CO2 FOR ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY

By Gary Wang

Outline
Introduction Methods Models Steam-CO2 Injection Chemical gas absorption by monoethanolamines (MEA) Conclusion

Introduction

High oil prices and concerns about future oil supply Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is a group of technologies that can increase recovery from existing oil reservoirs CO2 is a good flooding agent The CO2 is currently discharged into the atmosphere and could be a major contributor to the greenhouse effect, which may lead to global warming

Introduction Cont.

Methods
Thermal method Chemical method Miscible method

Thermal method

Injection of high temperature fluids into fractured reservoirs to recover matrix oil The major recovery mechanisms ( thermal method) include capillary imbibition, thermal expansion, gas generation, gravity drainage, in situ steam generation, distillation, solution gas drive, and pressure depletion Imbibition is defined as the displacement of one fluid by another immiscible fluid

Thermal method Cont.

f ( ) k td t 2 o w Lc

f(), Wettability index K, Matrix permeability Lc, Characteristic matrix size t, Time td, Dimensionless time , Porosity o, Oil viscosity w, Water viscosity , Interfacial tension

Thermal method Cont.

the reduction in oil viscosity due to high temperature fluid injection accelerates the imbibition recovery rate heat injection are applied, IFT is reduced. This is expected to reduce the capillary imbibition rate

Chemical method

Surfactant The idea of injecting surfactant solution to improve imbibition recovery In general, the positive effect of lowered IFT on the ultimate recovery due to surfactant addition (heavy oil) A negative effect of lowered IFT (surfactant solution) on the recovery rate (light oil)

Chemical method Cont.

Polymer Injection of polymer solution as aqueous phase for matrix recovery This can be attributed to the stronger capillary imbibition drive by increasing aqueous phase viscosity

Miscible method

Gas can also be injected in order for it to penetrate into matrix and expel the oil out. As gaseous phase is normally the nonwetting phase, the oil is recovered by the process called gas oil gravity drainage (GOGD), which occurs due to gravity difference between the fluid in fracture and matrix

Miscible method Cont.

Nitrogen is a commonly injected gas into naturally fractured reservoirs for pressure maintenance due to availability and lower cost Carbon Dioxide (CO2) has been recognized as a preferred miscible solvent for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods Miscible flooding by CO2 has proven its positive effectiveness through numerous laboratory and field projects

Miscible method Cont.

The minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) is independent of relative permeabilities and phases viscosities

Miscible method Cont.

Miscible flooding is a drive process by mixing injection fluid (solvent) and oil. Its main mechanism is to decrease the residual oil saturation by eliminating interfacial tension between phases

Miscible Flood Numerical Models

Three different development schemes are simulated: waterdrive, continuous CO2 injection, and water alternate gas (WAG) injection

Miscible Flood Numerical Models Cont.

The solvent slug size directly affects the oil recovery

Steam-CO2 Injection
Steam-CO2 injection schemes are based on simple concepts and produce good results Currently the cost of capturing and transporting CO2 for EOR applications is quite high One method of overcoming this economic challenge is to produce CO2 on site for immediate injection into an oil reservoir

Steam-CO2 Injection Cont.

The procedure
the

injection of liquid CO2 into the reservoir through the deepest wellbore After some time has passed, steam is injected into the reservoir via the same deep wellbore When the CO2 is contacted by the steam it heats up and expands into a gaseous state The pressure from the steam injection causes the CO2 gas to dissolve into the oil and the steam to condense into water

Steam-CO2 Injection Cont.

The procedure Cont.

The

resulting mixture of oil and CO2 is less viscous and less dense than oil alone and the mixture flows upward with greater ease A second horizontal wellbore above this action receives the less viscous mixture and channels it to the surface At the surface the CO2 and water are separated from the petroleum, which is then processed and sent for sale

Chemical gas absorption by monoethanolamines (MEA)

The absorption process using monoethanolamines (MEA) as the scrubbing solvent is used The MEA solvent is a proven technology for CO2 separation and has been selected because of its high reactivity with CO2 under low pressure conditions

Chemical gas absorption by monoethanolamines (MEA) Cont.

Conclusion

Carbon dioxide production from coal-fired power plants was modeled. It was found that the production of CO2 can become technically feasible, economically feasible and environmentally friendly Need optimization techniques were used to search for optimal design and operating criteria for the CO2 extraction plant, more economic feasible

Thank you