Influence of EOR Polymers on Fouling in Production Wells and Facilities

Mittal, Saumya; Anand, Saurabh; Venkat, Panneer Selvam; Mathur, Vinay; Zagitov, Robert; Subramanian, Jaisankar; Patel, Nilay; Hammonds, Paul

doi:10.2118/192943-ms

Cited by 23 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…As can be seen from Fig. 4, at the same polymer concentration, the deposit rate generally increases with the skin temperature but is much more pronounced between 165 F and 250 F (i.e., the curve slope between 165 F and 250 F) than between 250 F and 350 F. This phenomenon confirms that skin temperature is one of the critical factors affecting the fouling tendency on the heating tube surface, which is consistent with previous studies (Shupe 1981;Ramsden and McKay 1986;Moradi-Araghi and Doe 1987;Seright and Skjevrak 2015;Xiong et al 2018). That is because the temperature can significantly affect the degree of hydrolysis of polyacrylamide in the solution (Muller et al 1980 With the increase in temperature, the degree of hydrolysis can be significantly higher than 30%.…”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

“…Even the used chemicals may react with the minerals aggravating the mineral fouling issues. Previously, the study of Moradi-Araghi and Doe (1987) demonstrated that hydrolyzed polyacrylamides (HPAM) could precipitate when hard brines were present, especially under high-temperature conditions (greater than the cloud point), because the calcium ions could bind with the polymer caused by reacting or crosslinking with the acrylic group of HPAM. Recently, studies have been conducted to investigate the fouling issues in production systems of chemical EOR projects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Experimental Investigation of Polymer-Induced Fouling of Heater Tubes in the First-Ever Polymer Flood Pilot on Alaska North Slope

Dhaliwal

Yin

Dandekar

et al. 2020

SPE Production &Amp; Operations

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Summary Polymer flooding is being pilot tested for the first time in the Schrader Bluff viscous oil reservoir at the Milne Point Field on Alaska North Slope (ANS). One of the major concerns of the operator is the impact of polymer on the oil production system after polymer breakthrough, especially the polymer-induced fouling issues in the heat exchanger. This study investigates the propensity of polymer fouling on the heater tubes as a function of different variables, with the ultimate goal of determining safe and efficient operating conditions. A unique experimental setup was designed and developed in-house to simulate the fouling process on the heating tube. The influence of heating tube skin temperature, tube material, and polymer concentration on fouling tendency was investigated. Each test was run five times with the same tube, and in each run, the freshly prepared synthetic brine and polymer solution was heated from 77°F to 122°F to mimic field-operating conditions. The heating time and fouling amount were recorded for each run. Cloud point measurement has also been conducted to find the critical temperature at which the polymer in solution becomes unstable and precipitates out. The morphology and composition of the deposit samples were analyzed by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. It was found that the presence of polymer in produced fluids would aggravate the fouling issues on both carbon steel and stainless steel surfaces at all tested skin temperatures. Only higher skin temperatures of 250°F and 350°F could cause polymer-induced fouling issues on the copper tube surface, and the fouling tendency increased with polymer concentration. At the lower skin temperatures of 165°F, no polymer-induced fouling was identified on the copper tube. A critical temperature that is related to the cloud point of the polymer solution was believed to exist, below which polymer-induced fouling would not occur and only mineral scale was deposited but above which the polymer would aggravate the fouling issue. The cloud point of the tested polymer solution was determined to be between 220°F and 230°F. From a practical safer design standpoint, we recommend a value of 220°F for operational purposes on the pilot site. The heating efficiency of the tube would be decreased gradually as more fouling material accumulates on its surface. If polymer precipitated and deposited on the surface, it would bond to the mineral crystals to form a robust three-dimensional network structure, resulting in a rigid polymer-induced fouling. The study results have provided practical guidance to the field operator for the ongoing polymer flooding pilot test on ANS.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 90%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Experimental Investigation of Polymer-Induced Fouling of Heater Tubes in the First-Ever Polymer Flood Pilot on Alaska North Slope

Dhaliwal

Yin

Dandekar

et al. 2020

SPE Production &Amp; Operations

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“…После того как он подтвердил эффективность началось наращивание количества скважин под закачку полимерного раствора (рис. 11) [32].…”

Section: рисунок 9 пилотный участок на месторождении Matzenunclassified

The current level and prospects for the development of large-volume injection technologies using polymers to increase oil recovery

Podoprigora

Byazrov

Khristich

2022

The Eurasian Scientific Journal

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Currently, there is a worldwide decline in the level of production while maintaining the level of consumption. At the same time, the newly discovered fields are not able to compensate for the volumes of extracted oil, since the volumes of reserves are mainly small or medium. In this regard, it is relevant to introduce technologies to increase oil recovery at already drilled and developed fields. A promising method of increasing oil recovery is polymer flooding, which has many years of successful experience in both Russia and abroad. Polymer flooding technology consists in adding dry polymer to the injected water in concentrations from 0.05 to 0.25 % in order to increase its viscosity, which in turn contributes to improving the flooding process. The polymer rim equalizes the ratio of mobility in the reservoir and allows oil to be uniformly displaced from reservoirs in which there is a heterogeneity in permeability. The key result in the implementation of the technology is an increase in the oil recovery coefficient by improving the coverage of the reservoir by the flooding process, as well as a gradual increase in water availability, without early water breakthroughs from injection to production wells. This technology has wide limits of applicability and has already proven its effectiveness in various geological and physical conditions. This article will consider the physical basis of exposure, the principle of action, the criteria of applicability, the main groups of chemical reagents, and the accumulated domestic and international experience in the design and implementation of polymer flooding technology, development trends and the main difficulties associated with the introduction of this technology.

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Polymer flooding: Current status and future directions

Seright¹,

Wang²

2023

Petroleum Science

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Influence of EOR Polymers on Fouling in Production Wells and Facilities

Cited by 23 publications

References 1 publication

Experimental Investigation of Polymer-Induced Fouling of Heater Tubes in the First-Ever Polymer Flood Pilot on Alaska North Slope

Experimental Investigation of Polymer-Induced Fouling of Heater Tubes in the First-Ever Polymer Flood Pilot on Alaska North Slope

The current level and prospects for the development of large-volume injection technologies using polymers to increase oil recovery

Polymer flooding: Current status and future directions

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