Using pore-solid fractal dimension to estimate residual LNAPLs saturation in sandy aquifers:A column experiment

The“tailing”effect caused by residual non-aqueous phase liquids(NAPLs)in porous aquifers is one of the frontiers in pollution hydrogeology research.Based on the current knowledge that the residual NAPLs is mainly controlled by the pore structure of soil,this study established a method for evaluating the residual saturation of NAPLs by investigating the fractal dimension of porous media.In this study,the soil column experiments of residual light NAPLs(LNAPLs)in sandy aquifer with different ratios of sands and soil were carried out,and the correlation between the fractal dimension of the medium,the residual of LNAPLs and the soil structure parameters are statistically analyzed,and its formation mechanism and main control factors are discussed.The results show that:Under our experimental condition:(1)the fractal dimension of the medium has a positive correlation with the residual saturation of NAPLs generally,and the optimal fitting function can be described by a quadratic model:S_(R)=192.02 D2-890.73 D+1040.8;(2)the dominant formation mechanism is:Smaller pores in the medium is related to larger fractal dimension,which leads to higher residual saturation of NAPLs;stronger heterogeneity of the medium is related to larger fractal dimension,which also leads to higher residual saturation of NAPLs;(3)the micro capillary pores characterized by fine sand are the main controlling factors of the formation mechanism.It is concluded that both the theory and the method of using fractal dimension of the medium to evaluate the residual saturation of NAPLs are feasible.This study provides a new perspective for the research of“tailing”effect of NAPLs in porous media aquifer.

Forming condition of transient saturated zone and its distribution in residual slope under rainfall conditions

Rainfall, as one of the most significant factors triggering the residual soil slope failure, leads to not only the reduction of soil shear strength, but also the increase of soil weight and the decrease of matric suction as well. All these modifications in soil properties have important influence on the slope stability. The water infiltration and redistribution inside the slope are the preconditions of the slope stability under rainfall conditions. Based on the numerical simulation via finite element method, the water infiltration process under rainfall conditions was studied in the present work. The emphases are the formation, distribution and dissipation of transient saturated zone. As for the calculation parameters, the SWCC and the saturated permeability have been determined by pressure plate test and variable head test respectively. The entire process(formation, development, dissipation) of the transient saturated zone was studied in detail. The variations of volumetric water content, matric suction and hydraulic gradient inside the slope, and the eventually raise of groundwater table were characterized and discussed, too. The results show that the major cause of the formation of transient saturated zone is ascribed to the fact that the exudation velocity of rainwater on the wetting front is less than the infiltration velocity of rainfall; as a result, the water content of the soil increases. On the other hand, the formation and extension of transient saturated zone have a close relationship with rainfall intensity and duration. The results can help the geotechnical engineers for the deeper understanding of the failure of residual slope under rainfall condition. It is also suggested that the proper drainage system in the slope may be the cost-effective slope failure mitigation method.

Assessment of residual oil saturation with time-differentiated variable multiple material balance model

This study aims to improve the evaluation of residual oil saturation in water flooded zones based on the material balance model(MBM)with variable multiple for injected water.We investigated the change patterns of rock-electro parameters during waterflooding through the analysis of displacement tests.Our work differentiated the waterflooding into numerous displacement processes and accordingly propose an improved time-differentiated variable multiple MBM.The calculation results of the improved model are more consistent with the displacement experiment data of cores.Furthermore,the improved method was integrated into the comprehensive interpretation platform of offshore logging to analyze water flooded zones of a well in the A oilfield.As a result,the residual oil saturation calculated is in close agreement with the results of experiments on cores.Our results indicate that the time-differentiation and variable multiplier for injected water can effectively enhance the assessment accuracy of the residual oil saturation of water-flooded zones.

Experimental investigation of wettability alteration on residual oil saturation using nonionic surfactants: Capillary pressure measurement

Introducing the novel technique for enhancing oil recovery from available petroleum reservoirs is one of the important issues in future energy demands.Among of all operative factors,wettability may be the foremost parameter affecting residual oil saturation in all stage of oil recovery.Although wettability alteration is one of the methods which enhance oil recovery from the petroleum reservoir.Recently,the studies which focused on this subject were more than the past and many contributions have been made on this area.The main objective of the current study is experimentally investigation of the two nonionic surfactants effects on altering wettability of reservoir rocks.Purpose of this work is to change the wettability to preferentially the water-wet condition.Also reducing the residual oil saturation(Sor)is the other purpose of this work.The wettability alteration of reservoir rock is measured by two main quantitative methods namely contact angle and the USBM methods.Results of this study showed that surfactant flooding is more effective in oil-wet rocks to change their wettability and consequently reducing Sor to a low value.Cedar(Zizyphus Spina Christi)is low priced,absolutely natural,and abundantly accessible in the Middle East and Central Asia.Based on the results,this material can be used as a chemical surfactant in field for enhancing oil recovery.

CO_(2) storage in depleted gas reservoirs:A study on the effect of residual gas saturation

Depleted gas reservoirs are recognized as the most promising candidate for carbon dioxide storage.Primary gas production followed by injection of carbon dioxide after depletion is the strategy adopted for secondary gas recovery and storage practices.This strategy,however,depends on the injection strategy,reservoir characteristics and operational parameters.There have been many studies to-date discussing critical factors influencing the storage performance in depleted gas reservoirs while little attention was given to the effect of residual gas.In this paper,an attempt was made to highlight the importance of residual gas on the capacity,injectivity,reservoir pressurization,and trapping mechanisms of storage sites through the use of numerical simulation.The results obtained indicated that the storage performance is proportionally linked to the amount of residual gas in the medium and reservoirs with low residual fluids are a better choice for storage purposes.Therefore,it would be wise to perform the secondary recovery before storage in order to have the least amount of residual gas in the medium.Although the results of this study are useful to screen depleted gas reservoirs for the storage purpose,more studies are required to confirm the finding presented in this paper.

Application of Tracer Model in the Remaining Oil Distribution of 95 Block Oilfields of Central Plains

With the development and utilization of oil and gas fields, oil mining become more and more difficult. The remaining re- serves of oil in the oil distribution is difficult to confirm, in order to understand and grasp the distribution of the remaining oil in the reser-voir, calculated using tracer concentration methods used mathematical models to calculate the residual oil saturation in the reservoir, from the theoretical analysis of tracer migration process, you can more accurately determine the distribution of the remaining oil, this method has good prospects for development.

Near Gas-Water Contact Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide to Improve the Performance of Water Drive Gas Reservoir: Case Study

This study investigates the application of carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration to address challenges in water-drive gas reservoirs, specifically focusing on improving gas recovery and mitigating water invasion. Traditional methods like blow-down and co-production have limitations, including sand production, water coning, and inefficiency in strong aquifers. To overcome these issues, this research explores CO2 injection near the edge aquifer, aiming to reduce water influx and enhance gas recovery through the propagation of a CO2 plume in the gas-water contact zone. Both synthetic and real compositional reservoir models were studied, with CO2 injection performed while maintaining reservoir pressure below 90% of the initial level. Results show that CO2 sequestration significantly improved recovery, particularly in higher permeability reservoirs, where it reduced aquifer influx and increased gas production by 26% under challenging conditions. While CO2 dissolution in water decreased aquifer influx by 39%, its adverse effect on sweep efficiency led to a reduction in gas and water production by 4.2% and 10%, respectively. The method's effectiveness was not significantly impacted by aquifer permeability, but it was sensitive to vertical-to-horizontal permeability ratios. When applied to a real gas reservoir, the proposed method increased gas production by 14% compared to conventional techniques, with minimal CO2 production over a 112-year period. This study demonstrates the potential of CO2 sequestration as a comprehensive solution for enhancing gas recovery, reducing water production, and mitigating environmental impacts in water-drive gas reservoirs.

The effect of type waves on vibroseismic implementation of changes properties of rock, oil viscosity, oil compound composition, and enhanced oil recovery

Based on the results of laboratory studies,the frequency of 35 Hz in longitudinal waves and 20 Hz in circular waves is the optimum frequency that can increase the maximum oil recovery.Coreflooding test results before the vibration effect can increase oil production by 51.96%and reduce the residual oil saturation by 59.03%The surprising results when the vibration effect was applied to the coreflooding test method with P wave types continuously succeeded in increasing oil production by 60.54%,inter-mittent P waves by 63.53%and circular waves by 64.76%,while also reducing Sor by 48.49%in continuous P waves,intermittent P waves at 44.81%and C waves at 43.3%,The P wave type vibrational method has an increase in oil gain by 16%,intemittently by 22%,Sor reduction by 18%and 24%,in circular wave oil gain increases by 25%,and Sor decreases by 27%from before the vibration effect given.Besides vibration can change the physical properties of rocks,among others;permeability has increased by 7%using P waves continuously,intermittently by 31%and C waves by 4%;porosity of 5.88%with P waves contin-uously,intermittently of 6.46%and circular waves of 4.63%;grain size before vibration of 45.16 um after vibration using continuous P waves of 42.01μum,intermittently of 4798μum,and circular of 50.46μum;changes in oil composition to contain more alkanes,and lack of aromatic compounds;oil viscosity increased by 3%with continuous P waves,intermittent of 5%,and circular 61%.The new point from this paper is analyzing the vibroseismic effect by using SEM images in terms of the watershed segmentation of the Rabbani algorithm compared to lab results,which have an error rate of under 2%,and a review of oil composition by the GC-MS method.