The mechanism of hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement to enhance oil recovery in low and medium permeability reservoirs

Aiming at the technology of hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement which combines hydraulic fracturing,seepage and oil displacement,an experimental system of energy storage and flowback in fracturing assisted oil displacement process has been developed and used to simulate the mechanism of percolation,energy storage,oil displacement and flowback of chemical agents in the whole process.The research shows that in hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement,the chemical agent could be directly pushed to the deeper area of the low and medium permeability reservoirs,avoiding the viscosity loss and adhesion retention of chemical agents near the pay zone;in addition,this technology could effectively enlarge the swept volume,improve the oil displacement efficiency,replenish formation energy,gather and exploit the scattered residual oil.For the reservoir with higher permeability,this measure takes effect fast,so to lower cost,and the high pressure hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement could be adopted directly.For the reservoir with lower permeability which is difficult to absorb water,hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement with surfactant should be adopted to reduce flow resistance of the reservoir and improve the water absorption capacity and development effect of the reservoir.The degree of formation energy deficit was the main factor affecting the effective swept range of chemical agents.Moreover,the larger the formation energy deficit was,the further the seepage distance of chemical agents was,accordingly,the larger the effective swept volume was,and the greater the increase of oil recovery was.Formation energy enhancement was the most important contribution to enhanced oil recovery(EOR),which was the key to EOR by the technology of hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement.

Experimental investigation on stable displacement mechanism and oil recovery enhancement of oxygen-reduced air assisted gravity drainage

The effects of gravity,capillary force,and viscous force on the migration characteristics of oil and gas interface in oxygen-reduced air-assisted gravity drainage(OAGD)were studied through a two-dimensional visualization model.The effects of bond number,capillary number and low-temperature oxidation on OAGD recovery were studied by long core displacement experiments.On this basis,the low-temperature oxidation number was introduced and its relationship with the OAGD recovery was established.The results show that the shape and changing law of oil and gas front are mainly influenced by gravity,capillary force and viscous force.When the bond number is constant(4.52×10-4),the shape of oil-gas front is controlled by capillary number.When the capillary number is less than 1.68×10-3,the oil and gas interface is stable.When the capillary number is greater than 2.69×10-2,the oil and gas interface shows viscous fingering.When the capillary number is between 1.68×10-3 and 2.69×10-2,the oil and gas interface becomes capillary fingering.The core flooding experiments results show that for OAGD stable flooding,before the gas breakthrough,higher recovery is obtained in higher gravity number and lower capillary number.In this stage,gravity is predominant in controlling OAGD recovery and the oil recovery could be improved by reducing injection velocity.After gas breakthrough,higher recovery was obtained in lower gravity and higher capillary numbers,which means that the viscous force had a significant influence on the recovery.Increasing gas injection velocity in this stage is an effective measure to improve oil recovery.The low-temperature oxidation number has a good correlation with the recovery and can be used to predict the OAGD recovery.

Experimental characterization and mechanism of hydraulic pulsation waves driving microscopic residual oil

To clarify microscopic mechanisms of residual oil displacement by hydraulic pulsation wave,microscopic visualization experiments of hydraulic pulsation wave driving residual oil were carried out by using the microscopic visualization device of pulsating water drive.For the four types of residual oil left in the reservoir after water flooding,i.e.membrane,column,cluster,and blind end residual oils,hydraulic pulsation waves broke the micro-equilibrium of the interface by disturbing the oil-water interface,so that the injected water invaded into and contacted with the remaining oil in small pores and blind holes,and the remaining oil was pushed or stripped to the mainstream channel by deformation superposition effect and then carried out by the injected water.In the displacement,the pulsation frequency mainly affected the cluster and blind end remaining oil,and the hydraulic pulsation wave with a frequency of about 1 Hz had the best effect in improving the recovery.The pulsation amplitude value mainly affected the membrane and column residual oil,and the larger the amplitude value,the more remaining oil the hydraulic pulsation wave would displace.The presence of low intensity continuous flow pressure and holding pressure end pressure promoted the concentration of pulsating energy and greatly improve the recovery of cluster residual oil.The rise in temperature made the hydraulic pulsation wave work better in displacing remaining oil,improving the efficiency of oil flooding.

Features and imbibition mechanisms of Winsor Ⅰ type surfactant solution in oil-wet porous media

The relationship between NaCl concentration and the phase change behavior of microemulsion of anionic surfactant was characterized by the salinity scan experiments.The wettability of WinsorⅠtype surfactant solution(WⅠsolution)and the effect of NaCL concentration on phase change behavior of WⅠsolution and imbibition in oil-wet porous media were investigated by microfluidic experiments in this study.The WⅠsolution and WinsorⅠtype microemulsion are similar in wetting phase with stronger wettability than other phases.Two main mechanisms of WⅠsolution enhancing imbibitions recovery in oil wet porous media are the wetting phase drive and residual oil solubilization.Under the salinity condition of WinsorⅠtype microemulsion,the NaCl concentration has strong impact on the imbibition mechanism of WⅠsolution,the higher the NaCl concentration,the complex the imbibition process and the higher the imbibition efficiency will be.The NaCl concentration has strong impact on the solubilization ability to oil of the WⅠsolution,the higher the NaCl concentration,the stronger the solubility of the WⅠsolution to residual oil will be.

Characteristics and mechanisms of supercritical CO_(2) flooding under different factors in low-permeability reservoirs

In recent years,supercritical CO_(2)flooding has become an effective method for developing lowpermeability reservoirs.In supercritical CO_(2)flooding different factors influence the mechanism of its displacement process for oil recovery.Asynchronous injection-production modes can use supercritical CO_(2)to enhance oil recovery but may also worsen the injection capacity.Cores with high permeability have higher oil recovery rates and better injection capacity,however,gas channeling occurs.Supercritical CO_(2)flooding has a higher oil recovery at high pressure levels,which delays the occurrence of gas channeling.Conversely,gas injection has lower displacement efficiency but better injection capacity at the high water cut stage.This study analyzes the displacement characteristics of supercritical CO_(2)flooding with a series of experiments under different injection and production parameters.Experimental results show that the gas breakthrough stage has the fastest oil production and the supercritical CO_(2)injection capacity variation tendency is closely related to the gas-oil ratio.Further experiments show that higher injection rates represent significant ultimate oil recovery and injection index,providing a good reference for developing low-permeability reservoirs.

Nanoparticle-reinforced foam system for enhanced oil recovery(EOR):Mechanistic review and perspective

Boosted by economic development and rising living standards,the world's carbon dioxide emissions remain high.Maintaining temperature rises below 1.5℃ by the end of the century requires rapid global carbon capture and storage implementation.The successful application of carbon capture,utilization,and storage(CCUS)technology in oilfields has become the key to getting rid of this predicament.Foam flooding,as an organic combination of gas and chemical flooding,became popular in the 1950s.Notwithstanding the irreplaceable advantages,as a thermodynamically unstable system,foam's stability has long restricted its development in enhanced oil and gas recovery.With special surface/interface effects and small-size effects,nanoparticles can be used as foam stabilizers to enhance foam stability,thereby improving foam seepage and oil displacement effects in porous media.In this paper,the decay kinetics and the stabilization mechanisms of nanoparticle-reinforced foams were systematically reviewed.The effects of nanoparticle characteristics,including particle concentration,surface wettability,particle size,and type,and reservoir environment factors,including oil,temperature,pressure,and salinity on the foam stabilization ability were analyzed in detail.The seepage and flooding mechanisms of nanoparticle-reinforced foams were summarized as:improving the plugging properties of foams,enhancing the interaction between foams and crude oil,and synergistically adjusting the wettability of reservoir rocks.Finally,the challenges in the practical application of nanoparticle-reinforced foams were highlighted,and the development direction was proposed.The development of nanoparticle-reinforced foam can open the way toward adaptive and evolutive EOR technology,taking one further step towards the high-efficiency production of the petroleum industry.

Mechanism investigation of steam flooding heavy oil by comprehensive molecular characterization

Steam flooding is a widely used technique to enhance oil recovery of heavy oil.Thermal viscosity reduction and distillation effect are considered as two main displacement mechanisms in steam flooding process.However,the molecular composition understanding and contribution for oil production are still unclear.In this study,the composition analysis of the heavy oil was investigated in the core scale steam flooding process with the temperature from 120 to 280℃.The crude oil,produced oils and residual oils were characterized comprehensively by gas chromatography and high-resolution mass spectrometry.It is found that steam flooding preferentially extracts aromatics and remains more resins in the residual oil.Viscosity reduction is the dominant mechanism when steam is injected at a low temperature.Large molecular heteroatoms with high carbon number and high double bond equivalent(DBE)are eluted into the produced oil,while compounds with low carbon number and low DBE are remained in the residual oil.As the steam temperature rises,the increased distillation effect results in the extraction of light hydrocarbons from the residual oil to the produced oil.More small heteroatoms with low carbon number and low DBE enter into the produced oil,especially in the none water cut stage.The compositional difference of produced oils is characterized in DBE versus carbon number distribution of the N and O containing compound classes.This work uses a variety of composition analysis methods to clarify the steam flooding mechanism and provides a novel understanding of steam flooding mechanisms with various temperatures and production stages from the molecular perspective.

Mechanisms of remaining oil formation by water flooding and enhanced oil recovery by reversing water injection in fractured-vuggy reservoirs

To get a deeper understanding on the formation mechanisms and distribution laws of remaining oil during water flooding, and enhanced oil recovery(EOR) mechanisms by reversing water injection after water flooding, 3D visualization models of fractured-vuggy reservoir were constructed based on the elements and configuration of fractures and vugs, and typical fracture-vug structures by using advanced CT scanning and 3D printing technologies. Then, water flooding and reversing water injection experiments were conducted. The formation mechanisms of remaining oil during water flooding include inadequate injection-production well control, gravity difference between oil and water, interference between different flow channels, isolation by low connectivity channel, weak hydrodynamic force at the far end. Under the above effects, 7 kinds of remaining oil may come about, imperfect well-control oil, blind side oil, attic oil at the reservoir top, by-pass residual oil under gravity, by-pass residual oil in secondary channel, isolated oil in low connectivity channel, and remaining oil at far and weakly connected end. Some remaining oil can be recovered by reversing water injection after water flooding, but its EOR is related to the remaining oil type, fracture-cavity structure and reversing injection-production structure. Five of the above seven kinds of remaining oil can be produced by six EOR mechanisms of reversing water injection: gravity displacement, opening new flow channel, rising the outflow point, hydrodynamic force enhancement, vertically equilibrium displacement, and synergistic effect of hydrodynamic force and gravity.

Experimental investigations on the fluid flow mechanism in porous media of enhanced oil recovery by alkli/surfactant/polymer flooding

The fluid flow mechanism in porous media of enhanced oil recovery by Alkli/ Surfactant/Polymer (ASP) flooding is investigated by measuring production performance, pressure distribution and saturation distribution through installing differential pressure transducers and saturation measuring probes in a physical model of vertical heterogeneous reservoir. The fluid flow variation in porous media is the main reason of enhanced oil recovery of ASP flooding. The pressure field and saturation field are nonlinearly coupled together and the interaction between them results in the fluid flow variation in the reservoir. In a vertical heterogeneous reservoir, the ASP agents initially flow in the high permeability layers because the resistance in the high permeability layer is increased under the physical and chemical action of adsorption, retention and emulsion. ASP flooding displaces out not only the residual oil in the high permeability layer, but also the remaining oil in the low and the middle permeability layers by increasing swept volume and displacing efficiency.

Mechanisms and experimental research of ion-matched waterflooding to enhance oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs: A case of Cretaceous limestone reservoirs in Halfaya Oilfield, Middle East

Based on systematically summarizing the achievements of previous ion-matched waterflooding researches,the diversity and synergy of oil recovery enhancement mechanisms and the interaction between mechanisms are examined according to two classification standards,and the influence of behaviors of different ions on different mechanisms and oil displacement efficiency are investigated.Ionic strength is proposed to characterize the behavior differences of univalent and divalent ions,the relationships between ionic strength,effective concentration,and mechanisms are established to characterize the ion behavior behind various mechanisms,and evaluate the performance of ion-matched injection water.The mechanisms of enhancing oil recovery by ion-matched waterflooding include:(1)The ion-matched water can reduce the ion strength and match the ion composition of formation water,thereby reducing the difference between the effective concentration of univalent ions and divalent ions on the surface of carbonate rocks,and improving the effective concentration of potential determining ions(especially SO42-).(2)It can improve wettability,oil-water interface properties,pore structure and physical properties of the reservoir,and finally enable the establishment of a new ionic equilibrium conducive to waterflooding while breaking the original equilibrium.In this study,experiments such as relative permeability curve,interfacial tension,and core-flooding were carried out on carbonate core samples from the Cretaceous Mishrif Formation reservoirs in Halfaya Oilfield,Middle East,a method for injection water evaluation was established and the injection water suitable for these reservoirs was selected:6 times diluted seawater.Compared with ordinary seawater,oil displacement efficiency can be increased by more than 4.60%and compared with the optimum dilution of formation water,oil displacement efficiency can be increased by 3.14%.

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.

Key theoretical and technical issues and countermeasures for effective development of Gulong shale oil, Daqing Oilfield, NE China

Aiming at the four issues of underground storage state,exploitation mechanism,crude oil flow and efficient recovery,the key theoretical and technical issues and countermeasures for effective development of Gulong shale oil are put forward.Through key exploration and research on fluid occurrence,fluid phase change,exploitation mechanism,oil start-up mechanism,flow regime/pattern,exploitation mode and enhanced oil recovery(EOR)of shale reservoirs with different storage spaces,multi-scale occurrence states of shale oil and phase behavior of fluid in nano confined space were provided,the multi-phase,multi-scale flow mode and production mechanism with hydraulic fracture-shale bedding fracture-matrix infiltration as the core was clarified,and a multi-scale flow mathematical model and recoverable reserves evaluation method were preliminarily established.The feasibility of development mode with early energy replenishment and recovery factor of 3o%was discussed.Based on these,the researches of key theories and technologies for effective development of Gulong shale oil are proposed to focus on:(1)in-situ sampling and non-destructive testing of core and fluid;(2)high-temperature,high-pressure,nano-scale laboratory simulation experiment;(3)fusion of multi-scale multi-flow regime numerical simulation technology and large-scale application software;(4)waterless(CO_(2))fracturing technique and the fracturing technique for increasing the vertical fracture height;(5)early energy replenishment to enhance oil recovery;(6)lifecycle technical and economic evaluation.Moreover,a series of exploitation tests should be performed on site as soon as possible to verify the theoretical understanding,optimize the exploitation mode,form supporting technologies,and provide a generalizable development model,thereby supporting and guiding the effective development and production of Gulong shale oil.

Emerging applications of nanomaterials in chemical enhanced oil recovery:Progress and perspective

In enhanced oil recovery,different chemicalmethods utilization improves hydrocarbon recovery due to their fascinating abilities to alter some critical parameters in porous media,such as mobility control,the interaction between fluid to fluid,and fluid to rock surface.For decades the use of surfactant and polymer flooding has been used as tertiary recovery methods.In the current research,the inclusion of nanomaterials in enhanced oil recovery injection fluids solely or in the presence of other chemicals has got colossal interest.The emphasis of this review is on the applicability of nanofluids in the chemical enhanced oil recovery.The responsiblemechanisms are an increment in the viscosity of injection fluid,decrement in oil viscosity,reduction in interfacial and surface tension,and alteration of wettability in the rock formation.In this review,important parameters are presented,which may affect the desired behavior of nanoparticles,and the drawbacks of nanofluid and polymer flooding and the need for a combination of nanoparticles with the polymer are discussed.Due to the lack of literature in defining the mechanism of nanofluid in a reservoir,this paper covers majorly all the previous work done on the application of nanoparticles in chemical enhanced oil recovery at home conditions.Finally,the problems associatedwith the nano-enhanced oil recovery are outlined,and the research gap is identified,which must be addressed to implement polymeric nanofluids in chemical enhanced oil recovery.

Distribution of the indigenous microorganisms and mechanisms of their orientational activation in Daqing Oilfield

The distribution of indigenous microorganisms was surveyed in Block 1 of Daqing Oilfield. Based on this survey,the indigenous microorganisms in the formation water were activated with different activator systems at the simulated stratum ecological environment. The changes of the number of bacteria of various physiological groups were determined during the process of activation. Also changes of pH value and composition of gas productions were analyzed at the end of culturing. The results showed that the selected block formation water contained a great number of saprophytic bacteria,hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria,fermentative bacteria,methane-producing bacteria and sulfate-reducing bacteria. Under the conditions that the growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria was controlled the block had the potential to enhance oil recovery by activating beneficial bacteria. The growth of sulfate-reducing bacteria can be inhibited through the activation of nitrate-reducing bacteria. The number of nitratereducing bacteria reached 106―107 cells/mL,but sulfate-reducing bacteria reached only 0―45 cells/mL in A system. Methane-producing bacteria can be activated by C,D activators. The relative content of biological methane in the light hydrocarbon gas reached 80% in C,D systems. B activator was conducive to the propagation of acid-producing bacteria,so that the pH value of the culture medium decreased from 7.5 to around 5.0. Hydrocarbon-oxidizing bacteria can be activated by various activator systems. There was low molecular light hydrocarbon in gas production according to the analysis of gas chromatograph. According to the content of methane and the number of methane-producing bacteria,methane only can be generated through activating methane-producing bacteria. By choosing different activator systems,various populations of indigenous microorganisms can be activated accordingly.

海上稠油油田多元热流体吞吐增产机理研究与实践

多元热流体为蒸汽、氮气、二氧化碳的高温高压混合气体,具有降低稠油黏度、提高地层压力、改善油藏剖面、提高稠油油藏开发效果等作用。多元热流体吞吐技术在海上稠油高效开发中应用广泛,随吞吐轮次增加,对多元热流体吞吐机理缺乏认知,开采效果降低。为有效提升稠油油田的开采效果,采用油藏模拟分析和多元热流体吞吐及驱替室内试验方法,探究了不同多元热流体组分对增产的贡献,进一步明晰多元热流体吞吐增产机理,为多元热流体热采方案优化设计和吞吐后开发调整提供理论指导和有效措施。试验结果表明:海上油田通过多元热流体热采示范应用,油田日产油由热采前218m^(3)·d^(-1)升至最高641m^(3)·d^(-1),增幅195%,热采效果明显。

胶囊聚合物驱提高采收率方法

针对常规聚合物驱剪切易降解、注入困难等难题,提出了胶囊聚合物驱提高采收率方法,采用多尺度渗流实验及模拟技术分析了胶囊聚合物驱渗流机制与驱油机理。研究表明:胶囊聚合物驱具有易注入、抗剪切、地层可控释放、吸附滞留率小的优势,具有很好的远距离运移能力,可实现聚合物驱“油藏深部增黏”;胶囊聚合物增黏程度越高,抑制黏性指进的能力越强,驱替前缘越趋于均匀,驱替波及范围越大。胶囊聚合物的释放性能主要受温度影响,温度越高,胶囊聚合物溶液增黏速度越快,而矿化度对胶囊聚合物溶液增黏速度的影响很小。胶囊聚合物驱适用于传统聚合物驱效果不佳的高含水油藏、井距较大的海上聚合物驱油藏、常规聚合物注入性较差的中低渗透油藏等。实施胶囊聚合物驱应“因地制宜”,根据目标油藏条件设计合理的胶囊粒径、释放时间以达到最优的驱油效果。

当前渗流力学理论遇到的挑战与对策思考

本文详细阐述了渗流力学经典理论——达西定律的发展历程及其适用条件,并从Navier-Stokes(N-S)方程推导出了达西定律在多孔介质中的毛细管渗流和裂缝渗流中的数学表达式。文章指出了当前达西定律应用中存在的8大问题,并综合分析了渗流力学理论在油气田开发中的主要挑战。针对这些挑战,本文提出了一系列对策和思考。文章强调指出:构建多尺度、多物理场耦合模型并借助AI科学计算是揭示油气储层复杂真实流动机制,填补目前理论空白的必由之路。建议指出:进一步发展核磁共振、电镜扫描及智能数据与图像处理等高精度实验技术,以直观展现流体在储层中的流动行为和过程。最后,建议综合运用实验研究、新理论模型建立和AI科学研究方法(AI for Science),突破油气渗流力学理论中目前遇到的挑战。研究成果可为我国高校、科研机构和研究者开展石油科学理论研究和课题立项提供重要参考,同时可为我国油气资源可持续进行科学和技术战略规划提供强有力的技术支撑。

多元热流体不同组成介质耦合作用机理微观实验

多元热流体吞吐是蒸汽吞吐的重要接替方式之一,而现有的研究尚不能清晰解释不同介质之间的耦合作用机理,难以为海上多元热流体开发提供有效措施。利用微观可视化模拟系统,通过非凝析气(CO_(2)、N_(2))和热水的不同组合驱油实验,研究微观条件下多相流动特点,揭示热水、CO_(2)和N_(2)三者之间两两相互影响的耦合作用机理,并定量分析耦合作用机理对波及系数、洗油效率和采收率的影响。研究结果表明:热水与N_(2)相互协同,提高波及系数,在驱替中期,热水加热稠油,降低流动阻力,N_(2)气泡变形膨胀,补充压力,在驱替后期,在主流道形成贾敏效应,驱替范围从主流道向边缘扩展;热水与CO_(2)相互协同,提高洗油效率,热水冲刷CO_(2)驱替过后的膜状剩余油,同时二者降低油气表面张力,将油气段塞式流动变为念珠式流动,消除附加表面张力,动用簇状剩余油,增大体系毛管数;CO_(2)和N_(2)之间相互竞争,N_(2)与CO_(2)分压,阻碍CO_(2)溶解,CO_(2)和N_(2)混合后,补能作用减弱;三种介质耦合作用时,采收率整体提高29%,协同作用效果比竞争作用效果更为显著。利用微观实验厘清多元热流体两两介质之间的耦合作用机理,为后期多元热流体开发稠油油藏提供理论指导。

致密油藏驱渗结合采油可行性研究

致密油藏孔喉较小而渗吸作用显著,为提高致密油藏水驱效率,提出驱渗结合采油方法,同时利用驱替与渗吸作用。为验证该方法的可行性与主控因素,在水驱模型的基础上,考虑了渗吸作用,并基于实验数据特征建立了渗吸项模型,建立了驱渗结合采油数值模拟模型。结果表明,渗吸作用有效增加了注入水的波及面积,有效置换出基质中的原油,提升了采油效率;主控地质因素包括基质/裂缝孔隙度、渗透率和渗吸经验参数,主控工程因素包括注水压力、裂缝间距和半长;现场应用表明相较水驱方式,驱渗结合采油的日产油速度提高了约1倍,受效时间约为200 d,提高累产约为340 t,说明驱渗结合采油工艺可有效提高中国致密油藏的采收率,所建模型可用于驱渗结合采油的优化设计。