Critical factors in the design of cost-effective alkaline flooding
A review of major alkaline flooding projects highlights the recognized fact that alkali consumption and scale formation are serious deterrents when strong alkalis are used. The review also confirms that there are several mechanisms of oil mobilization besides reducing interfacial tension. Even oils of low acid number may be amenable to alkaline flooding. Moreover, alkalis in a lower pH range - which have minimal reaction with reservoir minerals - can often mobilize oil, especially when enhanced with a low concentration of surfactant. However, the future of alkaline flooding depends critically on improved reservoir analysis, which includes factors that have often been neglected: (1) thorough mineralogical analysis; (2) evaluation of ion-exchange properties; and (3) assessment of carbon dioxide content. An evaluation of high-pH alkaline flooding field tests over the past 60 years shows that the majority of tests did not produce encouraging results. Laboratory and limited field experience with lower pH alkalis suggests that they may be more feasible in selected cases. Alkaline flooding should be rejected if there is as much as 1% gypsum in the rock or as much as 1 mol % CO{sub 2} in the fluid. Otherwise, a flood at moderate pH (around 10) can be considered for low-kaolinite reservoirs. For low-montmorillonite reservoirs with less than 5 meq divalent exchange ions per kg of rock, a very low pH (around 8.5) may be effective when enhanced with surfactant. 55 refs., 3 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- National Inst. for Petroleum and Energy Research, Bartlesville, OK (USA)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE; USDOE, Washington, DC (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FC22-83FE60149
- OSTI ID:
- 6089138
- Report Number(s):
- NIPER-466; ON: DE91002224
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
CAUSTIC FLOODING
RESERVOIR ENGINEERING
OIL WELLS
API GRAVITY
CARBON DIOXIDE
DATA
DESIGN
ENHANCED RECOVERY
EVALUATION
FIELD TESTS
GYPSUM
ILLITE
INTERFACES
ION EXCHANGE
KAOLINITE
MASS TRANSFER
MINERALOGY
MINERALS
MIXTURES
MONTMORILLONITE
PETROLEUM
PH VALUE
RESERVOIR FLUIDS
RESERVOIR ROCK
RESERVOIR TEMPERATURE
SALINITY
SCALING
SODIUM CARBONATES
SURFACE TENSION
SURFACTANTS
VISCOSITY
ALKALI METAL COMPOUNDS
ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
ALUMINIUM SILICATES
CALCIUM COMPOUNDS
CALCIUM SULFATES
CARBON COMPOUNDS
CARBON OXIDES
CARBONATES
CHALCOGENIDES
CLAYS
DENSITY
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENGINEERING
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
INFORMATION
INORGANIC ION EXCHANGERS
ION EXCHANGE MATERIALS
MATERIALS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RECOVERY
SILICATE MINERALS
SILICATES
SILICON COMPOUNDS
SODIUM COMPOUNDS
SULFATE MINERALS
SULFATES
SULFUR COMPOUNDS
SURFACE PROPERTIES
TESTING
WATERFLOODING
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production