Optimizing Polymer Costs and Efficiency in Alkali–Polymer Oilfield Applications
In this work, we present various evaluations that are key prior field applications. The workflow combines laboratory approaches to optimize the usage of polymers in combination with alkali to improve project economics. We show that the performance of AP floods can be optimized by making use of lower...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Polymers |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/24/5508 |
| _version_ | 1797455587161669632 |
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| author | Rafael E. Hincapie Ante Borovina Torsten Clemens Eugen Hoffmann Muhammad Tahir Leena Nurmi Sirkku Hanski Jonas Wegner Alyssia Janczak |
| author_facet | Rafael E. Hincapie Ante Borovina Torsten Clemens Eugen Hoffmann Muhammad Tahir Leena Nurmi Sirkku Hanski Jonas Wegner Alyssia Janczak |
| author_sort | Rafael E. Hincapie |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In this work, we present various evaluations that are key prior field applications. The workflow combines laboratory approaches to optimize the usage of polymers in combination with alkali to improve project economics. We show that the performance of AP floods can be optimized by making use of lower polymer viscosities during injection but increasing polymer viscosities in the reservoir owing to “aging” of the polymers at high pH. Furthermore, AP conditions enable the reduction of polymer retention in the reservoir, decreasing the utility factors (kg polymers injected/incremental bbl. produced). We used aged polymer solutions to mimic the conditions deep in the reservoir and compared the displacement efficiencies and the polymer adsorption of non-aged and aged polymer solutions. The aging experiments showed that polymer hydrolysis increases at high pH, leading to 60% higher viscosity in AP conditions. Micromodel experiments in two-layer chips depicted insights into the displacement, with reproducible recoveries of 80% in the high-permeability zone and 15% in the low-permeability zone. The adsorption for real rock using 8 TH RSB brine was measured to be approximately half of that in the case of Berea: 27 µg/g vs. 48 µg/g, respectively. The IFT values obtained for the AP lead to very low values, reaching 0.006 mN/m, while for the alkali, they reach only 0.44 mN/m. The two-phase experiments confirmed that lower-concentration polymer solutions aged in alkali show the same displacement efficiency as non-aged polymers with higher concentrations. Reducing the polymer concentration leads to a decrease in EqUF by 40%. If alkali–polymer is injected immediately without a prior polymer slug, then the economics are improved by 37% compared with the polymer case. Hence, significant cost savings can be realized capitalizing on the fast aging in the reservoir. Due to the low polymer retention in AP floods, fewer polymers are consumed than in conventional polymer floods, significantly decreasing the utility factor. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:55:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-666dc4b3fc25468980873531c8564ce6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-4360 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T15:55:27Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Polymers |
| spelling | doaj.art-666dc4b3fc25468980873531c8564ce62023-11-24T17:33:20ZengMDPI AGPolymers2073-43602022-12-011424550810.3390/polym14245508Optimizing Polymer Costs and Efficiency in Alkali–Polymer Oilfield ApplicationsRafael E. Hincapie0Ante Borovina1Torsten Clemens2Eugen Hoffmann3Muhammad Tahir4Leena Nurmi5Sirkku Hanski6Jonas Wegner7Alyssia Janczak8OMV Exploration & Production GmbH, Trabrennstrasse 6-8, 1020 Vienna, AustriaOMV Exploration & Production GmbH, Trabrennstrasse 6-8, 1020 Vienna, AustriaOMV Exploration & Production GmbH, Trabrennstrasse 6-8, 1020 Vienna, AustriaHOT Microfluidics GmbH, Trabrennstrasse 6-8, 1020 Vienna, AustriaHOT Microfluidics GmbH, Trabrennstrasse 6-8, 1020 Vienna, AustriaKemira OYJ, Trabrennstrasse 6-8, 1020 Vienna, AustriaKemira OYJ, Trabrennstrasse 6-8, 1020 Vienna, AustriaHOT Microfluidics GmbH, Trabrennstrasse 6-8, 1020 Vienna, AustriaOMV Exploration & Production GmbH, Trabrennstrasse 6-8, 1020 Vienna, AustriaIn this work, we present various evaluations that are key prior field applications. The workflow combines laboratory approaches to optimize the usage of polymers in combination with alkali to improve project economics. We show that the performance of AP floods can be optimized by making use of lower polymer viscosities during injection but increasing polymer viscosities in the reservoir owing to “aging” of the polymers at high pH. Furthermore, AP conditions enable the reduction of polymer retention in the reservoir, decreasing the utility factors (kg polymers injected/incremental bbl. produced). We used aged polymer solutions to mimic the conditions deep in the reservoir and compared the displacement efficiencies and the polymer adsorption of non-aged and aged polymer solutions. The aging experiments showed that polymer hydrolysis increases at high pH, leading to 60% higher viscosity in AP conditions. Micromodel experiments in two-layer chips depicted insights into the displacement, with reproducible recoveries of 80% in the high-permeability zone and 15% in the low-permeability zone. The adsorption for real rock using 8 TH RSB brine was measured to be approximately half of that in the case of Berea: 27 µg/g vs. 48 µg/g, respectively. The IFT values obtained for the AP lead to very low values, reaching 0.006 mN/m, while for the alkali, they reach only 0.44 mN/m. The two-phase experiments confirmed that lower-concentration polymer solutions aged in alkali show the same displacement efficiency as non-aged polymers with higher concentrations. Reducing the polymer concentration leads to a decrease in EqUF by 40%. If alkali–polymer is injected immediately without a prior polymer slug, then the economics are improved by 37% compared with the polymer case. Hence, significant cost savings can be realized capitalizing on the fast aging in the reservoir. Due to the low polymer retention in AP floods, fewer polymers are consumed than in conventional polymer floods, significantly decreasing the utility factor.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/24/5508polymer floodingalkali–polymer floodingchemically enhanced oil recoveryincremental oil recovery |
| spellingShingle | Rafael E. Hincapie Ante Borovina Torsten Clemens Eugen Hoffmann Muhammad Tahir Leena Nurmi Sirkku Hanski Jonas Wegner Alyssia Janczak Optimizing Polymer Costs and Efficiency in Alkali–Polymer Oilfield Applications Polymers polymer flooding alkali–polymer flooding chemically enhanced oil recovery incremental oil recovery |
| title | Optimizing Polymer Costs and Efficiency in Alkali–Polymer Oilfield Applications |
| title_full | Optimizing Polymer Costs and Efficiency in Alkali–Polymer Oilfield Applications |
| title_fullStr | Optimizing Polymer Costs and Efficiency in Alkali–Polymer Oilfield Applications |
| title_full_unstemmed | Optimizing Polymer Costs and Efficiency in Alkali–Polymer Oilfield Applications |
| title_short | Optimizing Polymer Costs and Efficiency in Alkali–Polymer Oilfield Applications |
| title_sort | optimizing polymer costs and efficiency in alkali polymer oilfield applications |
| topic | polymer flooding alkali–polymer flooding chemically enhanced oil recovery incremental oil recovery |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/14/24/5508 |
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