Micellar/polymer physical-property models for contaminant cleanup problems and enhanced oil recovery

Abstract

Previous pseudo-phase representations of micellar/polymer phase behavior have been highly successful in simulating enhanced oil recovery processes using conventional numerical methods. These models allowed for a variety of physical phenomena, such as the formation of one to three phases, the effect of salinity and co-solvents on the phase behavior, adsorption of several of the chemical species, capillary desaturation, and polymer shear thinning and permeability reduction. In order to extend these models to either higher-order simulation techniques or to contaminant transport problems, it is necessary to remove previous discontinuities in the model behavior and to improve the predictions as concentrations become infinitesimal. In this paper, we provide a complete description of a revised model that avoids the problems of the previous model, and we show how to implement the computations in a numerically stable fashion. Computational results from a North Sea pilot study are presented.

Semianalytical solutions for cocurrent and countercurrent imbibition and dispersion of solutes in immiscible two‐phase flow

“…Displacement processes of this kind take place, for example, if water is pumped into a geological formation or aquifer contaminated with nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPL) and the ionic composition of the connate water is different from that of the injected water. In this scenario, both for the purpose of bioremediation and the cleanup of NAPL and enhanced oil recovery, surfactants and polymers are dissolved in the injected aqueous phase to mobilize the NAPL [ West and Harwell , 1992; Khan et al , 1996; Sorbie , 1991]. Here the appropriate design of an efficient chemical flood crucially depends upon the brine composition since the interfacial activity, phase behavior, and mobility control of the chemical flood depend as much on the concentration of the chemicals as they depend on the composition and mixing behavior of the ionic environment itself [ Lake and Helfferich , 1977].…”

Analytical Solutions to Multiphase First-Contact Miscible Models with Viscous Fingering

“…Solvent injection is a commonly used technology for enhanced oil recovery in hydrocarbon reservoirs (Stalkup, 1983;Lake, 1989), and it can be a viable option for environmental remediation of groundwater pollution by nonaqueous phase liquids (Khan et al, 1996). The objective of solvent flooding is to develop miscibility between the resident and injected hydrocarbon phases, thereby mobilizing the residual oil, and enhancing the mobility of the hydrocarbon phase.…”