Insights into the fractional flow of low salinity water. A study of low salinity water flooding in 1d and 2d. Chemicalenhancedoilrecovery whatisnew,whatworks,andwhereuseit. Synergy of water secondary flooding and polymer tertiary flooding at different water salinity levels proved the efficiency of hybrid low salinity polymer flooding process in berea sandstone. Carbonate rocks, on the other hand was first investigated by bagci et al. Screen an optimized method to control the conformance of polymer flooding at the various stages. Despite some efforts on investigating benefits of each method, the pros and cons of their. Spe 170966 a mechanistic model for wettability alteration.
We propose a new eor process to improve recovery, which involves lowsalinity wateralternatingco 2. Encouraging low salinity waterflood eor in the north sea. Syria because the only available source of water was river water 19912004. Pdf the low salinity water injection method losal has become one of the important research topics in the oil industry because of its enormous.
Water breakthrough is typically slower in waterwet rocks compared to oilwet reservoirs. Comprehensive investigation of lowsalinity waterflooding in. Modeling of low salinity effects in sandstone oil rocks 97 directly involved in the waterrock chemistry model in terms of the mie process. First ever polymer flood field pilot to enhance the. An experimental investigation of low salinity oil recovery in. Updated eor screening criteria and modeling the impacts of. Chemical mechanism of low salinity water flooding in sandstone reservoirs. Waterflooding is largely designed without regard to the composition of the brine injected. Mechanisms behind low salinity water flooding in carbonate reservoirs.
This webinar discusses the low salinity water injection workflow available in gem and introduced a practical modelling workflow. Flooding with low salinity water causes desorption of petroleum heavy ends from the clays present on the pore wall, resulting in a more waterwet rock surface, a lower remaining oil saturation and higher oil recovery. Low salinity water injection lswi is gaining popularity as an improved oil recovery technique in both secondary and tertiary injection modes. Low salinity waterflooding, fractional flow, chemical flooding and salinity dispersion. Evaluate the water salinity effect on the performance of polymer flooding and gel treatments. Low salinity water flooding is a newly developed eor technique in which chemistry play major role in improve oil recovery, it has been proposed that the concentration of salt manuscript received november 15, 2016. Updated eor screening criteria and modeling the impacts of water salinity changes on oil recovery by. Low water salinity during secondary injection mode played a major role on ultimate recovery with less contribution to tertiary polymer slug injection. Modeling of low salinity waterflooding for enhanced oil. The volumes of produced water and oil were noted down at intervals. However, no more oil was recovered in the tertiary. Mechanistic modelling of low salinity waterflood in. Brine with high salinity 100,000 ppm was injected to simulate formation water.
Modeling low salinity waterflooding in mineralogically different. Low salinity waterflooding lsw and literature mechanisms. The oil recovery factor was calculated as percents of original oil in place %ooip. The core flood setup consisted of a highpressure positive. Injection of lowsalinity water showed high potentials in improving oil recovery when compared to highsalinity water. Anticipated to be attractive for the north sea where there is long history of conventional waterflood. Chemical mechanism of low salinity water flooding i n.
A sandstone core and free clay sand core were prepared in chromatography columns and were water flooded sequentially with high low salinity water at the reservoir temperature of 90c. Cost of rediducing water sali ilinity may be a show stopper recent research has made a combined low salinity and surfactantpolymer flooding a way of boosting oil recovery and improve the economy of this eor process source. Injection of low salinity brines can improve oil recovery ior in. Potential problems associated with waterflood techniques include inefficient recovery due to variable permeability, or similar conditions affecting fluid transport within the reservoir. Special issue on low salinity water flooding for enhanced. In addition, several miceller and surfactant flooding field trials have concluded that low salinity flooding solutions and low divalent ion concentrations can augment oil production bp, 1979. Improved oil recovery mechanisms from low salinity water injection in clastic and carbonate formations practical process modelling approaches using new and existing features in cmg software differences between the simulation results of the mechanistic modelling. Modelling of low salinity water flooding using stars and gem cmg is now offering training courses online due to the current circumstances with covid19. Spe176315ms 3d simulation of low salinity, polymer. Three minnelusa formation fields in the basin were identified as candidates for. This paper presents a new hybrid eor process where the. Practical concerns and principle guidelines for screening. Presented below are water quality standards that are in effect for clean water act purposes.
In this research, we extend the previous model for low salinity water flooding to both chalk and limestone cores. Water flooding has for a long time been employed to improve oil recovery in many oil fields. To ensure good germination, 60 mm of lowsalinity water 1. The sources of low salinity water are typically rivers, lakes or aquifers associated with meteoric water. An experimental investigation of low salinity oil recovery in carbonate and sandstone formation. Spe 152997 investigating lowsalinity waterflooding.
Gwpc 2016 uic conference denver, co usa february 2325, 2016. Establish timing of polymer breakthrough in schrader bluff nsands. Low salinity water flooding experiments and interpretation by simulations. Modeling of low salinity waterflooding for enhanced oil recovery. In standard water flooding oil recovery, water, typically seawater is injected on a macroscopic scale into the oilcarrying rock layers to push the oil from these injection wells towards a. Paper spe 154142 presented at the eighteenth spe improved oil recovery symposium, tulsa, ok, usa, april 1418. Chemical mechanism of low salinity water flooding in. Beneficial use of produced water from the oil and natural. The sources of lowsalinity water are typically rivers, lakes. Modeling of salinity effects on waterflooding of petroleum.
January 12 low salinity water flooding 7 sis training example 35 g dissolved salt kg sea water schlumberger private 35 gl 35 kgm3 35 ppt 35% january 12. Initially, the experiment was conducted at a temperature of 25c, flooding the core with highsalinity brine followed by tertiary lowsalinity flood. The first research works of low salinity brine effects on oil recovery dates back to martin 6 in 1959. This study aims to investigate the possibility of using low salinity water flooding in naturally fractured reservoirs. Mechanistic modelling of low salinity waterflood in clastics.
Low salinity waterflooding fundamentals and case studies. Similarly, this study aims to help in understanding the dominant mechanisms that aid in improving oil recovery by low salinity waterflooding. Lowsalinity water injection has been utilized as a promising method for oil. Several studies shown that oil recovery significantly increase by low salinity water flooding lswf in sandstone. Low salinity water flooding and miscible gas injection either hydrocarbon or co 2. We propose a new eor process to improve recovery, which involves low salinity water alternatingco 2 gas lswaco 2 or lswag injection. Studies conclude that wettability alteration has resulted in lswfs incremental. Several coreflood experiments were conducted to study the efficiency of low salinity water flooding and low salinity polymer flooding in mixedwet berea sandstone cores. However, the optimum water salinity and conditions are uncertain, due to the lack of understanding the mechanisms of fluidrock interactions. Low salinity, sequential waterflooding, and interfacial properties siluni wickramatilaka, ph. He authored a seminal book on reservoir engineering and over 200 papers in academic journals and spe. Low salinity water injection is an emerging eor technology, applicable to mixedtooilwet sandstone reservoirs. A detailed knowledge of the chemical mechanism behind the low saline eor process together with information on formation brine composition, oil properties and type of clay material present, will make it possible to evaluate the potential for increase in oil recovery by a low salinity waterflood. This paper presents a new hybrid eor process where the effect of low.
First ever polymer flood field pilot to enhance the recovery. Despite, the potential of lswf its development and application has been. Modelling of low salinity water flooding using stars and gem. Numerical study of low salinity water flooding in naturally. Accordingly, initial and final wettabilitys are key indices which have been evaluated. The water from injection wells physically sweeps the displaced oil to adjacent production wells. Performance of lowsalinity water flooding for enhanced oil recovery. The authors conducted core flood experiments to determine the effect of water salinity on oil recovery in the secondary and tertiary modes. Nanofluids and low salinity water lsw flooding are two novel techniques for enhanced oil recovery. The recovery of crude oil from geological reservoirs is a complex process that bridges multiple length scales. Oil recovery by low salinity waterflooding tel archives ouvertes.
Smart water flooding is an enhanced oil recovery eor technique that is based on the. The potential of lowsalinity waterflooding lswf has been studied in. This paper includes a description of the seawater cycle match and two. Based on published data and new experimental results on core flooding, effects of ph and salinity on adsorption of acidic and basic organic components onto different clay minerals, clay properties like ion exchange capacity and selectivity, and oil properties, a new. Low salinity water as a means of improving oil recovery has recently generated interest both from petroleum science and industry. Modelling of low salinity water flooding using stars and. The concept of surfactant flooding has long been recognized as a promising supplement to waterbased enhanced oil recovery methods. This special issue seeks high quality submissions, which are devoted to recent research advancements, development and application of low salinity water flooding processes for enhanced oil recovery in both sandstone and carbonate reservoirs including but not limited to the following. Furthermore, there is direct evidence that wettability altered to more waterwet during low salinity water flooding 9, 10.
Presented below are water quality standards that are in. Potential of lowsalinity waterflooding technology to improve oil. The main recovery mechanism behind low salinity waterflooding is wettability alteration to more waterwet state. The wettability changes are taking into account in terms of oil water relative, saturation and capillary pressure as these parameters play a key role during the simulation of brine injection.
In addition, several miceller and surfactant flooding field trials have concluded that lowsalinity flooding solutions and low divalent ion concentrations can augment oil production bp, 1979. Low salinity as new technique of enhanced oil recovery. Smart water flooding is an enhanced oil recovery eor technique that is based on the injection of chemistryoptimized water with changed ionic composition and salinity into petroleum reservoirs. Formation damage due to water injection was the main issue of water flooding design process for many years. Oil recovery is generally greater in water wet reservoirs because of the higher oil mobility owing to its lower affinity to rock surfaces. Background injection of low salinity water into oil filled cores has been reported by a number of researchers and has been found to increase oil recovery. Wettability and low salinity water flooding 5th delft summer school pavel bedrikovetsky is professor of petroleum engineering at the university of adelaide.
May 21, 2010 the concept of surfactant flooding has long been recognized as a promising supplement to water based enhanced oil recovery methods. Two onefoot long sand packs with 8% initial water saturation and 50% porosity were aged in crude oil for two weeks and flooded with either a low salinity ppm nacl, ph 6. Learn the mechanisms involved in low salinity water injection lswi as an enhanced oil recovery eor process and the application of advanced simulation tools to model this process. Updated eor screening criteria and modeling the impacts of water salinity changes on oil recovery. Numerous fields in the powder river basin of wyoming have been waterflooded using low salinity water about ppm obtained from the madison limestone or fox hills sandstone. Eor methods such as lowsalinity water flooding lswf are being implemented is alarming. This work is aimed at investigating the recovery efficiency of polymeraugmented low salinity waterflooding in heavy oil reservoirs. Can also be water injected for water flooding or for hydraulic fracturing. His research covers low salinity waterflood, formation damage and eor. In recent years, core displacement experiments performed on clastic rock samples using low salinity brine as injection fluid have proven to give a moderate increase in crude oil recovery. In standard water flooding oil recovery, water, typically sea water is injected on a macroscopic scale into the oilcarrying rock layers to push the oil from these injection wells towards a production well, where the oil is produced. At low reaction rates, dissolution occurs across the entire region between the. An experimental investigation of low salinity oil recovery.
Spontaneous imbibition scaling of viscosity ratio etc. The goal of this research was to study the effect of salinity on the waterflood of initially oilwet clayrich sand packs. Nanofluids and lowsalinity water lsw flooding are two novel techniques for enhanced oil recovery. The objective of this paper is to investigate the main mechanisms behind the lswi effect on oil recovery from carbonates through historymatching of a recently published coreflood. Wettability and lowsalinity water flooding 5th delft summer school pavel bedrikovetsky is professor of petroleum engineering at the university of adelaide. Low salinity water flooding is a very promising eor method in recent years in which chemistry play major role in improving oil recovery. Combined low salinity brine injection and surfactant. Beneficial use of produced water from the oil and natural gas industry john veil. An enhanced oil recovery method that uses water with a low concentration of dissolved salts as a flooding medium.
Low salinity waterflood is a relatively new eor process. A method of secondary recovery in which water is injected into the reservoir formation to displace residual oil. It is believed that enhanced oil recovery in low salinity water flooding is related to wettability change. Pdf mechanisms behind low salinity water flooding in. Low salinity polymer flooding can also increase oil recovery by lowering residual oil saturation and achieve faster oil recovery by improving sweep efficiency. January 12 low salinity water flooding 7 sis training example 35 g dissolved salt kg sea water schlumberger private 35 gl 35 kgm3 35 ppt 35% january 12 3. A mechanism of improved oil recovery by lowsalinity. Efficiency of low salinity polymer flooding in sandstone cores. Eor methods such as low salinity water flooding lswf are being implemented is alarming. The main objective of this study is to examine the potential and efficiency of low salinity water in secondary and tertiary oil recovery for sandstone reservoirs.
Low salinity eor low salinity eor is a recognised technique with examples of successful field applications around the world. Low salinity, removal of water blocks, rate effect, and core properties for screening cores nina loahardjo, ph. It is an emerging ior technique where the salinity of the injected water is controlled, and the mechanisms are debated. Lowsalinity waterflood is a relatively new eor process. On the other hand, polymer flooding is performed to control fluids mobility. Combined low salinity brine injection and surfactant flooding. The advanced polymer flooding technology combines polymer flooding, low salinity water flooding, horizontal wells, and if necessary, injection conformance control treatments into one integrated process to significantly improve oil recovery from heavy oil reservoirs. The observed salinity patterns are the result of seasonal winds and circulation in the gulf of mexico.
Experimental studies of low salinity water flooding carbonate. Spe 152997 investigating lowsalinity waterflooding recovery. Laboratory investigation of the low salinity water flooding. Beneficial use of produced water from the oil and natural gas. There is limited reuse for irrigation in a few states where the water already has low salinity or has been treated to low salinity. The unknown variables we solve for are water saturation s dimensionless, and concentrations cna, ccl, cca, cso, cmg in terms of mole per liter water. Mysteries behind the low salinity water injection technique. The wettability changes are taking into account in terms of oilwater relative, saturation and capillary pressure as these parameters play a key role during the simulation of brine injection. His research covers lowsalinity waterflood, formation damage and eor. Two possible reasons for the late interest would be the assumption that water flooding for carbonate rocks is less.
From august to september 2011, winds blowing from the southsouthwest helped to confine lowsalinity water that originated from the mississippi river along the coasts of mississippi, alabama, and florida. Efficiency of enhanced oil recovery using polymeraugmented. In addition, two 40mm irrigations with lowsalinity water were applied at. Optimize pump schedule of lowsalinity water and polymer. Laboratory investigation of the low salinity water.
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