Research Progress about the Mixing Brine Method to Produce Low- Sodium Carnallite from Saline Lake Brine

Mixing brine method,which founded on the commonion effect,is widely used for low-sodium carnallite production.Compared with traditional carnallite preparation techniques,the mixing brine method possess a

CO_2,carbonate-rich melts,and brines in the mantle

This paper reviews the origin and evolution of fluid inclusions in ultramaflc xenoliths, providing a framework for interpreting the chemistry of mantle fluids in the different geodynamic settings. Fluid inclusion data show that in the shallow mantle, at depths below about 100 km, the dominant fluid phase is CO2 ± brines, changing to alkali-, carbonate-rich （silicate） melts at higher pressures. Major solutes in aqueous fluids are chlorides, silica and alkalis （saline brines; 5-50 wt.% NaCl eq.）. Fluid inclusions in peridotites record CO2 fluxing from reacting metasomatic carbonate-rich melts at high pressures, and suggest significant upper-mantle carbon outgassing over time. Mantle-derived CO2 （±brines） may eventually reach upper-crustal levels, including the atmosphere, independently from, and additionally to magma degassing in active volcanoes.

Double Convective Hydrothermal System beneath Massive Sulfide Orebody in Gacun Deposit,Southwestern China

The Gacun Kuroko-type deposit, Southwestern China, is hosted in rhyolitic rocks associated with the underlying mafic rocks occurred in the - 1000 m deep fault - bounded basin within the intra -arc rifting zone which formed on the Triassic Yidun island - arc. Two vertically separated alteration systems are recognized: one is conformable or semiconformable alteration zone developed in - 150 m thick mafic unit 1-1.5 km below the massive sulfide ore body; the other is discordant alteration pipe directly surrounded around stockwork ore within rhyolitic unit. The lower conformable alteration zone extending for several kilometers along strike is characterized by silicification and epidotization which result in the development of quartz vein and quartz-epidote vein systems in mafic lava flows and replacement of primary minerals and groundmass in spilitized mafic volcanics and dikes by quartz, epidote - group minerals and sodic plagioclase. Sulfides often occur in the vein system and altered mafic volcanics. Quartz solubility relation indicates that silicification is a consequence of interaction of Si- saturated fluids with mafic rocks in a higher temperature system (T>340℃), intensifying by intrusion of mafic dike or high-level acidic magma chamber. The alteration pipe of diameter about 2 km shows a similar mineralogical zoning to Kuroko deposits of Japan. The sequence is quartz + hyalophane; sericite + chlorite + quartz and zeolite-like zones from core to margins of the pipe. The chlorite core only occurs in the root part of the alteration pipe and downwards transfers into epidote - chlorite and epidote - quartz vein swarm extending 500 m downwards. The felsic rocks away from the orebody and alteration pipe took place district-scale alteration, which has typical low-temperature mineral association: illite + albite + quartz + calcite. Whole -rock and quartz δ18O values indicate that district - scale alteration is a result of interaction of seawater with rocks at lower temperature (T<200℃)under water-dominated condition. However, the altered rocks from the pipe show remarkably δ18O enrichment, and bulk -rock δ18O values decreased gradually toward stockwork orebody from 15.1‰-l5. 75‰ in zeolite-like zone and 12. 05‰-14. 2‰ in sericite - quartz zone to 11.3 ‰ - 14. 4‰ in quartz - hyalophane zone. The filled temperatures of fluid inclusions in quartz and sphalerite lie in the ranges of 280 -320 ℃ for quartz - hyalophane zone and 250 ℃ to 297 ℃ for sericite-quartz zone. The estimated δ18O values of hydrothermal fluids are 7. 98‰ and3.2‰, respectively, based on quartz δ18O data in the deposit. The lower conformable alteration is considered to be approximately coeval with the alteration pipe, based on the SiO2 concentration in the fluids, which restrict the main fluid - rock reaction zone to be located in mafic horizon by quartz barometer, and metal element flux calculation and sulfide - epidote vein system developed both in alteration systems. High - salinity fluid inclusions in gangue quartz (>8% eq. NaCl) from stockwork ore and in quartz phenocryst (>40% eq. NaCl) in footwall rhyolite strongly suggest the existence of hot-saline brine to react with mafic complex and leach metal components, which probably originates mainly from magmatic fluid derived from high-level acidic magma chamber. The brine layer located in mafic unit possibly heats and drives the overlying single -pass convective seawater reacting with felsic rocks. The 'density window' may be expected to occur on the interface between seawater and brine layer, when the brine becomes to be gravitationally instability by the turbulent entrainment of seawater during magmatic and/or tectonic activities. The sulfide mineralization and alteration pipe is inter preted as an effect of the 'density window' through which the mixed fluids of brine with seawater adiabatically discharges upwards.

Temperature effect on performance of nanoparticle/surfactant flooding in enhanced heavy oil recovery

Recently,nanoparticles have been used along with surfactants for enhancing oil recovery.Although the recent studies show that oil recovery is enhanced using nanoparticle/surfactant solutions,some effective parameters and mechanisms involved in the oil recovery have not yet been investigated.Therefore,the temperature effect on the stability of nanoparticle/surfactant solutions and ultimate oil recovery has been studied in this work,and the optimal concentrations of both SiO2 nanoparticle and surfactant(sodium dodecyl sulfate)have been determined by the Central Composite Design method.In addition,the simultaneous effects of parameters and their interactions have been investigated.Study of the stability of the injected solutions indicates that the nanoparticle concentration is the most important factor affecting the solution stability.The surfactant makes the solution more stable if used in appropriate concentrations below the CMC.According to the micromodel flooding results,the most effective factor for enhancing oil recovery is temperature compared to the nanoparticle and surfactant concentrations.Therefore,in floodings with higher porous medium temperature,the oil viscosity reduction is considerable,and more oil is recovered.In addition,the surfactant concentration plays a more effective role in reservoirs with higher temperatures.In other words,at a surfactant concentration of 250 ppm,the ultimate oil recovery is improved about 20%with a temperature increase of 20°C.However,when the surfactant concentration is equal to 750 ppm,the temperature increase enhances the ultimate oil recovery by only about 7%.Finally,the nanoparticle and surfactant optimum concentrations determined by Design-Expert software were equal to 46 and 159 ppm,respectively.It is worthy to note that obtained results are validated by the confirmation test.

The Impact of Core Firing on EOR of Low Salinity-Surfactant Flooding

The combination of injection of lower saline brine and surfactant will increase recovery in sandstone rocks than either when any of the techniques is singly applied. In this work, core IFT test, pH test, flooding experiments and measurement of dispersion were performed on four core samples which were grouped into two: group A which were not fired and group B which were fired at a temperature of 500°C for 24 hours. Two low saline brines were prepared: LS1 which was derived by the dilution of seawater four times and LS2 which was derived by ten times diluting the seawater. The surfactant used was ethoxylated alcohol surfactant. Coreflood experiments were then performed on the rock samples starting with the injection of low saline followed by low saline brine combined with surfactant (LSS). Results from the experiments show that with the injection of LS1 brine and LSS1 higher increment in recoveries were obtained for group B than for group A cores. The same trend was also noticed with the injection of LS2 and LSS2. From the results, LS1 gave higher increment in oil recovery than LS2. Also LSS1 gave higher recoveries when compared with LSS2. In all the cases tested, core samples which were fired gave higher recoveries even though they had low permeabilities of 993 md for sample 3 and 1017 md for sample 4 than those which were not fired with higher permeabilities of 1050 md and 1055 md for samples 1 and 2 respectively. This was attributed to the alteration of wettability as well as that of permeability caused by sample firing. The dispersion profiles of the rock samples show that all samples are homogeneous.

Experimental study on nanoparticles-assisted low-salinity water for enhanced oil recovery in asphaltenic oil reservoirs

The purpose of this research is to look into the augmentation of silica nanoparticles(NPs)with low salinity(LowSal)brine for EOR.A series of analyses,including oil/water interfacial tension(IFT)and rock wettability tests were undertaken to determine an optimal dispersion to flood into a porous carbonate core with a defined pore size distribution.At 60℃and 14.5 psi,the maximum drop(i.e.,roughly 12.5 mN/m)in oil/water IFT by 0.3 wt%brine occurred,but when 0.08 wt%silica was added to the brine,the IFT reduced to 14.51 mN/m at 60℃and 14.5 psi.The wettability analysis revealed a significant reduction in contact angle,from 142°to 72°and 59°,using 0.04 and 0.08 wt%silica in LowSal brine,but the extent reduced by brine alone was insufficient.The results of rock pore size characterization were discussed in terms of the accomplishment of operating EOR in the porous medium in the presence of NPs.The addition of 0.08 wt%silica to the injected brine resulted in an additional oil recovery of 16.3%OOIP as well as a significant shift in the endpoints/cross-points of the oil/water relative permeability curves.The findings of this research might help improve oil recovery from asphaltenic oil reservoirs or,more environmentally friendly,remediate petroleum crude-oil polluted soil.