INERT GAS INJECTION

By :
Septoratno Siregar
 INERT GAS INJECTION

General

 Advantages of inert gas injection:

 Inert gas injection into gas cap will prevent oil
migration into gas cap
 Inert gas injection will give higher recovery than
water drive in tight reservoirs

 Disadvantages of inert gas injection:

 Corrosion problems when using boiler
 INERT GAS INJECTION

General

 Inert Gas Characteristics:

 Inert gas injection is an immiscible displacement agent
 Requires extremely high pressure to be miscible with oil
(multiple contact miscible)

 Processes that can produce inert gas for injection fluid:

 Boiler using gas as fuel
 Engine exhaust gas
 N2 cryogenic air separation
 INERT GAS INJECTION

General

 Inert Gas Injection criteria:

 Miscible displacement by inert gas can be applied in
small range of fluid composition, pressure, volume
and temperature.
 Pressure maintenance in condensate reservoir to
prevent fluid loss (liquid drop out) due to
condensation
 Low permeability reservoir
 Prevention of fluid migration into gas cap, causing
oil loss
 INERT GAS INJECTION

General

 Inert Gas criteria:

 Gravity drainage by the use of light density N2 which
tends to move upward compared to CO2 at high
pressure which tends to move downward.
 Oil gravity ≥ 35o API
 Deep reservoir (to ensure effective process without
causing fracture in the reservoir)
 INERT GAS INJECTION

Hawkins Field, Texas (USA)

 24o API oil density

 Sand formation
 Depth = 4350 ft
 Ф = 28%
 3400 mD
 Trapped between strong water drive and gas cap
 3 train inert plant and it’s operated parallel
 INERT GAS INJECTION

Hawkins Field, Texas (USA)

 Each train has 2 inert gas generator (steam boiler)

 Each train has 2 catalyst reactor, cooler, dry gas
dehydration unit, 20000 hp compressor that run by
steam turbine.
 Every train is designed to produce 44 MMscfd inert
gas.
 NITROGEN INJECTION

ONE DIMENSIONAL IMMISCIBLE

DISPLACEMENT
OGRINDO RESEARCH

By :
Septoratno Siregar
 N2 INJECTION

Objectives

 TO STUDY EFFECTIVITY OF NITROGEN

INJECTION IN OIL DISPLACEMENT

 TO DETERMINE EFFECT OF CONTACT

BETWEEN OIL AND NITROGEN

 TO STUDY INJECTION OF NITROGEN IN

NUMERICAL SIMULATION
 N2 INJECTION

Methods

 LABORATORY EXPERIMENT
1. Slimtube Apparatus
2. Rolling Ball Viscometer

 BUCKLEY-LEVERETT

 NUMERICAL SIMULATION
 N2 INJECTION

Equipments

 SLIM TUBE RBV

 N2 INJECTION

Results


No. Sample Injection Laboratory 1-D Buckley-
Pressure Experiment Leverett
(psia)
1 X-1 1500 45 % 44 %
2000 48 % 46 %
2500 55 % 55 %
2 X-2 1500 51 % 49 %
2000 56 % 55 %
2500 65 % 64 %
3 X-3 1500 51 % 50 %
2000 58 % 58 %
2500 70 % 69 %
 N2 INJECTION

Methods

 without N2
N2 contact
Pressure Temp, ρo, contact
No Sample
(psia) 0
C gr/cc
μo, cp

1 1500 113 0.720 0.836 1.154

2 X-1 2000   0.722 0.709 1.105
3 2500   0.731 0.709 1.064
4 1500 93 0.701 0.597 0.924
5 X-2 2000   0.707 0.616 0.927
6 2500   0.716 0.636 0.907
7 1500 63 0.679 0.612 1.345
8 X-3 2000   0.689 0.657 1.254
9 2500   0.697 0.712 1.199
 N2 INJECTION

Conclusions

 The displacement efficiency of immiscible nitrogen

injection increased with increasing injection pressure
 The displacement efficiency of immiscible nitrogen
injection increased when the oil viscosity decreases
 At the first contact between oil and nitrogen decreasing oil
viscosity depends on fluid properties of oil and system
properties such as temperature, pressure and rock properties
 The displacement efficiency of immiscible nitrogen
injection increased with increasing oil API Gravity value
 N2 INJECTION

Curves


Sample X-1

60%

55%
E d , fra ctio n

50%

45%

40%
lab X-1
35%
B-L X-1
30%
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400

Pressure,psia
 N2 INJECTION

Methods


Sample X-2

70%
65%
E d , f ra c t io n

60%
55%
50%
45%
40%
lab X-2
35% B-L X-2
30%
10 0 0 12 0 0 14 0 0 16 0 0 18 0 0 2000 2200 2400

Pre s sure,psia
 N2 INJECTION

Methods


Sample X-3

75%
70%
65%
E d , f ra c t io n

60%
55%
50%
45%
40% la b X-3
35% B -L X-3
30%
10 0 0 12 0 0 14 0 0 16 0 0 18 0 0 2000 2200 2400

Pre s sure ,psia

 N2 INJECTION

Methods


RBV sample X-1

1.2

1.1

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6 no c o nta c t N2 X-1

c o nta c t N2 X-1
0.5

0.4
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600

P re s s u re , p s i
 N2 INJECTION

Methods


RBV sample X-2

1
0.9
visko sity, cp

0.8
0.7
0.6
0.5 no c o nta c t N2 X-2
c o nta c t N2 X-2
0.4
1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Pressure,psi
 N2 INJECTION

Methods


RBV sample X-3

1.4

1.2
viskosity, cp

1 no contact N2 X-3
contact N2 X-3
0.8

0.6

0.4
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600
Pressure,psi
 N2 INJECTION

Methods

 Oil Flow Equation

 
  o Po   o Z     So 
   qo
t  Bo 

 Gas Flow Equation

   
  g Pg   g Z  Rs o Po   o Z  
   Sg

t   Bg
 Rs
So  
Bo  
 qfg  Rs qo
 

 1 dimensional linear flow, fully implicit method

INERT GAS INJECTION
The End
FACTORS AFFECTING
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