Review on Microemulsions for Conformance Improvement Technology: Fundamentals, Design Considerations, and Perspectives

Pal, Nilanjan; Alzahid, Yara; AlSofi, Abdulkareem M.; Ali, Muhammad; Hoteit, Hussein

doi:10.1021/acs.energyfuels.2c03148

Cited by 13 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 134 publications

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“…It will separate into two phases after long time of being placed at rest. However, microemulsion is a thermodynamically stable system, which is formed via the solubilization of oil and water by surfactant micelles. , It is almost impossible to form an in situ microemulsion in the reservoir, because the microemulsion formation requires the high concentration of surfactants and co-surfactants, which is difficult to achieve in the reservoir …”

Section: Formation and Characterization Of In Situ Emulsificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review and Perspective on the Mechanisms and Application ofIn SituEmulsification for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Liu,

Gao

et al. 2023

Energy Fuels

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In the chemical enhanced oil recovery (CEOR) process, the in situ emulsification between the oil displacement agent and crude oil plays an important role in the swept volume enlargement and displacement efficiency improvement. However, as a result of the complex geologic structure of the reservoir and varied remaining oil types, the occurrence of in situ emulsification in the reservoir and its role in enhancing oil recovery (EOR) are still unclear. We summarized and discussed the current understanding and existed problems in the in situ emulsion formation mechanism, its characterization method, and EOR capacity based on the current research results. The field application results were collected to clarify its potential in EOR. It was found that the in situ emulsification had been verified as an important role in oil recovery in both laboratory and pilot tests. However, the preparation and evaluation methods of in situ emulsification exist as a big difference with real conditions, which may cause people to misunderstand its EOR mechanism. The requirement for the in situ emulsification is quite different between the high-and low-permeability reservoirs. We expected that this review and perspective could help people understand the problems in this area. The proposed solution method could also draw some attention, which will promote the application of the in situ emulsification technique.

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Section: Formation and Characterization Of In Situ Emulsificationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Review and Perspective on the Mechanisms and Application ofIn SituEmulsification for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Liu,

Gao

et al. 2023

Energy Fuels

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“…4−6 Therefore, mobility control and conformance improvement are essential for the successful employment of gas flooding. 7,8 It is well recognized that foam flooding is a viable and effective way to improve the mobility ratio during gas injection. 9−11 Foam is a discontinuous liquid phase dispersed in a continuous gas phase and can readily form lamellae networks, greatly restricting gas transportation in porous media.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Acrylamide-Based Active Quadripolymer as an Efficient and Robust Foam Enhancer for Gas Mobility Control

Liu,

Zou

et al. 2024

Energy Fuels

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Polymer-enhanced foam (PEF) can effectively improve the conformance profile and delay the gas breakthrough during gas flooding, but it suffers from low foamability and poor stability under harsh reservoir conditions. This research aims to improve the performance of the PEF by applying a synthesized acrylamide-based quadripolymer, named MACS, that contained active and rigid functional groups. The foamability, thermal stability, blocking performance, and conformance control of MACS-enhanced foam (MEF) were evaluated under varying testing conditions, and the conventional partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide-enhanced foam (HEF) was used as the control group. Meanwhile, the migration of the MEF in the porous medium and its interaction with the crude oil were also investigated in both 2-D and 3-D models under ambient conditions. Furthermore, the mobility control capability and EOR performance of the MEF and HEF were assessed and compared. The results demonstrated that 0.15 wt % MACS effectively enhanced the durability of the foam in adverse environments (55 °C and 30 000 ppm of NaCl) and the foaming-complexed index (FCI) of MEF was approximately two times greater than that of HEF under identical conditions. MEF performed well in blocking the high-permeability layers and diverting the displacing fluid into the low-permeability region in the 2-D and 3-D models, and relatively uniform displacement fronts were clearly observed. Besides, due to the presence of active functional groups in the MACS, residual oil could be better emulsified and displaced. Moreover, the retention of MACS in the porous medium barely caused any permeability reduction. Finally, core flooding experiments showed that the recovery factor of MEF flooding reached 78.69%, while the counterpart HEF merely recovered 70.27% of the OOIP. In all, this work may provide valuable insights for the development of novel foam boosters, which could find potential uses in reservoirs experiencing difficulties with gas channeling during gas injection.

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“…The global energy demand is rising and projected to increase significantly in the upcoming years , and may even increase by around 60% by 2040, primarily due to population growth, urbanization, and economic development in many countries. − Crude oil is the principal source of energy worldwide, and the increasing number of depleted oil reservoirs (containing approximately 70% of the remaining crude oil) requires immediate attention. , Hence, the development of innovative production enhancement strategies is essential in order to cope with the increasing energy demand and to optimize recovery from existing hydrocarbon fields. , Several enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods, such as chemical EOR and thermal EOR, are used to increase the recovery and sweep efficiency during water flooding and gas injection. − In this respect, the wettability of the rock is an essential parameter for improving the trapped oil recovery and sweep efficiency. , However, subsurface formations are naturally contaminated with organic acids, which renders them hydrophobic − and leads to the early breakthrough of injected fluid, which leaves behind large volumes of hydrocarbons. , …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Methylene Blue on Enhancing the Hydrocarbon Potential of Early Cambrian Khewra Sandstone Formation from the Potwar Basin, Pakistan

Ali,

Shar,

Yekeen

et al. 2023

ACS Omega

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Significant amounts of hydrocarbon resources are left behind after primary and secondary recovery processes, necessitating the application of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) techniques for improving the recovery of trapped oil from subsurface formations. In this respect, the wettability of the rock is crucial in assessing the recovery and sweep efficiency of trapped oil. The subsurface reservoirs are inherently contaminated with organic acids, which renders them hydrophobic. Recent research has revealed the significant impacts of nanofluids, surfactants, and methyl orange on altering the wettability of organic-acid-contaminated subsurface formations into the water-wet state. This suggests that the toxic dye methylene blue (MB), which is presently disposed of in huge quantities and contaminates subsurface waters, could be used in EOR. However, the mechanisms behind hydrocarbon recovery using MB solution for attaining hydrophilic conditions are not fully understood. Therefore, the present work examines the impacts of MB on the wettability reversal of organic-acid-contaminated Khewra sandstone samples (obtained from the outcrop in the Potwar Basin, Pakistan) under the downhole temperature and pressure conditions. The sandstone samples are prepared by aging with 10 –2 mol/L stearic acid and subsequently treated with various amounts of aqueous MB (10–100 mg/L) for 1 week. Contact angle measurements are then conducted under various physio-thermal conditions (0.1–20 MPa, 25–50 °C, and salinities of 0.1–0.3 M). The results indicate that the Khewra sandstone samples become hydrophobic in the presence of organic acid and under increased pressure, temperature, and salinity. However, the wettability changes from oil-wet to preferentially water-wet in the presence of various MB solutions, thus highlighting the favorable effects of MB on EOR from the Khewra sandstone formation. Moreover, the most significant change in wettability is observed for the Khewra sandstone sample that was aged using 100 mg/L MB. These results suggest that injecting MB into deep underground Khewra sandstone reservoirs may produce more residual hydrocarbons.

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Review on Microemulsions for Conformance Improvement Technology: Fundamentals, Design Considerations, and Perspectives

Cited by 13 publications

References 134 publications

Review and Perspective on the Mechanisms and Application ofIn SituEmulsification for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Review and Perspective on the Mechanisms and Application ofIn SituEmulsification for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Acrylamide-Based Active Quadripolymer as an Efficient and Robust Foam Enhancer for Gas Mobility Control

Impact of Methylene Blue on Enhancing the Hydrocarbon Potential of Early Cambrian Khewra Sandstone Formation from the Potwar Basin, Pakistan

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