Engineered Water for Improved Oil Recovery from Fractured Reservoirs (Final Scientific/Technical Report)
- Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States); U. of Texas at Austin
The goal of this proposal is to field test the novel technology of engineered water (modifying ionic composition and/or adding surfactants or nanoparticles) injection to improve oil recovery from the carbonate matrix in fractured reservoirs. Carbonate reservoirs tend to be oil-wet/mixed-wet due to positively charged carbonate mineral surfaces and negatively charged acidic/asphaltic components in the oil. Many carbonate reservoirs are also highly fractured. Water injection does not work efficiently in fractured oil-wet reservoirs because water does not imbibe into the matrix. The water composition can be engineered with ionic modification, surfactants and nanoparticles which can change the wettability of carbonate rocks towards more water-wet conditions which can imbibe water into the matrix and push the oil into the fractures. The engineered water can also lower interfacial tension and minimize capillary forces so that gravity can push the oil up and out of the matrix. Wettability alteration also increases water relative permeability which can also improve oil recovery in non-fractured carbonate reservoirs. This technology, if successful, can be a game changer for West Texas carbonates.
- Research Organization:
- Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FE0031791
- OSTI ID:
- 2478964
- Report Number(s):
- DOE-UT--FE0031791; 12842957
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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