Numerical Simulation of Asphaltene Precipitation and Deposition during Natural Gas and CO_(2) Injection

Asphaltene deposition is a significant problem during gas injection processes,as it can block the porous medium,the wellbore,and the involved facilities,significantly impacting reservoir productivity and ultimate oil recovery.Only a few studies have investigated the numerical modeling of this potential effect in porous media.This study focuses on asphaltene deposition due to natural gas and CO_(2) injection.Predictions of the effect of gas injection on asphaltene deposition behavior have been made using a 3D numerical simulation model.The results indicate that the injection of natural gas exacerbates asphaltene deposition,leading to a significant reduction in permeability near the injection well and throughout the reservoir.This reduction in permeability strongly affects the ability of gas toflow through the reservoir,resulting in an improvement of the displacement front.The displacement effi-ciency of the injection gas process increases by up to 1.40%when gas is injected at 5500 psi,compared to the scenario where the asphaltene model is not considered.CO_(2) injection leads to a miscible process with crude oil,extracting light and intermediate components,which intensifies asphaltene precipitation and increases the viscosity of the remaining crude oil,ultimately reducing the recovery rate.

Horizontal well spacing optimization and gas injection simulation for the ultra-low-permeability Yongjin reservoir

Optimal spacing for vertical wells can be effectively predicted with several published methods,but methods suitable for assessing the proper horizontal well spacing are rare.This work proposes a method for calculating the optimal horizontal well spacing for an ultra-low permeability reservoir e the Yongjin reservoir in the Juggar Basin,northwestern China.The result shows that a spacing of 640m is the most economical for the development of the reservoir.To better develop the reservoir,simulation approaches are used and a new model is built based on the calculated well spacing.Since the reservoir has an ultralow permeability,gas injection is regarded as the preferred enhanced oil recovery(EOR)method.Injection of different gases including carbon dioxide,methane,nitrogen and mixed gas are modelled.The results show that carbon dioxide injection is the most efficient and economical for the development of the reservoir.However,if the reservoir produces enough methane,reinjecting methane is even better than injecting carbon dioxide.

Experimental Investigation on Condensate Revaporization During Gas Injection Development in Fractured Gas Condensate Reservoirs

The gas field in the Bohai Bay Basin is a fractured metamorphic buried-hill reservoir with dual-media characteristics. The retrograde vaporization mechanism observed in this type of gas condensate reservoir differs significantly from that observed in sand gas condensate reservoirs. However, studies on improving the recovery of fractured gas condensate reservoirs are limited;thus, the impact of retrograde vaporization on condensate within fractured metamorphic buried-hill reservoirs remains unclear. To address this gap, a series of gas injection experiments are conducted in pressure-volume-temperature(PVT) cells and long-cores to investigate the retrograde vaporization effect of condensate using different gas injection media in fractured gas condensate reservoirs. We analyze the variation in condensate volume, gas-to-oil ratio, and condensate recovery during gas injection and examine the influence of various gas injection media(CO_(2), N_(2), and dry gas) under different reservoir properties and varying gas injection times. The results demonstrate that the exchange of components between injected gas and condensate significantly influences condensate retrograde vaporization in the formation. Compared with dry gas injection and N_(2) injection,CO_(2) injection exhibits a superior retrograde vaporization effect. At a CO_(2) injection volume of 1 PV, the percentage shrinkage volume of condensate is 13.82%. Additionally, at the maximum retrograde condensation pressure, CO_(2) injection can increase the recovery of condensate by 22.4%. However, the condensate recovery is notably lower in fractured gas condensate reservoirs than in homogeneous reservoirs, owing to the creation of dominant gas channeling by fractures, which leads to decreased condensate recovery. Regarding gas injection timing, the effect of gas injection at reservoir pressure on improving condensate recovery is superior to that of gas injection at the maximum retrograde condensation pressure. This research provides valuable guidance for designing gas injection development plans and dynamic tracking adjustments for fractured gas condensate reservoirs.

Comparison of different noble gas injections by massive gas injection on plasma disruption mitigation on Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak

Massive gas injection(MGI)is a traditional plasma disruption mitigation method.This method directly injected massive gas into the pre-disruption plasma and had been developed on the Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak(EAST).Different noble gas injection experiments,including He,Ne,and Ar,were performed to compare the mitigation effect of plasma disruption by evaluating the key parameters such as flight time,pre-thermal quench(pre-TQ),and current quench(CQ).The flight time was shorter for low atomic number(Z)gas,and the decrease in flight time by increasing the amount of gas was insignificant.However,both pre-TQ and CQ durations decreased considerably with the increase in gas injection amount.The effect of atomic mass on pre-TQ and CQ durations showed the opposite trend.The observed trend could help in controlling CQ duration in a reasonable area.Moreover,the analysis of radiation distribution with different impurity injections indicated that low Z impurity could reduce the asymmetry of radiation,which is valuable in mitigating plasma disruption.These results provided essential data support for plasma disruption mitigation on EAST and future fusion devices.

Mechanical stirring for highly efficient gas injection refining

In gas injection refining processes,wide dispersion of small bubbles in the bath is indispensable for high refining efficiency.Eccentric mechanical stirring with unidirectional impeller rotation was tested using a water model for pursuing better bubble disintegration and dispersion.Effects of various factors on bubble disintegration and dispersion were investigated.These factors were stirring mode,eccentricity and rotation speed,nozzle structure,nozzle immersion depth,and gas flow rate.Gas injection from a nozzle at the end of the impeller shaft and from an immersed lance was studied.Under eccentric stirring,a vortex was formed away from the shaft.Small bubbles were produced in the strong turbulence or high shear stress field near the rotating impeller and moved in the direction to the vortex keeping up with the macroscopic flow induced by the mechanical stirring.Thus small bubbles could disperse widely in the bath under eccentric stirring with unidirectional rotation.

Oxide film on bubble surface of aluminum foams produced by gas injection foaming process

Based on A356 aluminum alloy,aluminum foams were prepared by gas injection foaming process with pure nitrogen,air and some gas mixtures.The oxygen volume fraction of these gas mixtures varied from 0.2%to 8.0%.Optical microscopy,scanning electron microscopy（SEM） and Auger electron spectroscopy（AES） were used to analyze the influence of oxygen content on cell structure,relative density,macro and micro morphology of cell walls,coverage area fraction of oxide film,thickness of oxide film and other aspects.Results indicate that the coverage area fraction of oxide film on bubble surface increases with the increase of oxygen content when the oxygen volume is less than 1.2%.While when the oxygen volume fraction is larger than 1.6%,an oxide film covers the entire bubble surface and aluminum foams with good cell structure can be produced.The thicknesses of oxide films of aluminum foams produced by gas mixtures containing 1.6%-21%oxygen are almost the same.The reasons why the thickness of oxide film nearly does not change with the variation of oxygen content and the amount of oxygen needed to achieve 100%coverage of oxide film are both discussed.In addition,the role of oxide film on bubble surface in foam stability is also analyzed.

Oxidation kinetics of oxide film on bubble surface of aluminum foams produced by gas injection foaming process

In the range of 620？710 °C, air was blown into A356 aluminum alloy melt to produce aluminum foams. In order to study the influence of temperature on the thickness of oxide film on bubble surface, Auger electron spectroscopy （AES） was used. Based on the knowledge of corrosion science and hydrodynamics, two oxidation kinetics models of oxide film on bubble surface were established. The thicknesses of oxide films produced at different temperatures were predicted through those two models. Furthermore, the theoretical values were compared with the experimental values. The results indicate that in the range of 620？710 °C, the theoretical values of the thickness of oxide film predicted by the model including the rising process are higher than the experimental values. While, the theoretical values predicted by the model without the rising process are in good agreement with the experimental values, which shows this model objectively describes the oxidation process of oxide film on bubble surface. This work suggests that the oxidation kinetics of oxide film on bubble surface of aluminum foams produced by gas injection foaming process follows the Arrhenius equation.

Possible link between long-term and short-term water injections and earthquakes in salt mine and shale gas site in Changning,south Sichuan Basin, China

Late at night on 17 June 2019,a magnitude 6.0 earthquake struck Shuanghe Town and its surrounding area in Changning County,Sichuan,China,becoming the largest earthquake recorded within the southern Sichuan Basin.A series of earthquakes with magnitudes up to 5.6 occurred during a short period after the mainshock,and we thus refer to these earthquakes as the Changning M6 earthquake sequence(or swarm).The mainshock was located very close to a salt mine,into which for^3 decades fresh water had been extensively injected through several wells at a depth of 2.7–3 km.It was also near(within^15 km)the epicenter of the 18 December 2018 M5.7 Xingwen earthquake,which is thought to have been induced by shale gas hydraulic fracturing(HF),prompting questions about the possible involvement of industrial activities in the M6 sequence.Following previous studies,this paper focuses on the relationship between injection and seismicity in the Shuanghe salt field and its adjacent Shangluo shale gas block.Except for a period of serious water loss after the start of cross-well injection in 2005–2006,the frequency of earthquakes shows a slightly increasing tendency.Overall,there is a good correlation between the event rate in the Shuanghe area and the loss of injected water.More than 400 M≥3 earthquakes,including 40 M≥4 and 5 M≥5 events,had been observed by the end of August 2019.Meanwhile,in the Shangluo area,seismicity has increased during drilling and HF operations(mostly in vertical wells)since about 2009,and dramatically since the end of 2014,coincident with the start of systematic HF in the area.The event rate shows a progressively increasing background with some fluctuations,paralleling the increase in HF operations.More than 700 M≥3 earthquakes,including 10 M≥4 and 3 M≥5 in spatially and temporally clustered seismic events,are correlated closely with active fracturing platforms.Well-resolved centroid moment tensor results for M≥4 earthquakes were shown to occur at very shallow depths around shale formations with active HF,in agreement with some of the clusters,which occurred within the coverage area of temporary or new permanent monitoring stations and thus have been precisely located.After the Xingwen M5.7 earthquake,seismic activity in the salt well area increased significantly.The Xingwen earthquake may have created a unidirectional rupture to the NNW,with an end point close to the NW-trending fault of the Shuanghe earthquake.Thus,a fault in the Changning anticline might have terminated the fault rupture of the Xingwen earthquake,possibly giving the Xingwen earthquake a role in promoting the Changning M6 event.

Heat-fluid-solid coupling model for gas-bearing coal seam and numerical modeling on gas drainage promotion by heat injection

Improving the absorbed gas to active desorption and seepage and delaying gas drainage attenuation are considered as key methods for increasing drainage efficiency and gas output.According to the solid mechanics theory,the nonlinear Darcy seepage theory and thermodynamics,the heat-fluid-solid coupling model for gassy coal has been improved.The numerical model was founded from the improved multi-field coupling model by COMSOL Multiphysics and gas drainage by borehole down the coal seam enhanced by heat injection was modelled.The results show that the heatfluid-solid model with adsorption effects for gassy coal was well simulated by the improved multi-field model.The mechanism of coal seam gas desorption seepage under the combined action of temperature,stress and adsorption can be well described.Gas desorption and seepage can be enhanced by heat injection into coal seams.The gas drainage rate was directly proportional to the temperature of injected heat in the scope of 30-150 ℃ and increasing in the whole modelleddrainage process (0-1000 d).The increased level was maximum in the initial drainage time and decreasing gradually along with drainage time.The increasing ratio of drainage rate was maximum when the temperature raised from 30 to 60 ℃.Although the drainage rate would increase along with increasing temperature,when exceeding 60 ℃,the increasing ratio of drainage rate with rising temperature would decrease.Gas drainage promotion was more effective in coal seams with lower permeability than with higher permeability.The coal seam temperature in a 5 m distance surrounding the heat injection borehole would rise to around 60 ℃ in 3 months.That was much less than the time of gas drainage in the coal mines in sites with low permeability coal seams.Therefore,it is valuable and feasible to inject heat into coal seams to promote gas drainage,and this has strong feasibility for coal seams with low permeability which are widespread in China.

Investigation of flue gas water-alternating gas (flue gas–WAG) injection for enhanced oil recovery and multicomponent flue gas storage in the post-waterflooding reservoir

Flue gas fooding is one of the important technologies to improve oil recovery and achieve greenhouse gas storage.In order to study multicomponent fue gas storage capacity and enhanced oil recovery(EOR)performance of fue gas water-alternating gas(fue gas-WAG)injection after continuous waterfooding in an oil reservoir,a long core fooding system was built.The experimental results showed that the oil recovery factor of fue gas-WAG fooding was increased by 21.25%after continuous waterfooding and fue gas-WAG fooding could further enhance oil recovery and reduce water cut signifcantly.A novel material balance model based on storage mechanism was developed to estimate the multicomponent fue gas storage capacity and storage capacity of each component of fue gas in reservoir oil,water and as free gas in the post-waterfooding reservoir.The ultimate storage ratio of fue gas is 16%in the fue gas-WAG fooding process.The calculation results of fue gas storage capacity showed that the injection gas storage capacity mainly consists of N_(2) and CO_(2),only N_(2) exists as free gas phase in cores,and other components of injection gas are dissolved in oil and water.Finally,injection strategies from three perspectives for fue gas storage,EOR,and combination of fue gas storage and EOR were proposed,respectively.

Fabrication of AlN-TiC/Al composites by gas injection processing

The fabrication of AlN-TiC/Al composites by carbon- and nitrogen-containing gas injection into Al-Mg-Ti melts was studied. It was shown that AlN and TiC particles could be formed by the in situ reaction of mixture gas （N2 ＋ C2H2 ＋ NH3） with Al-Mg-Ti melts. The condition for the formation of AlN was that the treatment temperature must be higher than 1373 K, and the amounts of AlN and TiC increased with the increase of the treatment temperature and the gas injection time It was considered that AlN was formed by the direct reaction of Al with nitrogen-containing gas at the interface of the gas bubble and the melt. However, the mechanism of TiC formation is a combination mechanism of solution-precipitation and solid-liquid reaction.

Injection Strategy in Natural Gas–Diesel Dual-Fuel Premixed Charge Compression Ignition Combustion under Low Load Conditions

Dual-fuel premixed charge compression ignition (DF-PCCI) combustion has been proven to be a viable alternative to conventional diesel combustion in heavy-duty compression ignition engines due to its low nitrogen oxides (NOx) and particulate matter (PM) emissions. When natural gas (NG) is applied to a DF-PCCI engine, its low reactivity reduces the maximum pressure rise rate under high loads. However, the NG–diesel DF-PCCI engine suffers from low combustion efficiency under low loads. In this study, an injection strategy of fuel supply (NG and diesel) in a DF-PCCI engine was investigated in order to reduce both the fuel consumption and hydrocarbon (HC) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions under low load conditions. A variation in the NG substitution and diesel start of energizing (SOE) was found to effectively control the formation of the fuel–air mixture. A double injection strategy of diesel was implemented to adjust the local reactivity of the mixture. Retardation of the diesel pilot SOE and a low fraction of the diesel pilot injection quantity were favorable for reducing the combustion loss. The introduction of exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) improved the fuel economy and reduced the NOx and PM emissions below Euro VI regulations by retarding the combustion phasing. The combination of an NG substitution of 40%, the double injection strategy of diesel, and a moderate EGR rate effectively improved the combustion efficiency and indicated efficiency, and reduced the HC and CO emissions under low load conditions.

Study of the Reservoir Damage during Cyclic Injection and Extraction Process in the Hutubi Gas Storage

During the injection and extraction process in gas storage,cyclic loading stress is applied to the reservoir pore structure,affecting the capacity and service life of gas storage. To study the influence of cyclic injection and extraction on reservoir physical property,a finite-element model of reservoir elastoplastic damage under the effect of pore pressure is established based on elastoplastic mechanics and fatigue-damage mechanics. Considering the mechanical property of the Hutubi reservoir and the injection-extraction mode of gas storage,the finite-element model is used to study the pore pressure and porosity change,fault safety,and ground surface deformation. The results show that the change in pore pressure and porosity,the deformation of the Hutubi fault,as well as the uplift and sink of the grounds surface are controlled by the fatigue damage of the reservoir pore structure during the injection-extraction process. After a 6-year service life, the cumulative deformation of the reservoir pore reaches its limit,causing pore structure collapse and porosity decrease. As a result,storage capacity declines and the ground surface starts to sink. Through this study,the safety of the Hutubi gas storage is evaluated,and some suggestions for field operations are offered.

Influence of hydrogen-enriched atmosphere under coke oven gas injection on reduction swelling behaviors of oxidized pellet

It is of great importance to elucidate reduction swelling behaviors and reaction mechanism of oxidized pellet in hydrogen-enriched atmosphere under coke oven gas injection. In this work, the effects of hydrogen concentration in N_2-CO-H_2 atmosphere with unchanged CO content on reduction swelling behaviors of oxidized pellet at 1173 K were studied, to clarify the mechanism of hydrogen-enriched reduction and exclude the influences of CO. Then, the reduction swelling behaviors of oxidized pellet at 1173 K in actual atmosphere under coke oven gas(COG) injection, got from the simulation results of multi-fluid blast furnace model, were investigated. The results show that with the concentration of hydrogen increasing in N_2-CO-H_2 gas from 2% to 18%, the reduction swelling index of pellet decreases from 10.12% to 5.57% while the reduction ratio of pellet increases obviously from 39.85% to 69.58%. In addition, with COG injection rate increasing from 0 to 152.34 m^3/t, the reduction swelling index of pellet decreases slightly from 10.71% to 9.54% while the reduction ratio of pellet is increased from 31.57% to 36.39%. The microstructures of pellet are transformed from the platy structure to the flocculent structure.

Gas injection for enhanced oil recovery in two-dimensional geology-based physical model of Tahe fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs:karst fault system

Gas injection serves as a main enhanced oil recovery(EOR)method in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoir,but its effect differs among single wells and multi-well groups because of the diverse fractured-vuggy configuration.Many researchers conducted experiments for the observation of fluid flow and the evaluation of production performance,while most of their physical models were fabricated based on the probability distribution of fractures and caves in the reservoir.In this study,a two-dimensional physical model of the karst fault system was designed and fabricated based on the geological model of TK748 well group in the seventh block of the Tahe Oilfield.The fluid flow and production performance of primary gas flooding were discussed.Gas-assisted gravity flooding was firstly introduced to take full use of gas-oil gravity difference,and its feasibility in the karst fault system was examined.Experimental results showed that primary gas flooding created more flow paths and achieved a remarkable increment of oil recovery compared to water flooding.Gas injection at a lower location was recommended to delay gas breakthrough.Gas-assisted gravity flooding achieved more stable gas-displacing-oil because oil production was at a lower location,and thus,the oil recovery was further enhanced.

Effect of nozzle geometry on pressure drop in submerged gas injection

Submerged gas injection into liquid leads to complex multiphase flow, in which nozzle geometries are crucial important for the operational expenditure in terms of pressure drop. The influence of the nozzle geometry on pressure drop between nozzle inlet and outlet has been experimentally studied for different gas flow rates and bath depths. Nozzles with circular, gear-like and four-leaf cross-sectional shape have been studied. The results indicate that, besides the hydraulic diameter of the outlet, the orifice area and the perimeter of the nozzle tip also play significant roles. For the same superficial gas velocity, the average pressure drop from the four-leaf-shaped geometry is the least. The influence of bath depth was found negligible. A correlation for the modified Euler number considering the pressure drop is proposed depending on nozzle geometric parameter and on the modified Froude number with the hydraulic diameter of the nozzle do as characteristic length.

Stress sensitivity of formation during multi-cycle gas injection and production in an underground gas storage rebuilt from gas reservoirs

Permeability sensitivity to stress experiments were conducted on standard core samples taken from Wen 23 Gas Storage at multi-cycle injection and production conditions of the gas storage to study the change pattern of stress sensitivity of permeability.A method for calculating permeability under overburden pressure in the multi-cycle injection and production process was proposed,and the effect of stress sensitivity of reservoir permeability on gas well injectivity and productivity in UGS was analyzed.Retention rate of permeability decreased sharply first and then slowly with the increase of the UGS cycles.The stress sensitivity index of permeability decreased with the increase of cycle number of net stress variations in the increase process of net stress.The stress sensitivity index of permeability hardly changed with the increase of cycle number of net stress variations in the decrease process of net stress.With the increase of cycle number of net stress variation,the stress sensitivity index of permeability in the increase process of net stress approached that in the decrease process of net stress.The lower the reservoir permeability,the greater the irreversible permeability loss rate,the stronger the cyclic stress sensitivity,and the higher the stress sensitivity index of the reservoir,the stronger the reservoir stress sensitivity.The gas zones with permeability lower than 0.3’10-3 mm2 are not suitable as gas storage regions.Stress sensitivity of reservoir permeability has strong impact on gas well injectivity and productivity and mainly in the first few cycles.

Experimental Study on Phase Characteristics of CO2 Injection in BZ13-2 Strong Volatile Oil Reservoir in Bohai Sea Buried Hills

BZ13-2 oil field is a deep submerged strongly volatile reservoir in Bohai Sea. This oil reservoir has the characteristics of high gas oil ratio and small difference in formation pressure and saturation point pressure. It usually adopts gas injection development to avoid crude oil degassing and fast decreasing production capacity. However, the phase characteristics and miscibility mechanism of this high-temperature and high-pressure fluid after gas injection are not clear. Therefore, it is necessary to study the feasibility of CO2 injection to improve oil recovery in near critical volatile oil reservoirs through CO2 injection experiments. In the early stage of the depletion experiment, the content of heavy components in the remaining oil increased significantly, so the depletion method is not conducive to the development of such reservoirs. With the increase of CO2 injection, the volumetric expansion coefficient of formation crude oil increases significantly, while the saturation pressure and formation crude oil viscosity remain basically unchanged. The minimum miscible pressure experiment shows that CO2 injection under formation pressure conditions can achieve multiphase miscibility. Based on experimental research results, the BZ13-2 oilfield is suitable for early gas injection development and can significantly improve recovery.

CFD modeling of gas−liquid flow phenomenon in lead smelting oxygen-enriched side-blown furnace

A validated numerical model was established to simulate gas−liquid flow behaviors in the oxygen-enriched side-blown bath furnace.This model included the slip velocity between phases and the gas thermal expansion effect.Its modeling results were verified with theoretical correlations and experiments,and the nozzle-eroded states in practice were also involved in the analysis.Through comparison,it is confirmed that the thermal expansion effect influences the flow pattern significantly,which may lead to the backward motion of airflow and create a potential risk to production safety.Consequently,the influences of air injection velocity and furnace width on airflow behavior were investigated to provide operating and design guidance.It is found that the thin layer melt,which avoids high-rate oxygen airflow eroding nozzles,shrinks as the injection velocity increases,but safety can be guaranteed when the velocity ranges from 175 to 275 m/s.Moreover,the isoline patterns and heights of thin layers change slightly when the furnace width increases from 2.2 to 2.8 m,indicating that the furnace width shows a limited influence on production safety.

Experimental study on secondary air mixing along the bed height in a circulating fluidized bed with a multitracer-gas method

A multitracer-gas method was proposed to study the secondary air(SA)mixing along the bed height in a circulating fluidized bed(CFB)using carbon monoxide(CO),oxygen(O_(2)),and carbon dioxide(CO_(2))as tracer gases.Experiments were carried out on a cold CFB test rig with a cross-section of 0.42 m×0.73 m and a height of 5.50 m.The effects of superficial velocity,SA ratio,bed inventory,and particle diameter on the SA mixing were investigated.The results indicate that there are some differences in the measurement results obtained using different tracer gases,wherein the deviation between CO and CO_(2) ranges from 42%to 66%and that between O_(2) and CO_(2) ranges from 45%to 71%in the lower part of the fluidized bed.However,these differences became less pronounced as the bed height increased.Besides,the high solid concentration and fine particle diameter in the CFB may weaken the difference.The measurement results of different tracer gases show the same trends under the variation of operating parameters.Increasing superficial velocity and SA ratio and decreasing particle diameter result in better mixing of the SA.The effect of bed inventory on SA mixing is not monotonic.