Laboratory study of polymer injection into heavy oil unconventional reservoirs to enhance oil recovery and determination of optimal injection concentration

Pezhman Soltani Tehrani; Hamzeh Ghorbani; Sahar Lajmorak; Omid Molaei; Ahmed E Radwan; Saeed Parvizi Ghaleh; Pezhman Soltani Tehrani; Hamzeh Ghorbani; Sahar Lajmorak; Omid Molaei; Ahmed E Radwan; Saeed Parvizi Ghaleh

doi:10.3934/geosci.2022031

AIMS Geosciences

2022, Volume 8, Issue 4: 579-592. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2022031

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Laboratory study of polymer injection into heavy oil unconventional reservoirs to enhance oil recovery and determination of optimal injection concentration

1.
Department of Petroleum Engineering, Kish International Campus, University of Tehran, Kish, Iran
2.
Young Researchers and Elite Club, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran. Faculty of General Medicine, University of Traditional Medicine of Armenia (UTMA)—38a Marshal Babajanyan St., Yerevan 0040, Armenia
3.
Department of Earth Sciences, Institute for Advanced Studies in Basic Sciences (IASBS), 444 Prof. Yousef Sobouti Blvd., 45137-66731, Zanjan, Iran
4.
Department of Petroleum Engineering, Omidiyeh Branch, Islamic Azad University, Omidiyeh, Iran
5.
Faculty of Geography and Geology, Institute of Geological Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 3a, 30-387, Kraków, Poland
6.
Faculty of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Sahand University of Technology, Tabriz, Iran

Received: 20 June 2022 Revised: 30 August 2022 Accepted: 01 September 2022 Published: 08 September 2022

Polymers have been used for many years to control the mobility of injected water and increase the rate of oil extraction from unconventional reservoirs. Polymer flossing improves the volume of the broom, reduces the finger effect, creates channels, and delays water breakage. The combination of these processes has the potential to increase oil production and reduce production costs. To carry out this process, various polymers are used alone or in combination with surfactants and alkalis. In this study, a new type of polymer called FLOPPAM 3630 has been used to investigate the overload of very heavy oil reservoirs. For this purpose, six polymer solutions with different concentrations were made, and stability tests on shear rate, time, and temperature were performed. The polymer's stability results indicate that it is stable under other shear rate, temperature, and time passage conditions. As a result, this polymer is a suitable candidate for conducting silicification tests in reservoir temperature conditions. Then three more suitable polymer solutions were selected, and the polymer was polished. The results showed that the solution with a concentration of 1000 ppm has the best yield of about 40%. The reason for the good efficiency of this concentration is that the surface and vertical sweepers are higher than the other concentrations. Also, the difference in efficiency between less than 1000 and 2000 ppm is greater because it is more economical, and its injectability is easier to use with less concentration. Furthermore, the oil efficiency of this type of polymer in sandblasting is higher than that of other polymers tested under these conditions, making its use more economical.
- injection,
- polymer,
- fluidizing,
- viscosity,
- shear stress,
- unconventional reservoir
Citation: Pezhman Soltani Tehrani, Hamzeh Ghorbani, Sahar Lajmorak, Omid Molaei, Ahmed E Radwan, Saeed Parvizi Ghaleh. Laboratory study of polymer injection into heavy oil unconventional reservoirs to enhance oil recovery and determination of optimal injection concentration[J]. AIMS Geosciences, 2022, 8(4): 579-592. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2022031

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Abstract

Polymers have been used for many years to control the mobility of injected water and increase the rate of oil extraction from unconventional reservoirs. Polymer flossing improves the volume of the broom, reduces the finger effect, creates channels, and delays water breakage. The combination of these processes has the potential to increase oil production and reduce production costs. To carry out this process, various polymers are used alone or in combination with surfactants and alkalis. In this study, a new type of polymer called FLOPPAM 3630 has been used to investigate the overload of very heavy oil reservoirs. For this purpose, six polymer solutions with different concentrations were made, and stability tests on shear rate, time, and temperature were performed. The polymer's stability results indicate that it is stable under other shear rate, temperature, and time passage conditions. As a result, this polymer is a suitable candidate for conducting silicification tests in reservoir temperature conditions. Then three more suitable polymer solutions were selected, and the polymer was polished. The results showed that the solution with a concentration of 1000 ppm has the best yield of about 40%. The reason for the good efficiency of this concentration is that the surface and vertical sweepers are higher than the other concentrations. Also, the difference in efficiency between less than 1000 and 2000 ppm is greater because it is more economical, and its injectability is easier to use with less concentration. Furthermore, the oil efficiency of this type of polymer in sandblasting is higher than that of other polymers tested under these conditions, making its use more economical.

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