Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 5, 2026
07:32
Pool-Boiling Heat-Transfer Enhancement on Cylindrical Surfaces with Hybrid Wettable Patterns
Published on: April 10, 2017
Action Mechanism, Research Progress and Development Trend of High-Temperature Steam Flooding and Profile
Yigang Liu1, Jianhua Bai1, Xiaodong Han1
1CNOOC Key Laboratory of Offshore Heavy Oil Thermal Recovery, Tianjin 300452, China.
Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 27, 2026
Summary
New profile control agents are needed for offshore high-temperature steam flooding due to severe channeling and low efficiency. This review systematically compares foam, gel, and composite systems for harsh offshore environments.
Area of Science:
- Petroleum Engineering
- Polymer Science
- Materials Science
Background:
- Offshore high-temperature steam flooding faces challenges like steam channeling and low thermal efficiency.
- Conventional profile control agents are inadequate for harsh offshore conditions (200-350°C, high salinity, steam shear).
- Existing reviews lack a targeted, gel-oriented systematic review for offshore constraints.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and compare various profile control systems (foam, gel, particle, thermo-responsive, composite) for offshore high-temperature steam flooding.
- To establish a six-dimensional quantitative screening standard and performance comparison database.
- To address limitations of existing reviews by focusing on gel materials and offshore applicability.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review of foam, gel, particle, thermo-responsive, and composite profile control systems.
- Subdivision of high-temperature gels into six categories based on polymer material properties.
- Quantitative comparison of advantages, limitations, and offshore applicability boundaries for each system.
- Analysis of crosslinking mechanisms, thermal rheology, and cyclic steam degradation rules for gels.
Main Results:
- Thermo-responsive materials exhibit a unique "deep migration followed by in situ thermal activation" mechanism.
- Composite systems offer synergistic benefits but face deployment complexities.
- Identified core bottlenecks: deep propagation vs. stable plugging trade-off, static vs. dynamic performance deviation, and offshore engineering limitations.
Conclusions:
- A standardized dynamic laboratory evaluation scheme for cyclic steam flooding is proposed to bridge lab-field gaps.
- Future research should focus on salt-resistant thermo-responsive composites, cost-effective formulas, unified dynamic criteria, and staged material matching.
- The goal is to achieve balanced performance: high-temperature tolerance, deep delivery, and offshore operability.
Related Concept Videos
01:28Bioreactor Controls-I
Maintaining optimal conditions within fermenters is essential for maximizing microbial productivity and ensuring process efficiency. This lesson focuses on key parameters—temperature, foam, pH, carbon dioxide, oxygen, and pressure—and their precise measurement and control strategies in fermentation systems.Temperature ControlTemperature regulation is critical due to the exothermic nature of many fermentation processes. In small laboratory fermenters, temperature is commonly monitored using...
01:18Bioreactor Controls-II
In aerobic fermentations, oxygen is vital for microbial growth and metabolite production. Since air comprises only about 20% oxygen and the gas is poorly soluble in water—just 9 ppm at 20°C—supplying sufficient oxygen becomes a critical challenge, especially in high-demand processes like yeast growth or citric acid production. Even a fully saturated broth may offer only a few seconds of oxygen availability.To address this, sterile or scrubbed air is introduced into the fermentor via a sparger...
01:29Bioreactor Design and Operational System
Bioreactors are engineered vessels designed to cultivate microorganisms under controlled conditions for industrial bioprocessing. They maintain sterility and allow precise regulation of pH, temperature, oxygen, and nutrient levels to optimize microbial growth and metabolite production. Bioreactors range from small laboratory units of 1 liter to industrial systems holding up to 500,000 liters, though only about 75% of their volume is actively used for fermentation. The remaining headspace...
01:21Multiple Pipe Systems
Multipipe systems consist of complex configurations of interconnected pipes designed to transport fluids efficiently across intricate networks. They are essential in engineering applications requiring precise control over flow distribution, pressure, and head loss. They are categorized into series, parallel, loop, and network configurations, each distinguished by unique flow characteristics and applications.
Series Configuration
In a series configuration, fluid flows sequentially from one pipe...
Series Configuration
In a series configuration, fluid flows sequentially from one pipe...
01:24Rapidly Varying Flow
Rapidly varying flow (RVF) in open channels is characterized by abrupt changes in flow depth over a short distance, with the rate of depth change relative to distance often approaching unity. These flows are inherently complex due to their transient and multi-dimensional nature, making exact analysis difficult. However, approximate solutions using simplified models provide valuable insights into their behavior.Key Features of Rapidly Varying FlowRVF is commonly observed in scenarios involving...
01:29Hydraulic Jump
A hydraulic jump is a sudden rise in fluid depth in open channels, occurring when high-velocity (supercritical) flow transitions to low-velocity (subcritical) flow. This phenomenon requires an upstream Froude number greater than 1, as flows with Fr1<1 remain subcritical, making a hydraulic jump impossible due to the need for negative head loss, which violates thermodynamic principles.The characteristics of a hydraulic jump depend on the upstream Froude number and are classified as...