Effect of Rock on Aquathermolysis Reactions at Laboratory Scale (A Review)

Abstract

Enhanced recovery methods are an important stage in the oilfield development and exploitation program. They allow generating an increase in production related to the decrease of the remaining oil in the reservoir, which was not possible to remove in previous production schemes. Among them, steam injection is one of the methods used, whose main objective is to reduce the viscosity of the crude oil. In the literature there are researches where is evident an interaction between the steam and the crude oil in the reservoir, giving way to the occurrence of chemical reactions called Aquathermolysis. This transformation is a chemical result that occurs at temperatures between 200 to 325°C typical for steam injection. However, the investigations have been focused more on the fluid-fluid interaction than the rock-fluid synergy. The present work aims to better understand the synergy generated in the fluid-rock interaction through a systematic review of the research found in the literature associated with the use of rock fragments, minerals, or porous media in steam injection conditions. For analyzing the data, a descriptive bibliometric study was made with the selected studies where a rock sample was used. As a result, the addition of the mineral and rocks over the reactions generates a catalytic effect observed in the physical and chemical crude oil properties changes. This additional effect is generated for the presence of some minerals in the rock sample and this behavior could change according to its composition. Also, the gas production and its variation under different operational parameters are evidence of rock presence benefits over the process.