Experimental investigation on the effect of ultrasonic waves on reducing asphaltene deposition and improving oil recovery under temperature control

Abstract

A well-known complication in the oil reservoir during oil production is asphaltene deposition in and around the production wellbore. Deposition of asphaltene around the production wellbore may cause a significant pressure drop and in turn loss of efficiency in the production process. Various mechanical and chemical methods have been employed in order to reduce asphaltene formation or to eliminate the precipitate. A novel technique which presented a great potential for prevention or elimination of asphaltene is spreading out the high energy ultrasound wave within the oil reservoir. In this study, in a glass micro-model, asphaltene precipitation was first simulated in a transparent porous medium and its removal by application of high energy ultrasound wave was then investigated. To simulate asphaltene precipitation, the micro-model was first saturated with oil and then a normal-pentane was injected. This was followed by flooding the porous media with brine while propagating ultrasound waves (30 kHz and 100 W) to eliminate asphaltene precipitation. The experiment setup was equipped with a temperature controller. The results indicate a significant reduction in asphaltene precipitation in the oil reservoir may be achieved by application of ultrasound energy. Asphaltene particle deposition has been solved reversibly in the oil layer of porous medium and with the oil layering mechanism, the rate of oil production has been increased. In some spots, water/oil emulsion has been formed because of the ultrasonic vibration on the wall. Both the crude and synthetic oils were examined.

Exploiting Microbes in the Petroleum Field: Analyzing the Credibility of Microbial Enhanced Oil Recovery (MEOR)

“…However, implementing these techniques (with the exception of MEOR) requires massive energy consumption for the generation of steam, the use of costly chemicals, a huge quantity of fresh water, and expensive equipment for their groundworks, which increases the oil price and the associated ecological risks [38]. Modern technologies, such as seismic [39] or sonic stimulations [40], and electromagnetic methods [41], are also currently being implemented. These methods are discussed in detail elsewhere, and this article focuses only on the microbial method.…”

Ultrasound-assisted emulsions with biopolymers for spray-drying of lemongrass essential oil

“…Regarding emulsionforming technology, ultrasonic cavitation is a wellknown and proven technology capable of transforming the immiscible liquids into stable droplets. Ultrasonic waves vaporize the particles by the drastic reduction of pressure, which modifies the conformation, providing the oil dispersion in water (Dehshibi et al, 2018).…”

Insight into the Synergic Effect of Ultrasonic Waves, SDS Surfactant, and Silica Nanoparticles on Wettability Alteration of Carbonate Rocks

“…Ultrasonic radiation as an economical and emerging method has been considered by many studies in petroleum science and technology [43][44][45][46][47][48][49], especially for EOR purposes [50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57]. One of the mechanisms for oil recovery by ultrasonic waves is removing the oil from the pore wall into the flow of fluid.…”

“…Furthermore, asphaltene precipitation was simulated in a porous medium and the elimination of that by the energy of ultrasonic waves was studied. The outcomes showed a notable decrease in asphaltene precipitation in the reservoir, which could be obtained by applying the ultrasound energy [56]. Although the application of ultrasonic radiation for EOR purposes has been studied before [50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57], its synergic effects with surfactant and NPs for wettability alteration of carbonate rocks have not been studied.…”