Upscaling of Foam Mobility Control To Three Dimensions

Li, Busheng; Hirasaki, George J.; Miller, Clarence A.

doi:10.2523/99719-ms

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

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“…For f g ϭ 0.95, the ratio is 5.3 because the pressure drops are 67.0 psi and 12.7 psi in the linear and spherical geometries. These ratio values are similar to that measured by Li et al (2006), which was 5, in their one-and three-dimensional foam displacement experiments with gas injection into surfactant-filled sandpack tank. …”

Section: Figure 20 -Calculation Results Showing the Steady State Aftesupporting

confidence: 86%

“…When the results in a small-scale spherical system were analyzed, the general trend was shown to be similar to those in a small-scale radial system, but the effect was more pronounced. The model showed that the resistance during foam flow in about 1 ft diameter spherical system was about 4.5 to 5.3 times less, compared to that in 1 ft long linear system, which is similar to the ratio measured by Li et al (2006) in their cubic sandpack experiments showing the ratio around 5. 3.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Friedmann et al (1994) claimed from their 2-ft-long cone-shaped (3D) Ottawa sandpack foam flood experiments that strong foams, first created near the injection well where the pressure gradient is relatively high due to small cross-sectional area, may propagate deep into the reservoir towards production wells. By conducting foam flood experiments in a 1-ft long 1D sandpack column and in a 2 ft ϫ 2 ft ϫ 2.5 ft (height) sandpack, Li et al (2006) showed that the resistance during foam flow in a 3D spherical geometry is about 5 times less than that in a 1D linear geometry.…”

Section: Motivation and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Dimensionality-Dependent Foam Rheological Properties: How to Go From Linear to Radial Geometry for Foam Modeling and Simulation?

Lee

Kam

2015

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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Numerous laboratory and field tests reveal that foam can effectively control gas mobility and improve sweep efficiency, if correctly designed. It is believed that there is a significant gap between small laboratory-scale experiments and large field-scale tests because of two main reasons: (i) typical laboratory flow tests are conducted in linear systems, while field-scale foam EOR processes are performed in radial (or spherical partly) systems; and (ii) through the complicated in-situ lamella creation/coalescence mechanisms and non-Newtonian behavior, foam rheology depends on the geometry and dimensionality. As a result, it is still an open question how to translate laboratory-measured data to field-scale treatments.For the first time, this study investigates how foam rheological properties change depending on the dimensionality and how such dimensionality-dependent properties are affected by different flowing conditions, by using mechanistic foam fractional flow analysis. Complex foam flow characteristics such as three foam states (weak-foam, strong-foam, and intermediate states) and two steady-state strong-foam regimes (high-quality regime and low-quality regime) lie in the heart of this analysis.The calculation results from a small radial and spherical system showed that (i) for strong foams in the low-quality regime injected, foam mobility decreased (or mobility reduction factor increased) significantly with distance which improved sweep efficiency; (ii) for strong foams in the high-quality regime, the situation became more complicated -near the well foam mobility decreased, but away from the well foam mobility increased with distance, which eventually gave lower sweep efficiency; and (iii) for weak foams injected, foam mobility increased with distance which lowered sweep efficiency. The results implied that the use of fixed value of mobility reduction factor, which is a common practice in field-scale reservoir simulations, might lead to a significant error. When the method was applied to a larger scale, it was shown that strong foams could propagate deeper into the reservoir at higher injection rate, higher injection pressure, and at lower injection foam quality. Foam propagation distance was very sensitive to these injection conditions for strong foams in the high-quality regime, but much less sensitive for strong foams in the low-quality regime.

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Section: Figure 20 -Calculation Results Showing the Steady State Aftesupporting

confidence: 86%

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Motivation and Objectivesmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Dimensionality-Dependent Foam Rheological Properties: How to Go From Linear to Radial Geometry for Foam Modeling and Simulation?

Lee

Kam

2015

SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition

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“…Surfactants lower the oil/water interfacial tension to the order of 0.001 mN/m so that the viscous forces can overcome the capillary forces and mobilize isolated oil blobs . Alkali form soap with acidic crude oils and lower surfactant adsorption. − Polymers increase the viscosity of the aqueous phase and reduce bypassing . Past phase behavior experiments have shown that many surfactants have a three-phase microemulsion (Winsor III) phase behavior at an intermediate salinity. , The interfacial tension has an inverse correlation with the oil and water solubilization in the micremulsion phase .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Alkaline Preflush in an Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer Flood

Panthi

Mohanty

2013

Energy Fuels

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An ultralow interfacial tension alkali-surfactant-polymer formulation was developed for a sandstone reservoir. Phase behavior was studied with the reservoir oil at different water−oil ratios and varying salt/alkali concentrations. The rheology of the resulting microemulsion phases was measured with and without polymers. The surfactant formulation was tested with a field core and an out-crop core, with and without an alkaline preflush. Waterflood recovered about 48% of the oil in place and reduced the oil saturation to 35% for the field core. The tertiary ASP injection in the field core without alkaline preflush yielded 80% cumulative oil recovery; the recovery increased to 85% in the same core (and the same surfactant formulation) if the alkaline preflush was used. The oil recovery in the out-crop core with the alkaline preflush was 94%. Alkaline preflush increases the core salinity to the optimum salinity of the surfactant formulation before the surfactant slug.

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Foam Mobility Control for Surfactant EOR

Bleu²,

Liu³

et al. 2008

SPE Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery

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Foam generated in situ by surfactant alternated with gas injection is demonstrated as a substitute for polymer drive in the alkaline-surfactant-polymer (ASP) EOR process. Foam is also effective in a similar process for a 266 cp crude oil, even though the system did not have enough polymer for favorable mobility control. Foam is shown to greatly enhance sweep efficiency in a layered sandpack with a 19:1 permeability ratio. Foam diverted surfactant solution from the high-permeability layer to the low-permeability layer. Ahead of the foam front, liquid in the low-permeability layer crossflowed into the high-permeability layer. A layered system with a 19:1 permeability contrast could be completely swept in 1.3 TPV (total pore volume) with foam while waterflooding required 8 PV (pore volume). Introduction Foam as a means for mobility control of surfactant flooding was introduced 28 years ago by Lawson and Reisberg (1980). This concept was not immediately adopted because of the lack of understanding of the mechanism of mobility control with foam. Since that time there have been many advances in the understanding of foam mobility control. There have been many field tests of steam foam (Hirasaki 1989; Patzek 1996) and CO2 foam. One of the most successful field demonstrations of foam mobility control was in the Snorre field (Blaker 2002). Foam was used as mobility control for surfactant aquifer remediation at Hill AFB in Utah (Hirasaki 1997, 2000). Foam was used as mobility control for alkaline surfactant flooding in China (Zhang 2000; Wang 2001). The most important advance in understanding that has made foam mobility control practical is the understanding of the condition necessary to generate "strong" foam. There is a critical pressure gradient that must be exceeded to generate strong foam during the flow of surfactant solution and gas through homogeneous porous media (Falls 1988; Gauglitz 2002; Kam 2003; Rossen 1996, 2007; Tanzil 2002a). Below this pressure gradient gas may flow as a continuous phase with only modest mobility reduction. Above this pressure gradient, stationary bubbles are mobilized such that bubble-trains have multiple branch points. A flowing bubble divides into two bubbles at each branch point and thus regenerates bubbles that are lost to coalescence. Foam bubbles can also be regenerated (independent of pressure gradient) when gas and surfactant solution flow across a step increase in permeability with a ratio greater than 4 (Falls 1988; Tanzil 2002a). If one recognizes the critical pressure gradient necessary for strong foam, experiments can be conducted at high enough flow rate or pressure-drop such that the critical pressure gradient is exceeded. The other important advance in understanding is the observation that when the foam is flowing with conditions where it is regenerated in situ, the gas mobility is determined by a "limiting capillary pressure" above which the lamellae become unstable and bubbles coalesce (Khatib 1988). This understanding explains why in this regime, the pressure gradient is a function of the liquid flow rate but independent of the gas flow rate. Also, foam mobility can be modeled by "fractional flow theory" in this flow regime (Gauglitz 2002; Rossen 1996). In this regime, gas mobility increases with increasing gas fractional flow and decreasing permeability. This permeability dependence makes foam especially useful for improving sweep in layered systems (Heller 1994; Bertin 1998; Kovscek 2002). The dependence of foam mobility on fracture aperture has been demonstrated to be beneficial in the sweep of fracture systems (Yan 2006).

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Upscaling of Foam Mobility Control To Three Dimensions

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Dimensionality-Dependent Foam Rheological Properties: How to Go From Linear to Radial Geometry for Foam Modeling and Simulation?

Dimensionality-Dependent Foam Rheological Properties: How to Go From Linear to Radial Geometry for Foam Modeling and Simulation?

Effect of Alkaline Preflush in an Alkaline-Surfactant-Polymer Flood

Foam Mobility Control for Surfactant EOR

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