Abstract
When a reservoir is flooded with polymer, the mobility ratio between the displaced fluid and the displacing fluid become favourable compared to the conventional water flooding. In the oil and gas industry, the synthetic polymer polyacrylamide in hydrolysed form and the biopolymer xanthan are being used for this purpose. However, the polyacrylamide is susceptible to high temperature and salinity. Also, its synthetic nature makes it harmful to the environment. The biopolymer xanthan has the problem of degradation and both are very expensive. With the shortfall in crude oil price and the high cost of exploitation and drilling new wells, there is need to look inward and think out of the box in formulating new improved polymers that can combat these problems. Natural polymers from agricultural and forest produce are abundant in nature, cheap and environmentally friendly. These agricultural and forest produce contain starch and cellulose which are known to have rigid and long polysaccharide chains that can withstand the harsh reservoir conditions. But the design of a polymer flood or a permeability-modified process involving polymer requires knowledge about the polymer flow mechanism and the rheological behaviour of the porous media. This paper, therefore, reviews the available natural polymers that can be used for enhanced oil recovery applications and the mechanism affecting their flow behaviour in porous media. The emphasis is on the physical aspect of the flow, the microscopic rheological behaviour of the natural polymers. The dominant mechanism of the flow process was adsorption, mechanical entrapment and hydrodynamic retention. It was observed that the polymer exhibited non-Newtonian, pseudoplastic and shear-thinning behaviours. The literature review on oil displacement test indicates that natural polymers can recover additional oil from an oil field. Environmental application issues associated with the application of natural polymers have opened new frontier for research and are also highlighted herein.
Highlights
Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is a method of recovering hydrocarbon where the compressional energy of the reservoir is used to force oil to the producer wells, with a drop-in reservoir pressure
The objectives of this paper to: (1) review locally formulated polymers that can be used for EOR activities; (2) determine the behaviour of these natural polymers in porous media, concentrating on their retention and rheology; (3) compile the experimental studies on the recent advances on natural polymer flooding process as it affects incremental oil recovery; (4) highlight the environmental issues associated with the manufacture and use of these natural polymers and outlines the preferred solutions; and (5) discuss the flow and interaction of contaminants with the porous media
There are three major mechanism which act on polymer when it flows through porous media; polymer adsorption, mechanical entrapment and hydrodynamic retention (Willhite and Dominguez 1977)
Summary
Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is a method of recovering hydrocarbon where the compressional energy of the reservoir is used to force oil to the producer wells, with a drop-in reservoir pressure. Microbial enhance oil recovery is an EOR method; it is the use of micro-organism to extract the remaining oil from the reservoirs It can recover 50% of the residual oil (Lazar et al 2007). The objectives of this paper to: (1) review locally formulated polymers that can be used for EOR activities; (2) determine the behaviour of these natural polymers in porous media, concentrating on their retention and rheology; (3) compile the experimental studies on the recent advances on natural polymer flooding process as it affects incremental oil recovery; (4) highlight the environmental issues associated with the manufacture and use of these natural polymers and outlines the preferred solutions; and (5) discuss the flow and interaction of contaminants with the porous media. With view of the highlighted facts, the success of a polymer flood depends on how you can minimise the amount of
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
