UNIVERSITY OF KARBALA

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

PETROLEUM ENG. DEP

Miscible gas injection

A Report

Submitted to petroleum engineering department of university of karbala

By:--

Ali Mahmoud Ayal

Supervisor:

Mohammed SadiQ

Date

28/6/2020

Introduction

~1~
Miscible gas injection is an efficient EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery) technique which can be
used to increase the recovery from oil reservoirs. Injection gases (e.g. N2, C1, CO2, C2) can
become miscible with the oil only if they mix and form one homogeneous phase in all
proportions.. In fact, achieving miscibility between the injected gas and the reservoir oil provides
a very high displacement efficiency where the residual oil can be less than 5%. Miscible gas
injection must be performed at a high enough pressure to ensure miscibility between the injected
gas and in situ oil. Miscibility is achieved when interfacial tension (IFT) between the aqueous
and oleic phases is significantly reduced. The desired IFT reduction is typically from around 1
dyne/cm to 0.001 dyne/cm or less. Any reduction in IFT can improve displacement efficiency,
and a near miscible process can yield much of the incremental oil that might be obtained from a
miscible process. If reservoir pressure is not maintained above the minimum miscibility pressure
.(MMP) of the system, the gasflood will be an immiscible gas injection process

Gases can become miscible with the oil either statically or dynamically. Static miscibility from
its name does not require movement or multiple contacts to achieve miscibility. That is to say
that the gas can become miscible with the oil at first contact. This process is described as First
Contact Miscibility (FCM). Dynamic miscibility from its name requires movement or multiple
contacts to achieve miscibility. That is to say that the gas can become miscible with the oil after
.multiple contacts. This process is described as Multi Contact Miscibility (MCM)

Miscibility between the injected gas and the oil can only be achieved in the reservoir if the
pressure is high enough. The minimum pressure required to achieve miscibility is called
Minimum Miscibility Pressure (MMP). Usually, MMP term is used in the oil industry without a
.clear distinction between FCM or MCM

THEORY

~2~
-: Types of miscble gases

1- Hydrocarbon gases (CH4 ,C2H6)

2- NITROGEN (N2)
3- NATURAL GAS MIXTURE
4- CARBON DIOXIDE (CO2)

Nitrogen :- become an efficient miscible only for light oils , temperature graeater
than 240 f (115 C ) and pressure greater than 5000 psi , where its density is high
enough to extractio light hydrocarbons frome the oil .
Carbon dioxide:- Carbon dioxide, the minimum pressure is 1,070 psig at , the
minimum pressure is 1,070 psig at 88 88 0 0F (31 F (31 0 0C), i.e., when CO C),
i.e., when CO2 2 becomes supercritical and becomes supercritical and its gas and
liquid are no longer separate phases.
All of these gases become miscible only when their All of these gases become
miscible only when their density is high density is high, generally , generally
greater than 0.5 gr/cc greater than 0.5 gr/cc. Thus, . Thus, they work best at high
pressure.

-:Selecting an appropriate gases for a given reservoir is generally based on

Availability and relative cost-

Physical properties and phase behavior data -

Miscibility conditions -

Reservoir characteristics -

-:Among various gases, Carbon dioxide is preferred, due to

Higher viscosity

Low formation volume factor -

High density -

~3~
Low miscibility pressures with reservoir oils -

Easy to handling -

Relatively low cost -

Reinjection of Reservoir Gas

The first option to consider in a low permeability reservoir is reinjection of reservoir gas. {1}
This can reservoir is reinjection of reservoir gas. This can only occur in a relatively unproduced,
newer only occur in a relatively unproduced, newer reservoir that originally was nearly saturated
with reservoir that originally was nearly saturated with gas. The gas will have already been
.produced from gas. The gas will have already been produced from older reservoirs

If this option is possible, the reservoir pressure is controlled so as to optimize gas production, gas
.controlled so as to optimize gas production, gas recycle, and oil production

Nitrogen Injection

.If reservoir gas is not available, injecting or air to increase oil recovery is common

Nitrogen, extracted from air using membranes or pressure swing adsorption, is relatively inert
inert because it contains less than 4 percent oxygen.{2}

Produced nitrogen can be recompressed and recycled so that very little new gas is needed and the
.production can continue for several decades

Air Injection

Air is used in deeper reservoirs, temperature (> 150ºF) where the air spontaneously reacts with
the oil to form flue gas. The CO2 in the flue gas dissolves in the oil. In addition, water and light
.oil evaporate from the combustion zone

This means that three mechanisms (pressure maintenance, swelling and waterflooding by
.condensed steam) combine to increase oil recovery

Condition for Miscibility

~4~
In miscible displacement, the design entails determining the gas composition which could
.develop miscibility at a given pressure is known as enrichment requirement

Miscibility condition is expressed as minimum content of intermediate components in the

.solvent

If the solvent composition is fixed, the miscibility condition is expressed as the lowest
pressure at which the solvent could develop miscibility with the reservoir oil. This is known as
.the Minimum Miscibility Pressure (MMP)

Sources of CO2

Natural CO2 deposits

By-product from amonia plants, other chemical plants, and oil field acid gas separation
facilities

By-product from coal gasification and SNG (synthetic natural gas) plants

Flue gas from cement plants

:CO2 Sequestration

When a CO2 pipeline is not nearby but CO2 is available from plants in a nearly pure form, it
.can be injected into light-oil reservoirs where the CO2 and oil could become miscible

In the few instances where these conditions exist, carbon dioxide is the best choice for
recovering oil for decades from a low-permeability, deeper reservoir where gas will not override
.the reservoir fluids

~5~
Figure (1) enhance oil recovery by co2 injection

CO2 EOR Technologies

Injection Methods

Continuous injection -1

Water Alternating Gas (WAG)-2

Pressures reservoir to miscible level •

Prevents early CO2 breakthrough •

Gravity override {3} •

Can add foam or other mobility control agents •

Huff and Puff (inject, soak, and produce back from 1 well) -3

~6~
May sequester some CO2, but most comes back •

Soaking may accelerate full field flood response •

Figure (2) Continuous Carbon Dioxide injection

Figure (3) alternative CO2 and water injection

~7~
Water-Alternating-Gas Processes
Known as WAG miscible floods

Volumetric sweep efficiency with solvents is usually low due to unfavorable mobility ratio

Water is injected (alternating with solvent) to improve the displacement mobility ratio

Typical water-gas ratio is about 1:1

Water may shield the solvent from contacting the reservoir oil

Figure (4) WAG Injection

~8~
: Summery

Miscible gas injection have alot of Many benefits in terms of increasing the rate of
extraction for heavy oil and reducing its viscosity, as it mixes with oil and reduces its
density, and therefore its ease of movement within the porous medium and according to the
specific reservoir conditions, gas injection can be used according to specific and special
conditions that vary from reservoir to another or from one field to another with a
difference Fluid properties and composition and as a result of this difference we use
specific gas

Referances

. Dr. Ir. Dedy Kristanto, MT Petroleum Engineering DepartmentUPN “Veteran” Yogyakarta -1

Carlson, L.O. 1988. Performance of Hawkins Field Unit Under Gas Drive-Pressure -2
.Maintenance Operations and Development of an Enhanced Oil Recovery Project

Shehabi, J.A.N. 1979. Effective Displacement of Oil by Gas Injection in a Preferentially Oil- -3
.Wet, Low-Dip Reservoir

~9~