Basic studies in the displacement of residual oil by chemical flooding. Annual report, February 1, 1978-January 31, 1979

Technical Report · Fri Feb 01 04:00:00 EST 1980

OSTI ID:5749659

Flumerfelt, R W; Payatakes, A C; Tham, M K

Research studies at the University of Houston are concerned with (1) the role of dynamic interfacial properties on the displacement and reconnection processes occurring in surfactant flooding processes and (2) the analytical description of multiphase displacement dynamics using ganglia population balance models and simulation algorithms. Tests on oil-water-surfactant systems using both a drop deformation and orientation method and the viscous traction method indicate the largest interfacial viscosities at salt concentrations in the neighborhood of the optimal salinity. Values of interfacial viscosities for crude oil systems were considerably larger than those associated with iso-octane systems. A new technique involving the use of a spinning drop apparatus has been developed for controlled coalescence tests. Tests to date on several iso-octane-brine-surfactant systems and one crude oil-brine-surfactant system indicate that the fastest coalescence occurs at salt concentrations near the point of optimal salinity. Also, the crude oil systems coalesce at significantly slower rates than the iso-octane systems. Capillary displacement tests involving iso-octane drops being displaced by water have been attempted in both constant pressure drop and constant displacement rate systems. Work has continued in the development of a theoretical description of the dynamics of mobilized oil ganglia, their breakup, coalescence, and entrapment. Improvements in the mobilization criteria have been effected, and hundreds of computer-aided stochastic realizations have been performed for solitary ganglia of all sizes of interest moving in a 100 x 200 sandpack. These realizations show clearly that a solitary ganglion gets slenderized as it moves, and that either it gets restranded whole after a few rheons, or that it first breaks into two daughter ganglia, which eventually get stranded.

• Research Organization: Houston Univ., TX (USA)
• OSTI ID: 5749659
• Report Number(s): BETC-5075-2
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
CAPILLARY FLOW
COALESCENCE
ENERGY SOURCES
FLUID FLOW
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROGEN COMPOUNDS
OIL WELLS
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PETROLEUM
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
RESIDUAL PETROLEUM
SURFACTANTS
VISCOSITY
WATER
WATERFLOODING
WELL STIMULATION
WELLS