Enhanced Oil Recovery by Polymer Flooding: Direct, Low-Cost Visualization in a Hele–Shaw Cell
We designed a hands-on laboratory exercise to demonstrate why injecting an aqueous polymer solution into an oil reservoir (commonly known as “polymer flooding”) enhances oil production. Students are split into three groups of two to three. Each group is assigned to a packed Hele&...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2019-07-01
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| Series: | Education Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/9/3/186 |
| _version_ | 1798025571770302464 |
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| author | Yukie Tanino Amer Syed |
| author_facet | Yukie Tanino Amer Syed |
| author_sort | Yukie Tanino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We designed a hands-on laboratory exercise to demonstrate why injecting an aqueous polymer solution into an oil reservoir (commonly known as “polymer flooding”) enhances oil production. Students are split into three groups of two to three. Each group is assigned to a packed Hele−Shaw cell pre-saturated with oil, our laboratory model of an oil reservoir, and is given an aqueous solution of known polymer concentration to inject into the model reservoir to “push” the oil out. At selected intervals, students record the oil produced, take photos of the cell using their smartphones, and demarcate the invading polymer front on an acetate sheet. There is ample time for students to observe the experiments of other groups and compare the different flow patterns that arise from different polymer concentrations. Students share their results with other groups at the end of the session, which require effective data presentation and communication. Both the in-session tasks and data sharing require team work. While this experiment was designed for a course on <i>Enhanced Oil Recovery</i> for final year undergraduate and MSc students in petroleum engineering, it can be readily adapted to courses on groundwater hydrology or subsurface transport by selecting different test fluids. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:20:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-83118fa7469a4a5c80b86b556e110c7f |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2227-7102 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T18:20:59Z |
| publishDate | 2019-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Education Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-83118fa7469a4a5c80b86b556e110c7f2022-12-22T04:09:45ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022019-07-019318610.3390/educsci9030186educsci9030186Enhanced Oil Recovery by Polymer Flooding: Direct, Low-Cost Visualization in a Hele–Shaw CellYukie Tanino0Amer Syed1School of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UKSchool of Engineering, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 3UE, UKWe designed a hands-on laboratory exercise to demonstrate why injecting an aqueous polymer solution into an oil reservoir (commonly known as “polymer flooding”) enhances oil production. Students are split into three groups of two to three. Each group is assigned to a packed Hele−Shaw cell pre-saturated with oil, our laboratory model of an oil reservoir, and is given an aqueous solution of known polymer concentration to inject into the model reservoir to “push” the oil out. At selected intervals, students record the oil produced, take photos of the cell using their smartphones, and demarcate the invading polymer front on an acetate sheet. There is ample time for students to observe the experiments of other groups and compare the different flow patterns that arise from different polymer concentrations. Students share their results with other groups at the end of the session, which require effective data presentation and communication. Both the in-session tasks and data sharing require team work. While this experiment was designed for a course on <i>Enhanced Oil Recovery</i> for final year undergraduate and MSc students in petroleum engineering, it can be readily adapted to courses on groundwater hydrology or subsurface transport by selecting different test fluids.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/9/3/186mass transportflow visualizationpetroleum engineeringlaboratory instructioncollaborative/cooperative learninghands-on learning |
| spellingShingle | Yukie Tanino Amer Syed Enhanced Oil Recovery by Polymer Flooding: Direct, Low-Cost Visualization in a Hele–Shaw Cell Education Sciences mass transport flow visualization petroleum engineering laboratory instruction collaborative/cooperative learning hands-on learning |
| title | Enhanced Oil Recovery by Polymer Flooding: Direct, Low-Cost Visualization in a Hele–Shaw Cell |
| title_full | Enhanced Oil Recovery by Polymer Flooding: Direct, Low-Cost Visualization in a Hele–Shaw Cell |
| title_fullStr | Enhanced Oil Recovery by Polymer Flooding: Direct, Low-Cost Visualization in a Hele–Shaw Cell |
| title_full_unstemmed | Enhanced Oil Recovery by Polymer Flooding: Direct, Low-Cost Visualization in a Hele–Shaw Cell |
| title_short | Enhanced Oil Recovery by Polymer Flooding: Direct, Low-Cost Visualization in a Hele–Shaw Cell |
| title_sort | enhanced oil recovery by polymer flooding direct low cost visualization in a hele shaw cell |
| topic | mass transport flow visualization petroleum engineering laboratory instruction collaborative/cooperative learning hands-on learning |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/9/3/186 |
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