Transport of electrolytes in underground porous media
The increasing difference in petroleum consumption and domestic production in the United States has renewed interest in enhanced oil recovery processes. Some crude oils contain high concentrations of organic acids which react in alkaline environments to produce surface-active salts. These surfactants may reduce interfacial tensions or change rock wettabilities thereby increasing oil production. Rock-solution interactions frequently control flood success because improved recovery results only after the caustic encounters the oil. Chemical reactions with reservoir solids control both chemical propagation rates and concentration. The following questions are addresed: can alkaline pulses propagate completely through a reservoir or do hydroxide ion concentrations diminish to ineffective levels shortly after injection. Laboratory core tests and x-ray analyses identify the various mineral reactions and their rates. For clayey sands a fast, reversible, sodium-hydrogen exchange retards alkali concentration velocities. Fine silica and quartz are suggested as important dissolving minerals. Slower dissolving clays and clay minerals release soluble aluminum which may redeposit with soluble silica as new alumino-silicate minerals. Multivalent ion precipitation may also occur in alkaline waterflooding. A linear chromatographic theory predicts alkaline pulse behavior for hydrogen-sodium ion exchange with simultaneous rock dissolution and for multivalent cation exchange with precipitation.
- OSTI ID:
- 6227956
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Thesis (Ph. D.)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
DISPLACEMENT FLUIDS
ROCK-FLUID INTERACTIONS
ELECTROLYTES
MASS TRANSFER
RESERVOIR ROCK
CAUSTIC FLOODING
DISSOLUTION
ENHANCED RECOVERY
OIL WELLS
POROUS MATERIALS
SURFACTANTS
UNDERGROUND
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
LEVELS
MATERIALS
RECOVERY
WATERFLOODING
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production