Abstract
Several mechanisms have been proposed for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in low salinity waterflooding (LSWF). Coupling of the significant processes affecting crude oil-brine-rock system is necessary to understand the LSWF effect. In this study, mineral thermodynamic equilibrium and surface complexation reactions at crude oil/brine and calcite/brine interfaces were coupled with solute transport to simulate LSWF in carbonate reservoir. The dissolution and precipitation of minerals were considered thorough thermodynamic phase-equilibrium model, and the triple-layer surface complexation model was developed to predict the interface reactions and the associated surface and zeta potentials. These models were coupled with solute transport model to predict ionic profiles and oil recovery during LSWF. In the integrated geochemical model, the crude oil was considered as colloids and the ionic adsorbed/ionized and un-ionized surface groups of oil were transported via advective and dispersive transport. These sub-models were coupled in a geochemical code PHREEQC. The coupled model was first used to predict Ca2+ and Mg2+ profiles in chalk saturated with NaCl without crude oil. The agreement between published experimental data and simulation results validate the proposed model. A nearly equal equilibrium constant in the surface complexation model provides a similar breakthrough composition for Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions. The model was further validated in chalk core aged with the crude oil. Both model and experimental results show an earlier breakthrough composition of sulphate in oil-aged core. The model was then used to predict ionic profiles and oil recovery in two-phase flow experiment. The modelling results reproduces the experimental data on relative concentration of ionic species and pH increase with dilution of injecting water, however additional mechanism should be incorporated in the model for better prediction of oil recovery.
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