Technical Evaluation of Conformance Improvement Technology with Anionic Surfactant-Stabilized Microemulsions in Porous Media

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

doi:10.2139/ssrn.4169534

Cited by 1 publication

(3 citation statements)

References 76 publications

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“…For conformance control, the droplet size mainly depends upon pore throat size as per the Jamin Effect rule, i.e., for effective plugging of droplet size > pore throat size as described by McAuliffe in his two papers [11,12]. The emulsions mostly considered for conformance control are coarse emulsions/macroemulsions having droplet sizes ranging between 1.5 and 100 micrometers while having a milky white color [34] or sometimes (rarely) microemulsion [35], which occupies a transparent or translucent shade (3 to 50 nanometer droplet size, or less than one micron) [36,37]. However, the results via microemulsion in [35] show hardly 53% water permeability (Kw) reduction.…”

Section: Imentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The emulsions mostly considered for conformance control are coarse emulsions/macroemulsions having droplet sizes ranging between 1.5 and 100 micrometers while having a milky white color [34] or sometimes (rarely) microemulsion [35], which occupies a transparent or translucent shade (3 to 50 nanometer droplet size, or less than one micron) [36,37]. However, the results via microemulsion in [35] show hardly 53% water permeability (Kw) reduction.…”

Section: Imentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Microemulsions utilize large amounts of surfactant concentration, making them expansive. Although microemulsions are thermally stable but are sensitive to changes in fluid content and salinity, this can alter the fluid behavior and emulsion type on the basis of dispersion medium [18,35]; this is due to having a high interfacial area. This can affect their plugging efficiency.…”

Section: Micro Vs Macroemulsionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A Perspective on the Prospect of Pickering Emulsion in Reservoir Conformance Control with Insight into the Influential Parameters and Characterization Techniques

Yousufi,

Dzulkarnain,

Elhaj

et al. 2023

Processes

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In reservoir conformance control, polymer gels and foams are majorly used; however, they have drawbacks such as inducing formation damage, having weaker shear resistance, requiring a higher pumping rate, and limited penetration depth. Emulsions are a potential alternative that can address these issues, but they are not widely used. Current surfactant-based emulsions require high emulsifier concentrations for stability and often rely on multiple additives to address various factors, which makes the surfactant synthesis and utilization of emulsions quite challenging. However, Pickering emulsions, which utilize solid particles for emulsion stabilization, have emerged as a promising solution for reservoir conformance control. Compared to conventional polymer gels and foams, Pickering emulsions offer superior shear resistance, deeper penetration, and reduced formation damage. This review provides an overview of recent developments in the utilization of Pickering emulsions for conformance control, highlighting important parameters and characteristics that must be considered during the design and deployment of a Pickering emulsion for water shut-off operation. This review also sheds light on current challenges and provides recommendations for future development of the particle-stabilized colloid system.

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