Crisman Annual Report 2009 - Harold Vance Department of ...

Enhanced Oil Recovery of Viscous Oil by Injection of Water-in-Oil Emulsions
Objectives
Water-in-Oil (W/O) emulsions have been used for
enhancing oil recovery by improving the mobility
ratio, thus sweep efficiency, and by miscibility with
the reservoir oil, thus reducing residual oil. Heavy
crude oil has been used to make W/O emulsions
(with addition of nanoparticles) to recover the
same oil with very good recovery in a core flooding
experiment. However, crude oil emulsions become
much more viscous as more water is added, resulting
in poor injectivity.
Our research objectives are therefore as follows:
» Find an oil that can be used to make a moderately
viscous emulsion system.
» Make stable W/O emulsions out of this oil without
the addition of expensive components (e.g.,
surfactant).
» Verify the performance of the emulsion by core
flooding experiments.
Approach
We will make emulsions by adding water into
different types of oil, and blending them with a
blender. Nanoparticles might be mixed into the oil
prior to the addition of water. If a stable emulsion is
obtained, its viscosity will be measured at different
water content, shear rate, and temperature.
Accomplishments
Used engine oil is found to be a very good candidate
to make stable emulsions (Fig. 1) for several
reasons:
» Existing soot provides perfect oleophilic
nanoparticles to stabilize the W/O emulsion.
» Moderate oil viscosity allows moderately high
viscosity achievement for the emulsion (Fig. 2).
» Stable and well behaved emulsions are obtained
simply by blending in water, without extra
surfactant or nanoparticles needed.
» Used engine oil is produced in large quantities (~1
billion gallons/year) and needs to be recycled–it is
therefore relatively cheap.
Significance
A simple formulated stable emulsion system is
obtained, with high potential use as a displacement
fluid for heavy oil EOR.
46
Fig. 1. W/O emulsion with used Pennzoil 5W-30 is stable with water
content up to 70%.
Viscosity (cp)
100000
10000
1000
100
Project Information
1.7.4 Experimental Study of Polymer-Solvent Injection for
Enhanced Oil
Related Publications
Bragg, J.R. 1999. Oil Recovery Method Using an Emulsion.
US Patent 5,885,243.
D’Elia, S. R. and Ferrer, G. J. Emulsion Flooding of Viscous
Oil Reservoirs. Paper SPE 4674, presented at the 1973
annual meeting of SPE of AIME, Las Vegas, Nevada, 30
September.
Johnson, C. E. Jr. Status of Caustic and Emulsion Methods.
JPT (January 1976) 85-92.
Contacts
Daulat Mamora
979.845.2962
daulat.mamora@pe.tamu.edu
Xuebing Fu
10
0
50 100 150
Shear rate (s -1 )
200
CRISMAN INSTITUTE
0% water
20% water
40% water
50% water
60% water
70% water
Fig. 2. Viscosity at 25ºC of W/O emulsion with used Pennzoil 5W-30
engine oil.
Crisman Annual Report 2009