skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Development of cost-effective surfactant flooding technology. Quarterly report, April 1995--June 1995

Abstract

The objective of this research is to develop cost-effective surfactant flooding technology by using surfactant simulation studies to evaluate and optimize alternative design strategies taking into account reservoir characteristics, process chemistry, and process design options such as horizontal wells. Task 1 is the development of an improved numerical method for our simulator that will enable us to solve a wider class of these difficult simulation problems, accurately and affordably. Task 2 is the application of this simulator to the optimization of surfactant flooding to reduce its risk and cost. The objective of Task 2 is to investigate and evaluate, through a systematic simulation study, surfactant flooding processes that are cost-effective. We previously have reported on low tension polymer flooding as an alternative to classical surfactant/polymer flooding. In this reporting period, we have studied the potential of improving the efficiency of surfactant/polymer flooding by coinjecting an alkali agent such as sodium carbonate under realistic reservoir conditions and process behavior. The alkaline/surfactant/polymer (ASP) flood attempts to take advantage of high pH fluids to reduce the amount of surfactant needed by the chemical reactions between injection fluid and formation fluid or formation rocks.

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Texas Univ., Austin, TX (United States). Center for Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE, Washington, DC (United States)
OSTI Identifier:
221017
Report Number(s):
DOE/BC/14885-13
ON: DE96010191
DOE Contract Number:
AC22-92BC14885
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Resource Relation:
Other Information: PBD: [1995]
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
02 PETROLEUM; OIL WELLS; WATERFLOODING; ADDITIVES; SIMULATORS; PETROLEUM; ENHANCED RECOVERY; PROGRESS REPORT; EXPERIMENTAL DATA; SURFACTANTS; POLYMERS; SODIUM CARBONATES

Citation Formats

Pope, G.A., Sepehrnoori, K., and Jessen, F.W. Development of cost-effective surfactant flooding technology. Quarterly report, April 1995--June 1995. United States: N. p., 1995. Web. doi:10.2172/221017.
Copy to clipboard
Pope, G.A., Sepehrnoori, K., & Jessen, F.W. Development of cost-effective surfactant flooding technology. Quarterly report, April 1995--June 1995. United States. doi:10.2172/221017.
Copy to clipboard
Pope, G.A., Sepehrnoori, K., and Jessen, F.W. Sun . "Development of cost-effective surfactant flooding technology. Quarterly report, April 1995--June 1995". United States. doi:10.2172/221017. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/221017.
Copy to clipboard
@article{osti_221017,
title = {Development of cost-effective surfactant flooding technology. Quarterly report, April 1995--June 1995},
author = {Pope, G.A. and Sepehrnoori, K. and Jessen, F.W.},
abstractNote = {The objective of this research is to develop cost-effective surfactant flooding technology by using surfactant simulation studies to evaluate and optimize alternative design strategies taking into account reservoir characteristics, process chemistry, and process design options such as horizontal wells. Task 1 is the development of an improved numerical method for our simulator that will enable us to solve a wider class of these difficult simulation problems, accurately and affordably. Task 2 is the application of this simulator to the optimization of surfactant flooding to reduce its risk and cost. The objective of Task 2 is to investigate and evaluate, through a systematic simulation study, surfactant flooding processes that are cost-effective. We previously have reported on low tension polymer flooding as an alternative to classical surfactant/polymer flooding. In this reporting period, we have studied the potential of improving the efficiency of surfactant/polymer flooding by coinjecting an alkali agent such as sodium carbonate under realistic reservoir conditions and process behavior. The alkaline/surfactant/polymer (ASP) flood attempts to take advantage of high pH fluids to reduce the amount of surfactant needed by the chemical reactions between injection fluid and formation fluid or formation rocks.},
doi = {10.2172/221017},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1995},
month = {Sun Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 1995}
}
Copy to clipboard
Technical Report:
View Technical Report (0.52 MB)
DOI:  10.2172/221017
Save / Share:
Export Metadata
Save to My Library
You must Sign In or Create an Account in order to save documents to your library.

  • ;
    The objective of this research is to develop cost-effective surfactant flooding technology by using surfactant simulation studies to evaluate and optimize alternative design strategies taking into account reservoir characteristics, process chemistry, and process design options such as horizontal wells. Task 1 is the development of an improved numerical method for our simulator that will enable us to solve a wider class of these difficult simulation problems accurately and affordably. Task 2 is the application of this simulator to the optimization of surfactant flooding to reduce its risk and cost.

  • ;
    The objective of this research is to develop cost-effective surfactant flooding technology by using simulation studies to evaluate and optimize alternative design strategies taking into account reservoir characteristics process chemistry, and process design options such as horizontal wells. Task 1 is the development of an improved numerical method for our simulator that will enable us to solve a wider class of these difficult simulation problems accurately and affordably. Task 2 is the application of this simulator to the optimization of surfactant flooding to reduce its risk and cost. In this quarter, we have continued working on Task 2 to optimizemore » surfactant flooding design and have included economic analysis to the optimization process. An economic model was developed using a spreadsheet and the discounted cash flow (DCF) method of economic analysis. The model was designed specifically for a domestic onshore surfactant flood and has been used to economically evaluate previous work that used a technical approach to optimization. The DCF model outputs common economic decision making criteria, such as net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), and payback period.« less

  • ;
    The objective of this research is to develop cost-effective surfactant flooding technology by using surfactant simulation studies to evaluate and optimize alternative design strategies taking into account reservoir characteristics, process chemistry, and process design options such as horizontal wells. Task 1 is the development of an improved numerical method for our simulator that will enable us to solve a wider class of these difficult simulation problems accurately and affordably. Task 2 is the application of this simulator to the optimization of surfactant flooding to reduce its risk and cost. The goal of Task 2 is to understand and generalize themore » impact of both process and reservoir characteristics on the optimal design of surfactant flooding. We have studied the effect of process parameters such as salinity gradient, surfactant adsorption, surfactant concentration, surfactant slug size, pH, polymer concentration and well constraints on surfactant floods. In this report, we show three dimensional field scale simulation results to illustrate the impact of one important design parameter, the salinity gradient. Although the use of a salinity gradient to improve the efficiency and robustness of surfactant flooding has been studied and applied for many years, this is the first time that we have evaluated it using stochastic simulations rather than simulations using the traditional layered reservoir description. The surfactant flooding simulations were performed using The University of Texas chemical flooding simulator called UTCHEM.« less

  • The overall objective of this project is to develop a very cost-effective method for formulating a successful surfactant-enhanced alkaline flood by appropriately choosing mixed alkalis which form inexpensive buffers to obtain the desired pH (between 8.5 and 12.0) for ultimate spontaneous emulsification and ultra-low tension. In addition, the novel concept of pH gradient design to optimize flood water conditions will be tested.

  • Previously, adsorption and desorption behaviors of tetradecyl trimethyl ammonium chloride (TTAC) and pentadecylethoxylated nonyl phenol (NP-15) mixtures have been reported. It was observed that there was either synergistic or competitive adsorption between these two surfactants depending on the mixture ratios and the concentrations studied and that their adsorption/desorption behaviors were also rather complex. To better elucidate the mechanisms involved in these adsorption and desorption processes it is important to the understand the exact nature of the physico-chemical interactions between various components in mixtures and, how this in turn, controls the performance of the surfactant systems. Recently we have adapted themore » ultrafiltration technique to determine monomer concentrations in surfactant mixtures and to study the aggregation phenomenon between TTAC and NP-15. During the current report period, monomer concentrations of TTAC and NP-15 were measured for different mixing ratios at a constant ionic strength of 0.03 M NaCl and after adsorption for 4:1 TTAC:NP-15 mixture system. Possible behaviors of mixed micellization processes in solution are proposed and the relationship between monomer concentration and adsorption density is discussed.« less