Experimental Investigation of Polyethylene Oxide Polymer Solutions for Enhanced Oil Recovery in Low-Permeability Carbonate Rocks
| Autor: | Miguel Mejia, Matthew T. Balhoff, Haofeng Song, Gary A. Pope |
|---|---|
| Rok vydání: | 2021 |
| Předmět: |
chemistry.chemical_classification
Materials science chemistry Chemical engineering technology industry and agriculture Low permeability Energy Engineering and Power Technology Carbonate rock macromolecular substances Polymer Enhanced oil recovery Polyethylene oxide Geotechnical Engineering and Engineering Geology |
| Zdroj: | SPE Journal. 27:929-944 |
| ISSN: | 1930-0220 1086-055X |
| Popis: | SummaryNew experiments using polyethylene oxide (PEO) polymer were performed to evaluate its potential for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) applications in low-permeability reservoirs. This is the first time that high molecular weight PEO solutions have been shown to have favorable transport in low-permeability (~20 md) carbonate cores and the first time PEO has been shown to improve oil recovery in a fractured carbonate core. Rheology measurements in synthetic seawater show the higher viscosity of PEO solutions compares favorably to the viscosity of acrylamide–sodium acrylate (AM-AA) copolymers of similar molecular weight because PEO is less sensitive to hardness and high salinity. Filtration experiments using 0.45 μm cellulose filters show very favorable filtration ratios of PEO with a molecular weight of 4 million g/mol, which is consistent with its favorable transport in low-permeability cores. Four coreflood experiments in Texas Cream Limestone (TC Limestone) cores demonstrate the viability of PEO for EOR in low-permeability carbonate rocks. Single-phase experiments show 4 million g/mol PEO solutions transported through 18 and 28 md TC Limestone cores. Oil recovery experiments show 4 million g/mol PEO solutions transported and was more efficient than waterflooding in aged TC Limestone with favorable retention of 40 µg/g rock. An oil recovery experiment in an artificially fractured TC Limestone core improved oil recovery by a remarkable 15% considering the very large fracture-matrix permeability contrast (>7,000). These experimental results as well as other favorable properties of PEO reported in the literature indicate PEO should be considered for some EOR applications, especially in low-permeability reservoirs. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|