Loading...
Search for:
enhanced-recovery
0.005 seconds
Total 188 records
The non-linear effect of oil polarity on the efficiency of low salinity waterflooding: A pore-level investigation
, Article Journal of Molecular Liquids ; Volume 346 , 2022 ; 01677322 (ISSN) ; Mohammadi, S ; Mahani, H ; Ayatollahi, S ; Sharif University of Technology
Elsevier B.V
2022
Abstract
Oil polarity is an important property impacting the efficiency of low salinity waterflooding (LSWF). It directly affects fluid/fluid and rock/fluid interactions, controlling the interfacial properties and forces. However, the current findings in the literature on the effect of concentration of polar components on oil recovery by LSWF are contradictory. Therefore, the main objective of this paper is to investigate how the type of non-polar fractions and the concentration of acidic polar oil constituents change the trapped oil saturation at the pore-scale during LSWF. In this regard, we conducted a series of microfluidics LSWF experiments in both secondary and tertiary modes, using clay-free...
Assessment of two-phase relative permeability hysteresis models for oil/water, gas/water and gas/oil systems in mixed-wet porous media
, Article Fuel ; Volume 309 , 2022 ; 00162361 (ISSN) ; Gharavi, A ; Fatemi, M ; Sharif University of Technology
Elsevier Ltd
2022
Abstract
Accurate determination of relative permeability curves and their hysteresis is vital for reliable prediction of the performance of oil and gas reservoirs under enhanced recovery processes. Two out of the three available approaches to simulate three-phase relative permeability hysteresis are based on two-phase hysteresis. A few options (e.g., Carlson, Killough and Jargon models) are available in commercial reservoir simulators to account for hysteresis in relative permeability curves under two-phase flow. These models are based on the assumptions of water-wet state of the rocks, while most of the reservoir rocks are mixed-wet. As a result the aim of the present work is to evaluate the...
Monitoring wettability alteration by silica nanoparticles during water flooding to heavy oils in five-spot systems: A pore-level investigation
, Article Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science ; Vol. 40, issue , July , 2012 , p. 168-176 ; ISSN: 08941777 ; Mohammadi, S ; Ghazanfari, M. H ; Kharrat, R ; Masihi, M ; Sharif University of Technology
Abstract
It is well known that the displacement efficiency of EOR processes is mainly affected by wettability of porous medium; however, the role of nanoparticles on wettability alteration of pores surfaces remains a topic of debate in the literature. Furthermore, a little is known about how the dispersed silica nanoparticles affect the microscopic/macroscopic recovery efficiency of heavy oils during common immiscible EOR processes such as water flooding. In this study, a series of injection experiments was performed on five-spot glass micromodel which is initially saturated with the heavy oil. Distilled water and dispersed silica nanoparticles in water (DSNW) at different values of weight percent...
Experimental study of miscible displacement with hydrocarbon solvent in shaly heavy oil reservoirs using five-spot micromodels: The role of shale geometrical characteristics
, Article Journal of Porous Media ; Vol. 15, issue. 5 , 2012 , p. 415-427 ; ISSN: 1091028X ; Ghazanfari, M. H ; Masihi, M ; Kharrat, R ; Sharif University of Technology
Abstract
Most of the heavy oil reservoirs contain discontinuous shale which affects fluid flow through porous media as well as recovery efficiency during enhanced oil recovery processes. However, the role of shale geometrical characteristics (including orientation, length, discontinuity, and spacing of the shale) on oil recovery remains a topic of debate in the literature, especially during miscible injection of heavy oils and five-spot systems. Here, a series of hydrocarbon solvent injection tests have been performed on various five-spot glass micromodels containing barriers which are initially saturated with heavy oil under fixed flow rate conditions. Oil recoveries as a function of pore volumes of...
Comparing the performance and recovery mechanisms for steam flooding in heavy and light oil reservoirs
, Article Society of Petroleum Engineers- SPE Heavy Oil Conference ; Volume 1 , 2012 , Pages 28-36 ; 9781622761111 (ISBN) ; Ayatollahi, S ; Shabaninejad, M ; Sharif University of Technology
SPE
2012
Abstract
The concern over fossil energy shortage for the next decade leads to the extensive research activities in the area of enhanced oil recovery. Steam injection as one of well known EOR process has been used for about five decades to improve the oil production rate and recovery efficiency. Steam flooding is applied to heavy and extra-heavy oil reservoirs; however it could be used in light oil reservoirs in which water injection do not work effectively. Regardless of different performances, this method is an efficient EOR process for both heavy and light oil reservoirs. In this work, two separate numerical models were prepared to investigate steam flooding performance for the recovery of light...
Macroscopic recovery mechanisms of in-situ combustion process in heavy oil fractured systems: Effect of fractures geometrical properties and operational parameters
, Article Society of Petroleum Engineers - SPE EOR Conference at Oil and Gas West Asia 2012, OGWA - EOR: Building Towards Sustainable Growth ; Volume 2 , 2012 , Pages 593-617 ; 9781622760473 (ISBN) ; Kharrat, R ; Vossoughi, S ; Ghotbi, C ; Sharif University of Technology
SPE
2012
Abstract
The In-Situ Combustion (ISC) as a thermal EOR process has been studied deeply in heavy oil reservoirs and is a promising method for certain non-fractured sandstones. However, its feasibility in fractured carbonates remained questionable. The aim of the present work was to understand the recovery mechanisms of ISC in fractured models and to evaluate the effect of fractures geometrical properties such as orientation, density, location and networking on the ISC recovery performance. Combustion parameters of a fractured low permeable carbonate heavy oil reservoir in Middle East called KEM; applied to simulation study. Simulator has been validated with KEM combustion tube experimental data and...
Monitoring wettability alteration by silica nanoparticles during water flooding to heavy oils in five-spot systems: A pore-level investigation
, Article Experimental Thermal and Fluid Science ; Volume 40 , July , 2012 , Pages 168-176 ; 08941777 (ISSN) ; Mohammadi, S ; Ghazanfari, M. H ; Kharrat, R ; Masihi, M ; Sharif University of Technology
2012
Abstract
It is well known that the displacement efficiency of EOR processes is mainly affected by wettability of porous medium; however, the role of nanoparticles on wettability alteration of pores surfaces remains a topic of debate in the literature. Furthermore, a little is known about how the dispersed silica nanoparticles affect the microscopic/macroscopic recovery efficiency of heavy oils during common immiscible EOR processes such as water flooding. In this study, a series of injection experiments was performed on five-spot glass micromodel which is initially saturated with the heavy oil. Distilled water and dispersed silica nanoparticles in water (DSNW) at different values of weight percent...
Experimental investigation of constant and concentration-dependent diffusivity of a hydrocarbon solvents-heavy oil system: A comparative study
, Article Energy Sources, Part A: Recovery, Utilization and Environmental Effects ; Volume 34, Issue 3 , 2011 , Pages 235-245 ; 15567036 (ISSN) ; Kharrat, R ; Ghazanfari, M. H ; Rashtchian, D ; Sharif University of Technology
Abstract
This work is concerned with the experimental investigation of mass transfer, which occurs during diffusion of hydrocarbon solvents in heavy oil based on constant and concentration-dependent diffusion coefficient. Here, a series of free fall diffusion experiments have been conducted in sealed test tubes at fixed temperatures. Pentane, hexane, and octane were used as solvents and were placed on heavy oil in tubes. The diffusivity of heavy oil into solvents was monitored by a digital camera. The image analysis technique was applied to extract concentration profiles in diffusion zones of solvents by means of calibration curves. Fick's second law was used to obtain both constant and...
Pore-Scale Monitoring of Wettability Alteration by Silica Nanoparticles During Polymer Flooding to Heavy Oil in a Five-Spot Glass Micromodel
, Article Transport in Porous Media ; Volume 87, Issue 3 , 2011 , Pages 653-664 ; 01693913 (ISSN) ; Mohebbi, A ; Kharrat, R ; Ghazanfari, M. H ; Sharif University of Technology
Abstract
It is well known that the oil recovery is affected by wettability of porous medium; however, the role of nanoparticles on wettability alteration of medium surfaces has remained a topic of debate in the literature. Furthermore, there is a little information of the way dispersed silica nanoparticles affect the oil recovery efficiency during polymer flooding, especially, when heavy oil is used. In this study, a series of injection experiments were performed in a five-spot glass micromodel after saturation with the heavy oil. Polyacrylamide solution and dispersed silica nanoparticles in polyacrylamide (DSNP) solution were used as injected fluids. The oil recovery as well as fluid distribution in...
Wettability alteration in carbonates during "Smart Waterflood": Underling mechanisms and the effect of individual ions
, Article Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochemical and Engineering Aspects ; Volume 487 , 2015 , Pages 142-153 ; 09277757 (ISSN) ; Mousapour, M. S ; Ayatollahi, S ; Vossoughi, M ; Beigy, A. H ; Sharif University of Technology
Elsevier
2015
Abstract
There are increasing evidences that adjusting the chemistry of the injecting water improves the oil recovery efficiency. However, the underlying mechanisms for this technique which is referred to as "smart waterflood" have not yet been thoroughly understood. It is needed to explore the role of individual ions through set of different tests, to find the right mechanisms behind "smart waterflood". This study is focused on the fluid/solid (carbonate) interactions through systematic wettability measurement. Contact angle measurements accompanied by spontaneous imbibition tests were employed to determine the role of individual monovalent and divalent ions in wettability alteration process by...
An Analytic Solution for the Frontal Flow Period in 1D Counter-Current Spontaneous Imbibition into Fractured Porous Media Including Gravity and Wettability Effects
, Article Transport in Porous Media ; Volume 89, Issue 1 , 2011 , Pages 49-62 ; 01693913 (ISSN) ; Masihi, M ; Standnes, D. C ; Sharif University of Technology
Abstract
Including gravity and wettability effects, a full analytical solution for the frontal flow period for 1D counter-current spontaneous imbibition of a wetting phase into a porous medium saturated initially with non-wetting phase at initial wetting phase saturation is presented. The analytical solution applicable for liquid-liquid and liquid-gas systems is essentially valid for the cases when the gravity forces are relatively large and before the wetting phase front hits the no-flow boundary in the capillary-dominated regime. The new analytical solution free of any arbitrary parameters can also be utilized for predicting non-wetting phase recovery by spontaneous imbibition. In addition, a new...
Investigation of oil recovery and CO2 storage during secondary and tertiary injection of carbonated water in an Iranian carbonate oil reservoir
, Article Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering ; Volume 137 , 2016 , Pages 134-143 ; 09204105 (ISSN) ; Ayatollahi, S ; Riazi, M ; Sharif University of Technology
Elsevier
Abstract
Gas injection process for more oil recovery and in particular CO2 injection is well-established method to increment oil recovery from underground oil reservoirs. CO2 sequestration which takes place during this enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method has positive impact on reducing the greenhouse gas emission which causes global warming. Direct gas injection into depleted oil reservoirs, encounters several shortcomings such as low volumetric sweep efficiency, early breakthrough (BT) and high risk of gas leakage in naturally fractured carbonate oil reservoirs. Carbonated water injection (CWI) has been recently proposed as an alternative method to alleviate the problems associated with gas...
Energy transfer in a liquid filled elemental passage of a porous medium for permeability enhancement due to pulsations of a vapor bubble
, Article Mechanika ; Volume 22, Issue 1 , 2016 , Pages 25-30 ; 13921207 (ISSN) ; Shervani Tabar, M. T ; Taeibi Rahni, M ; Tabatabaei Nejad, S. A ; Sharif University of Technology
Kauno Technologijos Universitetas
2016
Abstract
In this paper, a novel method which has been proposed during the last decade for increasing of the permeability of porous media of petroleum reservoirs by transferring of energy via ultrasound waves is investigated numerically. Increasing of permeability of porous media of petroleum reservoirs results in enhancing of oil recovery. This technique is based on the idea of transferring of energy to the liquid filled porous media via the ultrasound waves and consequently producing of pulsating vapor bubbles. The generated vapor bubbles transfer the energy of ultrasound waves in the liquid filled passages of a porous medium through velocity and pressure fields in the liquid domain and in turn...
Effect of CO2 and natural surfactant of crude oil on the dynamic interfacial tensions during carbonated water flooding: experimental and modeling investigation
, Article Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering ; Volume 159 , 2017 , Pages 58-67 ; 09204105 (ISSN) ; Riazi, M ; Ayatollahi, S ; Sharif University of Technology
Abstract
Carbonated water has been recently proposed as an enhanced oil recovery method for crude oil reservoirs. Interfacial tension (IFT) plays a crucial rule on the displacement of trapped oil ganglia in the porous media. This investigation is designed to systematically assess the dynamic interfacial tension (DIFT) of two different types of crude oils with carbonated water (CW). In addition, the measured experimental data were applied into specified models. The DIFT behavior of acidic and non-acidic crude oil samples/CW and deionized water (DW) are also compared to find the effect of dissolved carbon dioxide in water on IFT. At the next stage, DIFT of all the results were used through three...
Investigating the effect of hybrid silica nanoparticles-copolymer on increasing oil recovery in a three dimensional porous media
, Article Scientia Iranica ; Volume 24, Issue 6 , 2017 , Pages 3466-3475 ; 10263098 (ISSN) ; Ramazani, A. S. A ; Hekmatzadeh, M ; Sharif University of Technology
Abstract
In this work, hybrid of silica nanoparticles (NPs) with sulfonated copolymer has been prepared in order to improve the copolymer properties for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). Some tests are done to find the effectiveness of injecting fluid on Recovery Factor (RF), such as Contact Angle (CA), interfacial tension (IFT), inherent viscosity, and eventually Micro-Model (MM) flooding. In CA test, wettability alteration from Oil-Wet (OW) to Water-Wet (WW) is reached by sedimentation and adsorption of NPs on the rock slice. In addition, IFT reduction is obtained by increasing the NaCl concentration. The viscosity change is investigated for the hybrid and copolymer under simulated high-temperature oil...
A sequential implicit discrete fracture model for three-dimensional coupled flow-geomechanics problems in naturally fractured porous media
, Article Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering ; Volume 150 , 2017 , Pages 312-322 ; 09204105 (ISSN) ; Shamloo, A ; Dezfuli, A. D ; Sharif University of Technology
Abstract
A sequential implicit numerical method based on discrete-fracture model and the Galerkin Finite Element method, for time-dependent coupled fluid flow and geomechanics problems in fractured subsurface formations is presented. Discrete-fracture model has been used to explicitly represent the fracture network inside porous media. The Galerkin Finite Element method with adaptive unstructured gridding is implemented to numerically solve the spatially three-dimensional and time-dependent problem. The presented method is validated with previously obtained solutions. Two problems are numerically solved by applying the presented methodology in a three-dimensional fractured petroleum reservoir under...
Simulation study of Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) in fractured systems
, Article Oil and Gas Science and Technology ; Volume 64, Issue 4 , 2009 , Pages 477-487 ; 12944475 (ISSN) ; Sharif University of Technology
2009
Abstract
The Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) process, a developed Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) process to recover oil and bitumen, has been studied theoretically and experimentally in conventional reservoirs and models and is found a promising EOR method for certain heavy oil reservoirs. In this work simulation studies of the SAGD process were made on different fractured models consisting of fractures in both Near Well Region (NWR) and Above Well Region (AWR) and even in the presence of networked fractures. At early stage of the SAGD process in fractured system, steam moves through the fractures first and then the matrix blocks are heated primarily by conduction and possibly some steam...
Experimental investigation of the influence of fluid-fluid interactions on oil recovery during low salinity water flooding
, Article Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering ; Volume 182 , 2019 ; 09204105 (ISSN) ; Ayatollahi, S ; Fatemi, M ; Sharif University of Technology
Elsevier B.V
2019
Abstract
This study aims to investigate the role of fluid-fluid interactions during low salinity water flooding, using crude oil from an Iranian oil reservoir. To minimize the effects of mineral heterogeneity and wettability alteration, a synthetic sintered glass core was utilized and all coreflooding experiments were performed at low temperatures without any aging process. The effect of fluid-fluid interactions were investigated in both secondary and tertiary injection modes. pH measurements as well as UV-Vis spectroscopy and interfacial tension (IFT) analysis were performed on the effluent brine samples. Results: show that fluid-fluid interactions, mainly the dissolution of crude oil polar...
Effect of salinity and ion type on formation damage due to inorganic scale deposition and introducing optimum salinity
, Article Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering ; Volume 177 , 2019 , Pages 270-281 ; 09204105 (ISSN) ; Riahi, S ; Ayatollahi, S ; Mokhtari, R ; Sharif University of Technology
Elsevier B.V
2019
Abstract
Smart water injection is recognized as an effective EOR process to alter the wettability and interfacial tension to obtain higher micro/macro sweep efficiencies. This water contains reactive ions such asMg2+, Ca2+ andSO42- which can act as potential-determining ions and change the surface charge of calcite rocks. One of the major concerns in the execution of an effective water-flood process, especially in tight carbonate reservoirs, is the chemical incompatibility between the formation brine and the injecting water. In the present study, laboratory fluid compatibility tests were carried out and software simulation was done to investigate the most important challenges of the water-flooding...
Non-Newtonian fluid flow dynamics in rotating annular media: Physics-based and data-driven modeling
, Article Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering ; Volume 185 , 2020 ; Amooie, M. A ; Shams, R ; Hajirezaie, S ; Liu, Y ; Jamshidi, S ; Soltanian, M. R ; Sharif University of Technology
Elsevier B.V
2020
Abstract
A thorough understanding and accurate prediction of non-Newtonian fluid flow dynamics in rotating annular media are of paramount importance to numerous engineering applications. This is in particular relevant to oil and gas industry where this type of flow could occur during, e.g., drilling, well completion, and enhanced oil recovery scenarios. Here, mathematically we report on physical-based (numerical) and data-driven (intelligent) modeling of three-dimensional laminar flow of non-Newtonian fluids driven by axial pressure gradient in annular media that consist of a coaxially rotating inner cylinder. We focus on the dynamics of pressure loss ratio (PLR)—the ratio of total pressure loss in...