Surfactant Polymer Flooding for Enhanced Oil Recovery - Research Proposal Example

In this study, a sandstone core sample with measured porosity and permeability is implemented underwater flooding process and the result was analyzed by the SENDRA simulator, later on, the SP flooding process carried out and the data analyzed by the UTCHEM simulator .this is a laboratory-based experiment. Brine which is used in this experiment is standard and the surfactant is prepared with different concentrations. The polymer solution is also prepared in the Lab. The oil that is used is from the North Sea and its properties such as density and viscosity are calculated.

Parameters such as viscosity of the polymer, interfacial tension, compatibility, and stability test for microemulsion are observed and the best combination is chosen for the chemical flooding process.Water flooding is being implemented after the Drainage process in the core sample for 2 pore volumes and surfactant – polymer flooding is run after water flooding for around 0.6 pore volume. Data which is collected from both experiments are compared with the data from real fields. Changing the salinity of brine and consider its effect on recovery factor for the chemical flooding process is another attempt that is done in this experiment by running the UTCHEM simulator.

Due to the decreasing volume of oil reserves, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has become more popular. At present, technological developments and increasing oil prices have pushed reservoirs to be a much more favorable alternative to EOR. At present, EOR, alongside other primary and secondary techniques is being applied as a means of securing and recovering oil.Through reservoirs, the EORs have found a new purpose. During the initial recovery, oil is taken from the rock pores and then placed into wells for later recovery.

  In these reservoirs, about 30-40% of the first oil extracted is incorporated into the reservoir in order to ensure that pressure is present in the reservoir. Water flooding has long been the preferred means of ensuring pressure in the reservoirs. However, in some reservoirs, plenty of oil is left in the reservoirs following water flooding. After EOR, the secondary recovery process sets in. Using other methods has been considered expensive. However, with tertiary recovery methods applied processes have proved more efficient.

  EUR seeks to recover as much oil as possible from the reservoirs.