cost-effective and environmentally-friendly bio-microspherebased microfluidic displacement technology is expected to achieve“green”oil recovery in future oilfield exploitation.

A salt-induced tackifying polymer for enhancing oil recovery in highsalinity reservoirs:Synthesis,evaluation,and mechanism

Polymerflooding is an effective method widely applied for enhancing oil recovery(EOR)by reducing the mobility ratio between theinjected water and crude oil.However,traditional polymers encounter challenges in high salinity reservoirs due to their salt sensitivity.Toovercome this challenge,we synthesized a zwitterion polymer(PAMNS)with salt-induced tackifying property through copolymerization ofacrylamide and a zwitterion monomer,methylacrylamide propyl-N,N-dimethylbutylsulfonate(NS).NS monomer is obtained from thereaction between 1,4-butanesultone and dimethylamino propyl methylacrylamide.In this study,the rheological properties,salt responsiveness,and EOR efficiency of PAMNS were evaluated.Results demonstrate that PAMNS exhibits desirable salt-induced tackifyingcharacteristics,with viscosity increasing up to 2.4 times as the NaCl concentration reaches a salinity of 30×10^(4)mg L^(-1).Furthermore,highvalence ions possess a much stronger effect on enhancing viscosity,manifested as Mg^(2+)>Ca^(2+)>Na^(+).Molecular dynamics simulations(MD)andfluid dynamics experiment results demonstrate that PAMNS molecules exhibit a more stretched state and enhanced intermolecularassociations in high-salinity environments.It is because of the salt-induced tackifying,PAMNS demonstrates superior performance inpolymerflooding experiments under salinity ranges from 5×10^(4)mg L^(-1)to 20×10^(4)mg L^(-1),leading to 10.38–19.83%higher EOR thantraditional polymers.

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.

Effect of CO_(2)flooding in an oil reservoir with strong bottom-water drive in the Tahe Oilfield,Tarim Basin,Northwest China

The dissolution and diffusion of CO_(2)in oil and water and its displacement mechanism were investigated by laboratory experiment and numerical simulation for Block 9 in the Tahe oilfield,a sandstone oil reservoir with strong bottom-water drive in Tarim Basin,Northwest China.Such parameters were analyzed as solubility ratio of CO_(2)in oil,gas and water,interfacial tension,in-situ oil viscosity distribution,remaining oil saturation distribution,and oil compositions.The results show that CO_(2)flooding could control water coning and increase oil production.In the early stage of the injection process,CO_(2)expanded vertically due to gravity differentiation,and extended laterally under the action of strong bottom water in the intermediate and late stages.The CO_(2)got enriched and extended at the oil-water interface,forming a high interfacial tension zone,which inhibited the coning of bottom water to some extent.A miscible region with low interfacial tension formed at the gas injection front,which reduced the in-situ oil viscosity by about 50%.The numerical simulation results show that enhanced oil recovery(EOR)is estimated at 5.72%and the oil exchange ratio of CO_(2)is 0.17 t/t.

Molecular design and applications of a nanostructure green Tripodal surface active ionic liquid in enhanced oil recovery: Interfacial tension reduction, wettability alteration, and emulsification

Surface active ionic liquids (SAILs) are considered as prominent materials in enhanced oil recovery thanks to their high interfacial activity. This study reports the preparation and applications of a nanostructure Tripodal imidazolium SAIL as an environmentally-friendly substitute to the conventional surfactants. The product has a star-like molecular structure centered by a triazine spacer, namely [(C_(4)im)_(3)TA][Cl_(3)], prepared by a one-step synthesis method and characterized with FT-IR, NMR, XRD, and SEM analysis methods. The interfacial tension of the system was decreased to about 78% at critical micelle concentration of less than 0.08 mol·dm^(−3). Increasing temperature, from 298.2 to 323.2 K, improved this capability. The solid surface wettability was changed from oil-wet to water-wet and 80% and 77% stable emulsions of crude oil–aqueous solutions were created after one day and one week, respectively. Compared to the Gemini kind homologous SAILs, the superior effects of the Tripodal SAIL were revealed and attributed to the strong hydrophobic branches in the molecule. The Frumkin adsorption isotherm precisely reproduced the generated IFT data, and accordingly, the adsorption and thermodynamic parameters were determined.

An overview of chemical enhanced oil recovery and its status in India

India is currently producing crude oil from matured fields because of insufficient discoveries of new fields.Therefore,in order to control the energy crisis in India,enhanced oil recovery(EOR)techniques are required to reduce the import of crude from the OPEC(Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries).This review mentions chemical EOR techniques(polymers,surfactants,alkali,nanoparticles,and combined alkali-surfactant-polymer flooding)and operations in India.Chemical EOR methods are one of the most efficient methods for oil displacement.The efficiency is enhanced by interfacial tension(IFT)reduction using surfactants and alkali,and mobility control of injected water is done by adding a polymer to increase the volumetric sweep efficiency.This paper also reviews the current trend of chemical EOR,prospects of chemical EOR in Indian oilfields,the development of chemical EOR in India with their challenges raising with economics,and screening criteria for chemical EOR implementation on the field scale.Furthermore,the review gives a brief idea about chemical EOR implementation in Indian oilfields in future prospects to increase the additional oil recovery from existing depleted fields to reduce the import of crude oil.The outcome of this review depicts all chemical EOR operations and recovery rates both at the laboratory scale and field scale around the country.The additional recovery rates are compared from various chemical EOR methods like conventional chemical flooding methods and conventional chemicals combined with nanoparticles on a laboratory scale.The development of chemical EOR in the past few decades and the EOR policy given by the government of India has been mentioned in this review.The analysis provides an idea about enhanced recovery screening and implementation of chemical EOR methods in existing fields will significantly reduce the energy crisis in India.

Temperature/salt tolerance and oil recovery of xanthan gum solution enhanced by surface-modified nanosilicas

Amide-and alkyl-modified nanosilicas(AANPs)were synthesized and introduced into Xanthan gum(XG)solution,aiming to improve the temperature/salt tolerance and oil recovery.The rheological behaviors of XG/AANP hybrid dispersions were systematically studied at different concentrations,temperatures and inorganic salts.At high temperature(75C)and high salinity(10,000 mg,L1 NaCl),AANPs increase the apparent viscosity and dynamic modulus of the XG solution,and XG/AANP hybrid dispersion exhibits elastic-dominant properties.The most effective concentrations of XG and AANP interacting with each other are 1750 mg·L^(-1) and 0.74 wt%,respectively.The temperature tolerance of XG solution is not satisfactory,and high temperature further weakens the salt tolerance of XG.However,the AANPs significantly enhance the viscoelasticity the XG solution through hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic effect.Under reservoir conditions,XG/AANP hybrid recovers approximately 18.5%more OOIP(original oil in place)than AANP and 11.3%more OOIP than XG.The enhanced oil recovery mechanism of the XG/AANP hybrid is mainly increasing the sweep coefficient,the contribution from the reduction of oil-water interfacial tension is less.

A novel nanofluid of modified carbon black nanoparticles for enhanced oil recovery in low permeability reservoirs

A novel nanofluid of modified carbon black(MCB)nanoparticles was initially developed for enhanced oil recovery(EOR)in low permeability reservoirs.The MCB nanoparticles were obtained via a three-step reaction involving modification by oxidation,acyl chlorination,and activated grafting.MCB nano-particles were spherically dispersed,with an average size of 72.3 nm.Compared with carbon black(CB)nanoparticles,dispersed MCB nanoparticles can effectively reduce the oil-water interfacial tension(IFT)to 10^(-2)mN/m and change the surface wettability of sand particles.Based on the results of core flooding experiments,the MCB nanoparticles exhibited a better EOR capacity than surfactants and CB nano-particles,and the final oil recovery was significantly increased by 27.27%.The core scanning test showed that the MCB nanoparticles could plug high permeability channels by adsorbing onto the surfaces of sand particles and forming larger aggregates that bridge across pores or throats,resulting in a higher swept volume.The synergistic effects of improved swept volume and oil displacement efficiency were the EOR mechanisms of the MCB nanoparticles.The studies indicate that these MCB nanoparticles have excellent potential for EOR in low permeability reservoirs.

Investigation of the effect of diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid chelating agent as an enhanced oil recovery fluid on wettability alteration of sandstone rocks

This study used the diethylene triamine pentaacetic acid(DTPA)-seawater(SW)system to modify the sandstone rock wettability and enhance oil recovery.The investigation involved conducting wettability measurement,Zeta potential measurement,and spontaneous imbibition experiment.The introduction of 5%DTPA-sW solution resulted in a significant decrease in the rock-oil contact angle from 143°to 23,along with a reduction in the Zeta potential from-2.29 mV to-13.06 mV,thereby altering the rock surface charge and shifting its wettability from an oil-wet state to a strongly water-wet state.The presence or absence of potential determining ions(Ca^(2+),Mg^(2+),SO_(4)^(2-))in the solution did not impact the effectiveness of DTPA in changing the rock wettability.However,by tripling the concentration of these ions in the solution,the performance of 5%DTPA-SW solution in changing wettability was impaired.Additionally,spontaneous imbibition tests demonstrated that the 5%DTPA-SW solution led to an increase in oil recovery up to 39.6%.Thus,the optimum mass fraction of DTPA for changing sandstone wettability was determined to be5%.

Adsorption of Natural Surfactant on Sandstone in Enhanced Oil Recovery: Isotherms and Kinetics Studies

In chemical enhanced oil recovery, surfactants are injected into the reservoir with the intention to lower interfacial tension (IFT) between the water and oil phases, and thereby bring about efficient displacement of oil. However, the adsorption of the surfactants to reservoir rock surfaces leads to the loss and reduction in concentration of the surfactants, which in turn reduces the overall efficiency of the oil recovery process, with attendant financial losses. In this work, the adsorption of Quillaja Saponaria (QS), a novel, natural, non-ionic surfactant, on crushed sandstone reservoir rock is investigated. X-ray diffraction (XRD) study of clean sandstone particles has been undertaken to determine the main components present in the sand particles. The conductivity method was used to measure CMC and the surfactant concentrations in aqueous solutions. Batch adsorption experiments were used to determine the amount of QS adsorbed on rock surface. Equilibrium conditions were reached after almost 5 days. From the results of the study, the Langmuir isotherm model is more suited for predicting the adsorption behaviour of QS on sandstone. The kinetic adsorption of QS obeys the pseudo-second order model. This study is particularly relevant in surfactant selection for chemical EOR processes.

Enhancement of the imbibition recovery by surfactants in tight oil reservoirs

Hydraulic fracturing technology can significantly increase oil production from tight oil formations, but performance data show that production declines rapidly. In the long term, it is necessary to increase the development efficiency of block matrix, surfactant-aided imbibition is a potential way. The current work aimed to explain comprehensively how surfactants can enhance the imbibition rate. Laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the effects of wettability, interfacial tension(IFT), and relative permeability as the key parameters underlying surfactant solution imbibition. Two different types of surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate and polyethylene glycol octylphenol ether, at varied concentrations were tested on reservoir rocks. Experimental results showed that the oil recovery rate increased with increased wettability alteration and IFT and decreased residual oil saturation. A mechanistic simulator developed in previous studies was used to perform parametric analysis after successful laboratory-scale validation. Results were proven by parametric studies. This study,which examined the mechanism and factors influencing surfactant solution imbibition, can improve understanding of surfactant-aided imbibition and surfactant screening.

Experimental investigation of enhancement of carbon dioxide foam stability, pore plugging, and oil recovery in the presence of silica nanoparticles

The influence of surface-modified silica(SiO_2) nanoparticles on the stability and pore plugging properties of foams in porous media was investigated in this study. The pore plugging ability of foams was estimated from the pressure drop induced during foam propagation in porous media. The results clearly showed that the modified Si02 nanoparticlestabilized foam exhibited high stability, and the differential pressure increased in porous media by as much as three times.The addition of SiO_2 nanoparticles to the foaming dispersions further mitigated the adverse effect of oil toward the foam pore plugging ability. Consequently, the oil recovery increased in the presence of nanoparticles by approximately 15%during the enhanced oil recovery experiment. The study suggested that the addition of surface-modified silica nanoparticles to the surfactant solution could considerably improve the conventional foam stability and pore plugging performance in porous media.

Modelling of microbial enhanced oil recovery application using anaerobic gas-producing bacteria

Microbial enhanced oil recovery （MEOR） methods apply injection of bacteria to depleted oil reservoirs to produce oil, which had remained unrecovered after the conventional methods of production. The ability ofthermophilic anaerobic bacteria to produce gas as the main mechanism in potential MEOR in high salinities of 70-100 g/L was investigated in this study. Maximum gas production of up to 350 mL per 700 mL of salty solution was produced at a salinity of 90 g/L stably during 2-4 days of experiment. The experimental results were upscaled to the Snorre Oilfield, Norway, and simulated using ECLIPSE software for 27 months. The best scenarios showed that the increase in oil recovery on average was at 21% and 17.8% respectively. This study demonstrated that anaerobic bacteria used in biogas plants could be an attractive candidate for MEOR implementation due to their ability to withstand high temperature and salinity, and produce gas in large volumes.