Improvement of CO sub 2 flood performance. Third annual report. Report for 1 October 1986-30 September 1987

Technical Report · Tue Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1988

OSTI ID:5586754

Heller, J P; Kovarik, F S; Taber, J J

This report provides results obtained for the third year of a three-year, comprehensive, cost-shared, applied research program designed to improve oil recovery through carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) flooding. The program was composed of three areas: Task 1--Phase Behavior and Fluid Property Measurements, Task 2--Mixing of CO{sub 2} and Oil During Flow in Reservoir Rocks, and Task 3--Mobility Control in CO{sub 2} Floods. In Task 1, the continuous phase equilibrium apparatus was used to measure simultaneously the viscosity, density, and composition of CO{sub 2}-hydrocarbon systems at high pressure. These data were compared to a well-known correlation used in predicting viscosities in reservoir simulation studies. Other work in this area consisted of slim-tube tests using CO{sub 2} and both a synthetic and a crude oil in order to study the effects of methane on optimum oil recovery with CO{sub 2}. In Task 2, the performances of secondary and tertiary displacements of crude oil by CO{sub 2} in cores were measured and compared to predictions made with a multicomponent, one-dimensional simulator. Results from the core tests suggest that it may be possible to achieve optimum oil recovery with CO{sub 2} at pressures which are lower than the conventionally obtained optimum pressure estimated from a slim-tube test. In the final part of this task, flow visualization experiments were conducted in glass micromodels to study the effect of micro-heterogeneity on the flow of CO{sub 2} and surfactant-generated foam. In Task 3, procedures and equipment were developed to measure the steady-state mobility of foam-like dispersions of dense CO{sub 2} in surfactant solutions. A number of surfactants were tested, and effects such as surfactant concentration, flowing CO{sub 2} fraction or quality, and permeability of rock samples were studied.

• Research Organization: New Mexico Inst. of Mining and Technology, Socorro, NM (USA). New Mexico Petroleum Recovery Research Center
• OSTI ID: 5586754
• Report Number(s): PB-89-139323/XAB; PRRC--87-9
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
ADDITIVES
CARBON DIOXIDE INJECTION
COLLOIDS
DIAGRAMS
DISPERSIONS
DOCUMENT TYPES
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID INJECTION
FOAMS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
MOBILITY
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM
PHASE DIAGRAMS
PROGRESS REPORT
RECOVERY
SURFACTANTS
WELLS