Successful Field Test of Enhancing Bakken Oil Recovery with Propane Injection Part II. Development and Application of Innovative Simulation Technology

Litvak, Michael; Nagarajan, Narayana Rao; Prasad, R. S.; Shaarawi, K.

doi:10.15530/urtec-2020-2775

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Recently, a successful field propane injection pilot study was conducted with a vertical injection well and a horizontal producer in the MB reservoir and showed the technical feasibility of enhancing oil recovery using highpressure propane injection in the tight Bakken formation. 62,63 A recent experimental study reported the ability of CO 2 , methane, ethane, propane, and produced gas to dissolve crude oil hydrocarbons at reservoir pressures and temperatures relevant to the Bakken System and showed that Bakken crude oil solvation is (as might be expected) inversely related to the individual gases' MMP values with the same crude oil sample. 46,64 Gases with low crude oil MMPs (e.g., propane and ethane) were superior solvents for crude oil hydrocarbons, while gases with high crude oil MMPs (e.g., methane) showed very poor ability to dissolve crude oil hydrocarbons, especially the heavier hydrocarbons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Previous studies have also shown that oil recoveries using CO 2 from Bakken rock samples were more efficient with higher pressures, including whether the pressures were below, near, or above MMP. ,,− These results suggest that oil recoveries are controlled by the ability of injected gas to transport oil hydrocarbons from rock pores into the gas-dominated fractures. Recently, a successful field propane injection pilot study was conducted with a vertical injection well and a horizontal producer in the MB reservoir and showed the technical feasibility of enhancing oil recovery using high-pressure propane injection in the tight Bakken formation. , …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Comparison of CO₂ and Produced Gas Hydrocarbons to Recover Crude Oil from Williston Basin Shale and Mudrock Cores at 10.3, 17.2, and 34.5 MPa and 110 °C

et al. 2021

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Carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon gases including methane, ethane, propane, and produced gas (69.5/21/9.5 mol ratio of methane/ethane/propane) were used to recover oil from rock samples collected in the Middle Bakken (MB) target drilling zone and from a Lower Bakken Shale (LBS) source rock. Experiments were designed to mimic the fracture-dominated flow expected to occur during gas injection into hydraulically fractured unconventional reservoirs such as the Bakken Petroleum System. Higher pressures recovered oil (and heavier hydrocarbons) more efficiently than lower pressures from both rock samples for each of the test gases but recoveries varied dramatically with the gas used. In general, oil recovery efficiencies from both MB and LBS rocks were the highest with propane, followed by ethane, CO2, and produced gas, and finally methane. Propane and ethane were the most efficient in recovering oil hydrocarbons from the rock samples at all three pressures, although ethane required higher pressures. Recoveries with CO2 and produced gas were low at 10.3 MPa but increased substantially at higher pressures with the recoveries achieved at 34.5 MPa approximating those achieved at lower pressures using propane and ethane. Finally, methane was only capable of significant oil recoveries from MB samples at the highest (34.5 MPa) test pressure but was not effective in mobilizing hydrocarbons from the tighter LBS samples at any of the pressures tested. Molar densities and the related injected gas solvent strengths at the three test pressures had a strong influence on oil recovery rates. For example, when molar densities of all five gases at the three test pressures were correlated with total hydrocarbon recoveries, linear correlation coefficients (r 2) were significant (0.69 for 1 h oil recoveries from the MB mudrock samples and 0.68 for the 24 h oil recoveries from the LBS shale samples). When oil recoveries at the three test pressures were compared to the molar densities of each individual gas, linear correlation coefficients (r 2) ranged from 0.89 to 0.99 for the recoveries from the MB samples, and 0.95 to >0.99 for the LBS samples for all of the gases except propane (which gave high recoveries at every test pressure, consistent with the fact that propane’s molar density shows little change at the three test pressures). The results of these laboratory studies indicate that ethane, propane, or very rich produced gas should be capable of recovering oil from unconventional reservoirs at significantly lower pressures than leaner produced gas or CO2, although both produced gas and CO2 could be effective at higher pressures.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparison of CO₂ and Produced Gas Hydrocarbons to Recover Crude Oil from Williston Basin Shale and Mudrock Cores at 10.3, 17.2, and 34.5 MPa and 110 °C

et al. 2021

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“…Given that recoveries in the Bakken system are typically lower than 10% − and injected gases (especially those rich in propane and ethane) are able to penetrate the fractured reservoir rock and dissolve into even a fraction of the remaining oil (which is >90% of the original OIP), crude oil swelling may be an important mechanism to increase oil production by forcing the swollen residual oil into fracture spaces in addition to injected gases causing oil solvation from the rock matrix into the fractures and lowered oil viscosity. Because of the challenges of achieving pressurization and gas conformance in the fracture networks, ,,,,,, gases that achieve significant oil mobilization at lower pressures may offer significant advantages for EOR projects. The selection of injected gases and pressures for EOR projects will be critical factors for recovering remaining oil from unconventional fractured reservoirs such as the Bakken Petroleum System.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while increasing oil recovery have increased interest in CO 2 and/or produced rich hydrocarbon gas injections for both gas storage and enhanced oil recovery (EOR). ,,− This interest has resulted in several recent pilot-scale injection tests of CO 2 and rich gas hydrocarbons into the Bakken. ,,,,− The Bakken Petroleum System has four units that have potential for EOR including the Upper Bakken and Lower Bakken source shales and the target drilling zones including the Middle Bakken and Three Forks, which have average porosities of 4 to 8% and microdarcy permeabilities . The shales typically have high total organic carbon (TOC) values of 10 to 15 wt %, clay contents of 12 to 30%, and median pore throat radii of 3 to 4 nm .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Volumetric Swelling of Bakken Crude Oil with Carbon Dioxide and Hydrocarbon Gases at 110 °C and Pressures of up to 34.5 Megapascals

2022

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Volumetric swelling tests were performed using a typical crude oil produced from the Middle Bakken formation to compare the ability of pure carbon dioxide, methane, ethane, propane, and a typical Bakken produced gas (ca. 68/22/10 mole fraction methane/ethane/propane) at the reservoir temperature (110 °C) and pressures of up to 34.5 MPa (5000 psi). Crude oil swelling factors at 34.5 MPa for the individual hydrocarbon gases were quite low for methane (1.13), moderately higher for the produced gas (1.39), and much higher for ethane (2.50). Propane caused dramatically higher crude oil swelling than any of the test gases and reached a volumetric expansion of 2.6 at 4.2 MPa (the highest degree of swelling that could be observed in the test cell). The presence of water had no significant effect on oil swelling for the hydrocarbon gases. However, carbon dioxide showed a moderate increase in oil swelling at higher pressures when water was present in the high-pressure cell and achieved oil swelling factors at 34.5 MPa of 1.60 with water and 1.42 without water. The crude oil swelling results show the same trend as that of the individual gas' solubility in the crude oil. The oil swelling results were compared to earlier experimental results that used the same injected gases, temperature, and pressure ranges to determine each gas' minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) and ability to dissolve oil hydrocarbons with the same crude oil as was used in the swelling tests, as well as the ability of the same test gases to recover residual oil from siltstone samples collected from the Middle Bakken target drilling zone. Oil swelling, MMP, crude oil solubility in each gas, and residual oil recovery tests all showed that propane is the superior EOR fluid, followed by ethane, then carbon dioxide and the produced gas (which are similar), and finally methane, which is the poorest in each lab test of the five gases investigated.

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“…Field tests have also been implemented in some of the major unconventional oil plays, including the Eagle Ford, Bakken, and Wolfcamp. − A few successful field cases were reported, especially in the Eagle Ford, where the essential surface facilities (e.g., pipelines and gas plants) and abundant gas sources for EOR operations are readily available. However, many of the field cases had mixed EOR results (i.e.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Investigating Enhanced Oil Recovery in Unconventional Reservoirs Based on Field Case Review, Laboratory, and Simulation Studies

et al. 2022

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Aimed at advancing gas injection enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technologies in unconventional reservoirs, this study comprised a series of activities to bridge the gap between the theoretical study and actual field applications. Twenty-four EOR pilot tests were collected from the major unconventional plays in North America to evaluate the performance of different EOR technologies. Fit-for-purpose experiments and simulations were performed to investigate the effects of injection rate and pressure on EOR performance, as well as to reveal the effectiveness of huff "n" puff (HnP) cycles in actual field operations. The selection of injection rate and pressure as key parameters for investigation was based on field observations and communications with oil and gas operators because these two parameters play critical roles in both facility design and overall cost for an EOR project. Results showed that miscible EOR with a high gas injection rate and pressure is required for field operations because the injected gas needs to penetrate and extract oil from the tight matrix. Experimental results indicated that there is a correlation between oil recovery and the logarithm of core volume for miscible EOR. Immiscible gas EOR could not yield a satisfactory EOR response in actual reservoirs because the injected gas tends to flow through fractures instead of penetrating the matrix to interact with oil. Results also showed that reaching minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) does not guarantee an optimum EOR operation in unconventional reservoirs. Pressure higher than MMP is preferred in field operations. When designed properly, up to a tenfold oil production rate boost is achievable in field applications within a short period. However, such a high-performance operation is only effective in the first several HnP cycles due to the limited gas penetration depth into the rock matrix.

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Successful Field Test of Enhancing Bakken Oil Recovery with Propane Injection Part II. Development and Application of Innovative Simulation Technology

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Comparison of CO₂ and Produced Gas Hydrocarbons to Recover Crude Oil from Williston Basin Shale and Mudrock Cores at 10.3, 17.2, and 34.5 MPa and 110 °C

Comparison of CO₂ and Produced Gas Hydrocarbons to Recover Crude Oil from Williston Basin Shale and Mudrock Cores at 10.3, 17.2, and 34.5 MPa and 110 °C

Volumetric Swelling of Bakken Crude Oil with Carbon Dioxide and Hydrocarbon Gases at 110 °C and Pressures of up to 34.5 Megapascals

Investigating Enhanced Oil Recovery in Unconventional Reservoirs Based on Field Case Review, Laboratory, and Simulation Studies

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Successful Field Test of Enhancing Bakken Oil Recovery with Propane Injection Part II. Development and Application of Innovative Simulation Technology

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Comparison of CO2 and Produced Gas Hydrocarbons to Recover Crude Oil from Williston Basin Shale and Mudrock Cores at 10.3, 17.2, and 34.5 MPa and 110 °C

Comparison of CO2 and Produced Gas Hydrocarbons to Recover Crude Oil from Williston Basin Shale and Mudrock Cores at 10.3, 17.2, and 34.5 MPa and 110 °C

Volumetric Swelling of Bakken Crude Oil with Carbon Dioxide and Hydrocarbon Gases at 110 °C and Pressures of up to 34.5 Megapascals

Investigating Enhanced Oil Recovery in Unconventional Reservoirs Based on Field Case Review, Laboratory, and Simulation Studies

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About

Comparison of CO₂ and Produced Gas Hydrocarbons to Recover Crude Oil from Williston Basin Shale and Mudrock Cores at 10.3, 17.2, and 34.5 MPa and 110 °C

Comparison of CO₂ and Produced Gas Hydrocarbons to Recover Crude Oil from Williston Basin Shale and Mudrock Cores at 10.3, 17.2, and 34.5 MPa and 110 °C