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Microfluidic Devices for Characterizing Pore-scale Event Processes in Porous Media for Oil Recovery Applications
Published on: January 16, 2018
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The Impact of Rheology on Viscous Oil Displacement by Polymers Analyzed by Pore-Scale Network Modelling.
Iselin C Salmo1,2, Ken S Sorbie2,3, Arne Skauge1,2
1Department of Chemistry, University of Bergen, N-5020 Bergen, Norway.
Polymers
|April 30, 2021
Summary
Complex polymer rheology, specifically shear thinning/thickening behavior, significantly enhances heavy oil recovery by stabilizing flow fronts and improving oil mobilization. This contrasts with shear thinning polymers, which can lead to less effective water fingering.
Area of Science:
- Petroleum Engineering
- Chemical Engineering
- Materials Science
Background:
- Experimental studies indicate polymer rheology significantly impacts heavy oil recovery.
- Previous research has observed higher oil recovery with polymers exhibiting shear thinning/thickening behavior compared to shear thinning polymers.
- A clear theoretical explanation for these observed differences in oil recovery has been lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the theoretical rationale behind the observed differences in heavy oil recovery based on polymer rheology.
- To model the influence of various polymer rheological behaviors (Newtonian, shear thinning, shear thinning/thickening) on oil recovery during imbibition processes.
- To provide a predictive explanation for experimental observations using a pore-scale network model.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a dynamic pore scale network model (DPNM) capable of simulating imbibition and polymer injection.
- Incorporated different polymer rheological models within the DPNM: Newtonian, shear thinning, and shear thinning/thickening.
- Analyzed the local effective viscosity, shear rate dependence, and resulting flow velocity fields within the pore network.
Main Results:
- DPNM simulations accurately predicted the experimental trend: shear thinning/thickening polymers yielded the highest oil recovery, followed by Newtonian, and then shear thinning polymers.
- Shear thinning/thickening polymers demonstrated stabilized frontal velocity and increased oil mobilization.
- Shear thinning polymers showed reduced viscosity in high-rate areas, leading to enhanced water fingering compared to Newtonian polymers.
Conclusions:
- The dynamic pore scale network model (DPNM) successfully explains the experimental observations regarding polymer rheology and heavy oil recovery.
- Polymer rheology, particularly the shear thinning/thickening behavior, plays a critical role in optimizing oil recovery by controlling flow dynamics and preventing premature water breakthrough.
- The DPNM provides a robust theoretical framework for understanding and predicting the performance of different polymers in enhanced oil recovery applications.
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