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Measurements of Surface Tension for Mineral and Crude Oil Systems

Article  in  Defect and Diffusion Forum · February 2019

DOI: 10.4028/www.scientific.net/DDF.391.106

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Defect and Diffusion Forum Online: 2019-02-28
ISSN: 1662-9507, Vol. 391, pp 106-113
doi:10.4028/www.scientific.net/DDF.391.106
© 2019 Trans Tech Publications, Switzerland

Measurements of Surface Tension for Mineral and Crude Oil Systems

B. Busahmin1,a and B.B. Maini2
1
Faculty of Engineering, Universiti Teknologi Brunei, Brunei Darussalam.
Chemical and Petroleum engineering, University of Calgary, Canada.
2

a
abusahmin@utb.edu.bn

Keywords: Force balance; mineral and crude oil; experimental studies, foamy oil

Abstract. For the most part, Surface tension is relying upon the force adjusted on a drop that is
pending or hanging and inevitably is disengaged. Surfaces of fluids normally covered with what
goes about as a tiny film. In spite of the fact that this evident film has little quality, it nevertheless
acts like a thin membrane and resists being broken. This accepted to be the reason for the attractive
forces between the atoms inside a given framework. All atoms are pulled in one to the next in extent
to the result of their masses and conversely as the squares of the separation between them. Surface
tension for both mineral and oil crude systems is investigated and the value was recorded. In
addition, this value for mineral oil system showed higher value than foamy crude oil system,
whereas foamy oil saturated methane crude oil system showed lower value than foamy oil saturated
methane mineral oil. Surface tension in its general form is believed to have a significant feature in
reservoir engineering calculations as well as in further studies related to improved oil production
and in designing enhanced oil recovery plans. Moreover, CH4, C2H6 and CO2 oil systems
investigated for the initial production, drawdown experiments. After the investigation, the
behaviour is identical for almost one-day and two-days.

Introduction
Numerous reservoirs that have an API degree gravity of less than 20 in Canadian fields presented
much more rate in oil production and eventually higher recovery factors than that was expected
from the traditional two-stage flow behaviour, distinctive systems have been hypothesized to clarify
the high recovery factor detected in the field. A widely cause of this increase in production in the
foamy oil behaviour was tested by [1], where the surface tension or interfacial tension might be one
of the essential properties for foamy oilGood approximation of surface tension for oil/gas systems is
critical in numerous in reservoir-engineering calculations. There is a unique requirement for exact
surface-tension estimates while foreseeing the performance of fractured reservoirs. In a large
number of these reservoirs, gravity drainage is the most important mechanism for oil recovery.
In general, parameters like surface tension, compressibility and viscosity dictate the
characteristics of the flow [2-4]. Surface tension is required to foresee capillary pressure and
subsequently a definitive gravity-drainage recovery [5]. It was studied by Abusahmin, Karri et al.
[6-7-20-22] that the impact of gas properties on the general performance of oil and gas production,
and depletion tests were led using various gas systems named methane, ethane and carbon dioxide
saturated mineral oil. An exact and dependable data on interfacial pressure (IFT) is of a noteworthy
significance in reservoir engineering and in the studies conducted by Mahmoudi, Hasanvand et al
[8]. An exact exploratory estimating strategy created utilizing the pendant drop technique in view of
an Iranian oil store tests and its immiscible infusing gas at supply condition. It showed that the
nature of gas involved influences other interfacial properties like viscosity or capillary number, as a
function of viscous forces to capillary forces that control the effectiveness of foamy flow. Further
studies on surface tension is under investigation [9-10]. Isehunwa, Udeagbara [11] investigated the
surface tension of contaminated Niger Delta crude oil at varying temperatures, laboratory tests
carried out on samples from four fields in the Niger Delta using DuNouy Tensiometer under
standard conditions. The results showed that for Niger Delta Crudes of gravity between 25 - 49 API
degree gravity, Surface Tension varies between 25.8 - 31.2 dynes/cm at 29oC and decreases to

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 Defect and Diffusion Forum Vol. 391 107

between 21.5-26.6 dynes/cm at 90oC. The impact of CO2 molar composition (x CO2) on the
interfacial tension of the CO2 injected crude oil plus reservoir water under stratum conditions was
anticipated by [12] utilizing a pendant drop strategy, where x CO2 was from (0, 10.0, 34.1, 44.7,
48.9, 57.8, to 65.0) mol %. The bubble point pressure for these CO2 infused oil systems was
additionally measured utilizing a RUSKA pressure-volume-temperature device. Abdolhossein and
Erfan [13] Studied the IFT of ordinary alkanes from n-C5 to n-C16 (as the agents of raw petroleum)
and nitrogen is demonstrated at an extensive variety of pressure (from 0.1 to 69 MPa) and
temperature (from 295 to 442 K) utilizing bunch strategy for information dealing with (GMDH).
Three data sources utilized for displaying including pressure, temperature, and sub-atomic weight of
ordinary alkane. To build up the most effective model, 60% of the dataset utilized for the model
improvement and the staying 40% used to check the legitimacy and exactness of the created show.
The proposed display predicts the information tastefully with a normal supreme relative mistake of
3.81% and 3.91%. Xing, Song et al. [14] summarized the IFT of O2-water/oil system from the part
of estimating strategies, affecting elements and hypothetical models. Currently there are less trial
information of IFT under high pressures because of estimating troubles in supercritical CO2-
water/oil system. As a standout amongst the best estimation techniques, the pendant drop strategy
grew gradually. Busahmin conducted more examination, Maini et al. [7] where the arrangement,
(solution) of gas-oil proportion is higher, the saturation pressure would likewise be higher. Bringing
about higher-pressure drawdown potential, and with higher saturation pressure, the gas-bubble
nucleation can happen at a higher pressure where the surface tension is lower. Shinoda et al. [15]
displayed three topologically 3- extraordinary strategies for computing the surface tension between
a liquid and a flat solid [16-23]. In this strategy, bead of fluid encompassed by vapor lays on a level
strong surface. The surface pressure acquired by estimating the angle at which the fluid/vapor limit
meets the strong surface. The line tension related to the three-phase boundary appeared to be
corresponding to the quality of the strong/fluid interaction. An enhanced steady state met strategy
for estimating relative penetrability information has been produced by Shen, Zhu et al. [17] and this
steady state strategy (with the designed experimental system) can be utilized to measure relative
permeability curves under low interfacial tension precisely and efficiently. It is a feasible technique
for oil, water, gas and sand production along with in a primary (non-thermal) recovery process, a
practical reservoir example of that is in Lloydminster- Canada [18-21]. Furthermore as was
demonstrated by [19] the importance of correct phase densities (Pg and Pd) in the estimation of IFT,
two different methods on density input from the literature were used and compared with the method
presented in the current article. All three methods are analysed using the same experiment carried
out at 50 bar, 25oC for a CO2-decane system.

Experimental Setup
Determination of Dead Oil Surface Tension. The FTÅ200 is a flexible video system for
measuring surface and interfacial tensions. Surface tensions of the artificial and crude oil was
measured using the drop shape method with Angstrom Tensiometer shown in Figure 1. The
averaged values of several measurements for the artificial or mineral oil and crude oil were 31
dyne/cm and 29 dyne/cm respectively.

Figure 1 - The Angstrom Tensiometer.

108 New Perspectives on Mass and Thermal Transport in Engineering Materials

Determination of Live Oil Surface Tension. Live oil surface strain estimated utilizing the drop
volume method that depends on the approximation of the volume of drops shaped at the tip of a fine
tube. A pressurized cell with a small needle mounted in it at the best utilized for this reason. Figure
2 speaks to the surface tension setup, the cell was first pressure tested for up to 750 psi then the
coveted gas filled into the cell at 500 psi, and that was the immersion weight for both methane and
carbon dioxide tests. Live oil at that point infused into the cell a low stream rate utilizing a positive
uprooting pump and the normal time for arrangement and separation of individual drops was
resolved. The drop volume computed then from a known flow, rate and time slipped by per drop.
The normal drop volume for surface pressure count got utilizing the accompanying condition.
gρV
σ =
2∏ r (1)
Where, g is the speeding up gravity (cm/s2), ρ is the thickness in (g/cm3), V volume of the bead in
(cm3), and r is the span of the needle in (cm). The estimations of the surface strain are in Table 1.

Figure 2 - Experimental Setup.

Table 1- Fluid Properties.
Parameter Saturation Pressure(psi) Surface Tension(dyne/cm)
Artificial oil N/A 31
Methane Saturated artificial oil 500 28
Ethane Saturated artificial oil 270 N/A
Carbon-dioxide Saturated artificial oil 500 35
Mineral oil N/A 31
Crude oil N/A 21
Methane Saturated mineral oil 500 28
Methane Saturated crude oil 500 20

Results and Discussions

Influence of flowrate and surface pressure for different oils. Figure 3 demonstrates the
connection between the flowrate and surface pressure for carbon dioxide immersed mineral oil,
where conversely Figure 4 exhibits the surface strain conduct for methane soaked mineral oil.
Figure 5 demonstrates the conduct of methane-soaked unrefined petroleum with flowrate.
 Defect and Diffusion Forum Vol. 391 109

Figure 3 - Surface Tension Profile for Carbon-dioxide Saturated Mineral Oil.

Figure 4 - Surface Tension Profile for Methane Saturated Mineral Oil.

Figure 5 - Surface Tension Profile for Methane Saturated Crude Oil.

Contrast for Crude oil and Artificial Oil Depletions. It is fascinating to think about the execution
of arrangement gas drive in the raw petroleum framework with that saw in the mineral, (artificial)
oil tests. An examination of oil recovery factor plotted against normal sand-pack pressure
introduced in Figure 6 for quick exhaustions. Recovery factor utilized here to represent the
distinction in unique oil set up in the two frameworks. The unrefined petroleum frameworks
110 New Perspectives on Mass and Thermal Transport in Engineering Materials

demonstrates insignificantly prevalent execution at bring down levels of consumption yet the last
recovery factors are nearly the same in the two frameworks.
The execution in moderate consumption tests exhibited in Figure 7 Here the distinctions do not
give off an impression of being huge. The last recovery factors are fundamentally the same as.
Henceforth, it might reason that the polar raw petroleum segments did not give any noteworthy
advantage in arrangement gas-drive recuperation, at any rate in these two frameworks.

Crude Oil @0.434 psi/min Mineral Oil @0.406 psi/min "Crude Oil @0.226 psi/min"

30 30

25 25
Recovery Factor, %

Recovery Factor, %
20 20

15 15

10 10

5 5

0 0
500 400 300 200 100 0
Average Pressure in Sand-Pack, psi
Figure 6 - Contrast for solution-gas-drive performance in crude oil and artificial oil systems in fast
depletions.

Crude Oil @0.023 psi/min Mineral Oil @0.021 psi/min

14 14

12 12
Recovery Factor, %

Recovery Factor, %

10 10

8 8

6 6

4 4

2 2

0 0
500 400 300 200 100 0
Average Pressure in Sand-Pack, psi
Figure 7 - Contrast for solution-gas-drive performance in crude oil and artificial oil systems in slow
depletions.

Influence of Dissolved Gas. The drawdown rates included are marginally near each other yet at
various immersion weight as appeared in table 2. The recuperation execution of quick exhaustions
with three distinctive arrangement gases displayed in Figure 8. It is intriguing to contrast the oil
recuperation execution acquired and distinctive gases at equivalent drawdown rates.
 Defect and Diffusion Forum Vol. 391 111

Methane @ 0.406 psi/min C2H6-0.398psi/min CO2 @ 0.434 psi/min

450.0 450.0

400.0 400.0

Cumulative Oil, mL 350.0 350.0

Cumulative Oil, mL
300.0 300.0

250.0 250.0

200.0 200.0

150.0 150.0

100.0 100.0

50.0 50.0

0.0 0.0
500.0 400.0 300.0 200.0 100.0 0.0
Average Pressure in Sand-Pack (psi)

Figure 8 - Contrast for oil recovery in fast depletions with different solution gases.

Normalization for artificial oil systems along various Gasses against time. CH4, C2H6 and CO2
immersed artificial oil tested for essential drawdown tests as appeared above, and it found that for
roughly for one-day and two-days, as a result the pattern is alike. Figure 9 and Figure 10 speak to
the general type of dimensionless time versus dimensionless pressure; the dimensionless pattern is
indistinguishable if the dimensionless time and pressure characterized, separately as takes after:
t
tD =
t Patm. (2)
P(t )
PD =
P(int) (3)
In the end all the depletion runs should end at a similar pressure, i.e. end pressure is equal to the
atmospheric pressure.

CO2 - 20 hrsTrend CH4 - 21.5 hrs Trend C2H6 - 11 hrs Trend

120

100
Dimensionless Pressure

80

60

40

20

0
0 20 40 60 80 100 120

Dimensionless Time
Figure 9 - Common Normalization Profile for almost one – day, (Pend = 9.3psi).
112 New Perspectives on Mass and Thermal Transport in Engineering Materials

CO2 - 2 days CH4 -1.81days C2H6 -1.97

100
90
80
Dimensionless Pressure
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
0 20 40 60 80 100
Dimensionless Time
Figure 10 - Common Normalization Profile for almost two – days (Pend=10psi).

Conclusion
Surface tension as postulated to be one of the more significant property for foamy oil remains not
surely known, despite the fact that the estimations of surface tension for both artificial oil and
unrefined petroleum were measured. It was concluded that in the meantime of activity, the change
in pressure is as per the following: ΔP (CH4) < ΔP (CO2) < ΔP (C2H6) as needs be paying little
attention to the gas type and their saturation pressure. It was presumed that other polar segments in
the unrefined petroleum does not influence the performance in high drawdown rate. It was reasoned
that the arrangement of Gas-oil - proportion might not the more significant cause for controlling the
performance, and the nature of gas-included in the impact of other interfacial properties.

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