Colloidal release in high temperature porous media with oversaturated fines during supercritical CO2 transport

Abstract

This paper presents the impacts of supercritical CO2 transport in high temperature porous media with oversaturated fines. The latter phenomenon (indicates oversaturated fines) is in which the lift force of the fine particle over pore surface is greater than the gravitational and electrostatic forces combined, where the fines are released from the pore surfaces and transport along with the permeating fluid as colloidal-suspension flow. During transport, the fines are captured in the pore-throats and thereby deteriorating the permeability and decreasing fluid recovery as well. Therefore, three sets of coreflood tests have been conducted to examine the fines mobilization in porous media during supercritical CO2 transport and the results have been compared with the results obtained from the subcritical CO2 flow. Produced suspension-colloids have been sent for microstructural analysis and its outcomes, supported the experimental results. Statistical modelling and literature data were employed and compared for model validation, which revealed high agreement.