PET 441E

Enhanced Oil Recovery

Lecture 10

30/11/2012
2012 PET441E
P T441
PE 4 E
41 1
 Chemical Methods
Polymer
mer Methods: P Polymer
olymer flooding
flooding consists of adding polymer polym mer to the
th
he water to decrease
decreas its
mobility.
ility. The resu resulting
ulting iincrease
ncrease in viscosity, as well as decre decrease
ease in aqueous pphase
permeability
meability that occu occurs
urs with some polymers, cause a lower mobil mobility ratio.
lity ra lowering
atio. This lowe
eases the efficiency of the waterfloo
increases waterfloodod through
through ggreater
reater volumetric sw weep eefficiency
sweep fficiency aand a
lowerr swept zonezone ooilil saturation. Generally
Generrally a polymer fflooding looding will be eco economic
onomic only w when
the waterflo
waterflood ood mobility
mobility ratio is high, the he reservoir heterogeneity
th hetterog geneity is high, or a ccombination
ommbinatio of
thesee two ooccurs.
ccurs. Several polymers ha have
ave been con considered
nsideered ffor flooding:
or polymer flood Xantham
ding: Xant
gum,, hyd droolyzed polyacrylamide (HPA
hydrolyzed AM), copoly
(HPAM), ymerrs (a poly
copolymers ymer consisting ooff ttwo
polymer wo or m more
different
rentt ttypes
ypes of monomers) of acryl acrylic
lic acid, aand nd acrylamide,
d acrylamide e, copolymers off aacrylamide,
crylam
AM/AMPS,
AMMPS, HEC, CMHEC, PAM, polyacrylic poolyacryllic aacid,
cid, glucan, PEO,PEO, polyvinyl aalcohol.
lcohol. N Note
that onl
onlyly ffirst
irst three have actually been used d iin
n tthe
he field and theree are many differ different
rent ssuitable
uit
chemicals.
miccalls. All commercially attra attractive
activve polymers fa fall
all iinto
nto two generi generic ic cclasses:
la
Polyacrylamides
acryylaamides and polysaccharides (biopolymers).
(biopoly ymers).
Polymer
meer methods
methods have been used in oill pproduction
roduction in tthreehreee mmodes.
odes.
• Ass a near well treatment
treatmment to improve
improve the perfor
performance
rman water
nce off wate injectors
er innjectors or w watered-out
atered
producers
pro blocking
oducers by blockin high-conductivity
ng off high h-conductivity zon zones.
nes.
• As agents
agents that m mayay bbee cross-li
cross-linked
inked in situ to pluplug
ug hhigh-conductivity
igh-co onducctivity zzones
ones at ddepth
epth in the
reservoir.
eseervoir.
Thesee pro
processes
ocesses requiree tthat polymer
hat polyme er bbee inj
injected
jecctedd with an inorganic metal ca cation
ation that will
crosss link k susubsequently
ubsequently injected po polymer
olymmer mo molecules
oleecules with ones already bbound ounnd to solid
surfaces.
aces.
• As agents to lower mobility or water-oil mobility ratio.

30/11/2012
2012 PET441E
P T441
PE 4 E
41 2
 Chemical Methods

30/11/2012
2012 PET441E
P T441
PE 4 E
41 3
 Chemical Methods
• Micellar-Polym
Micellar-Polymer mer FFlooding:
looding: An enhanced oil recovery tech technique
hniquee iinn which a micelle
solution is pumped
pummped iinto
nto a reservoir through specially distributed iinjection njectio on wells. The
chemical solution reduces the interfacial
interfaacial aandnd ccapillary between
apillary forces betwee en ooil
il aand
nd water aand
triggers
riggers ann increase
increase in oil production.
production n.
procedure
The pro ocedure of a micellar-polymer
micellar-polymeer flooding inc includes
cludess a ppreflush (low-salinity
reflush (low-sa water), a
alinity water
chemical
chemic cal ssolution alkaline),
olution (micellar or alkal mobility
line), a mob bilityy bbuffer
uffer aand,
nd, finally, a dr driving
riving fluid
(water),
watter), which
which displaces the chemicals
chemiccals and the the resulting
resulting oill bank to production
productiion wells.
wells
Any process
process that injects a surface aactivective aagent
gen nt (a surfactant) to to bring about improved
im
mproved
recovery.
ecooverry.
• Alkaline
Alkkalline Flooding:An enhanced oi oil
il rrecovery
ecovery y ttechnique
echnique in which an alkaline cchemical hemica
such
succh aass sodium hydroxide, sodium m oorthosilicate
rthosilicate or sodium
soodium ccarbonate
arbonate is injected
injecteed
during
durring polymer floodingding or waterflooding
flood waterflooding operations.
operaation ns. The alkaline
alkaalinee chemical
chemical reacts withw
certain
cerrtain types of oils, forming surfactants
surfactants inside the the reservoir.
reservvoir. E Eventually,
ventuaally, the surfsurfactants
facta
reduce
eduuce tthe interfacial
rfaciall tension bbetween
he inter etween oil and w water
aterr aand
nd ttrigger increase
riiggerr an inc crease in n ooil
il
production.
prod duction.
Alkaline
Alkali ine flooding
flooding is not
not recommended
recommeend ded d for
or carbonate
fo carb bonate reservoirs because of th the
he aabundance
bund
of calcium:
calcium m: the mixture between the the alkaline
allkalline chemical
chemical and the calcium ion ions produce
ns can prod
hydroxide precipitation that may damage the formation.
Alkaline flooding is also known as caustic flooding.

30/11/2012
2012 PET441E
P T441
PE 4 E
41 4
 Alkaline Flooding

30/11/2012
2012 PET441E
P T441
PE 4 E
41 5