Permeability Reduction in Qishn Sandstone Specimens due to Particle Suspension Injection

Abstract

Produced water re-injection is one of the viable methods to manage the large amount of water produced from oil recovery operations. Permeability reduction caused by the particles being retained within porous formations is a major problem affecting the effectiveness of the process. This article presents an experimental investigation of permeability reduction in Qishn sandstone specimens due to particle suspension injection. Test results indicated that the particle deposition and permeability damage varied along the test specimen length depending on the imposed testing conditions. The filtration coefficient was difficult and complex to delineate from the transient injection data. However, it was found that the permeability reduction was uniquely correlated with the amount of particles retained within the specimen independent of the injected influent concentration, injected velocity, injected fluid volume, and particle deposition profile. It was possible to determine the permeability reduction coefficient directly from the laboratory measurement without solving the particle deposition profile from the coupled particle deposition fluid-flow equations.

Non-isothermal Permeability Impairment by Fines Migration and Deposition in Porous Media including Dispersive Transport

“…In the application considered above, the permeability impairment is more severe under high-temperature non-isothermal conditions than low-temperature isothermal conditions, as expected Further note that the permeability impairment results presented in Fig. 7b resemble strikingly well to those measured by Al-Abduwani et al (2005) and Wong and Mettananda (2009) for the permeability damage caused by the deposition of solid particles by injecting watercontaining suspended particles into the laboratory core samples. Unfortunately, however, they do not provide sufficient data about the core plug samples and the injection fluids used in their experiments.…”

“…For example, Al-Abduwani et al (2005) and Wong and Mettananda (2009) measured the permeability damage caused by the deposition of solid particles by injecting water-containing suspended particles into laboratory core samples to investigate the process of water re-injection into subsurface geological reservoirs. Their measurements of the permeability profiles obtained at various times resemble remarkably well to those calculated in the present article using the model developed here.…”

Experimental investigation of particle suspension injection and permeability impairment in porous media

“…1,2 A solution commonly used to manage this water, which cannot be discharged in the natural environment, is to re-inject it into the reservoir. This technique, called ''Produced Water reinjection'' (PWRI), 3,4,2,[5][6][7] contributes also to maintain the pore pressure in the reservoir and to stimulate the production. However, some difficulties can be encountered in application of this technique due to the fact that the produced water contains impurities such as oil droplets and solid particles.…”

“…The degree of impairment of porous medium over a period of time depends on the concentration of suspended solids in the injected water, the injection flow rate, the porous rock formation and particles characteristics (types of minerals, grain size, pore access size), and the nature of the interaction between the injected particles and the reservoir rock. 14,7 In this paper, we present an experimental study on the process of transport and deposition of particles in porous media. The effect of various parameters (such as the size of the injected particles, the pore access size of the medium, the injection flow rate, the concentration of particles and the surface roughness of the grains of the porous medium) on the particles deposition and permeability reduction is explored on the basis of injection experiments performed in the laboratory.…”

Particle Detachment Under Velocity Alternation During Suspension Transport in Porous Media

“…It takes place in industrial filtering, size exclusion chromatography, water production by artesian wells, grouting injection to improve soil strength, liquid composite moulding, industrial waste disposal, aquifer remediation, contamination of aquifers by viruses and bacteria, fines migration in low consolidate and high-clay-content oil reservoirs, low quality water injection in oilfields (Mays and Hunt 2005;Lefevre et al 2007;Ju et al 2007;Chupin et al 2008;Kocaefe et al 2009;Zhou et al 2009;Massoudieh and Ginn 2010;Wong and Mettananda 2010;Gitis et al 2010;Richards and Neretnieks 2010;Noubactep and Care 2010 etc.). Design and behaviour prediction of the above mentioned technological processes are based on mathematical modelling.…”