Carbondioxide displacement mechanisms:Phase equilibria effects and carbondioxide sequestration studies

PRESENTED BY- SUMIT SOURAV

2013MT0110

INTRODUCTION
carbon dioxide is injected into underground formations to
enhance oil recovery and for subsurface sequestration to
minimize the impact of CO2 emissions due to global
warming. The complex phase behavior of CO2 with oil
determines the eectiveness of the CO2 injection for
enhanced oil recovery.
CO2 injection has been used as a commercial process for
enhanced oil recovery (EOR) since the 1970s. It is
estimated that 80% of oil reservoirs worldwide might be
suitable for CO2 injection based on oil recovery criteria
alone. Moreover, the process is widely applicable in both
sandstone and carbonate formations with a variety of
permeabilities and thickness of hydrocarbon bearing
zones.

The Different Techniques for Oil

Recovery

Primary recovery techniques -are usually applied

in the initial production phase. The oil recovered
from the well during the primary stage is
typically in the range 5-25% of OOIP
Secondary Recovery techniques are applied
when primary recovery methods are no longer
effective and/or economical. Economic criteria
are applied to conclude secondary recovery
practices. The recovery factor for this kind of
operations ranges from 6 to 30% of OOIP,
depending on oil and reservoir characteristics.

Tertiary recovery operations, also called Enhanced Oil

Recovery (EOR) or Improved Oil recovery (IOR), are
applied in oilfields approaching the end of their life and
can produce additional oil in the range 5-15% of OOIP
for light to medium oil reservoirs, lower for heavy oil
reservoirs. One of these techniques is EOR promoted by
CO2 injection.
. Nevertheless, it has recently been evaluated that
approximately 2,000 billions bbls of conventional oil and
5,000 billions bbls of heavy oil would remain unproduced worldwide after conventional primary and
secondary recoveries. The contribution of EOR to the oil
production can, then, be enormous: a 1% increase of the
recovery factor globally would involve an increase of
conventional oil reserves of 70 billions barrels.

EOR/Tertiary Recovery Techniques

Gas Injection
Thermal Recovery-Steam Injection can be
applied to shallow reservoirs (< 1,500 m) of
heavy oil deposits that cannot be produced
economically by primary or secondary
methods, due to their very high viscosity.
Chemical Injection- This technique is
currently declining, due to the high cost of
chemicals, limitations for temperature
applications, depth and oil density

EOR with CO2

In Miscible Displacement processes, under suitable
reservoir conditions (< 1,200 m) and oil density (> 22
API) the CO2 injected does mix completely with the oil
into the reservoir, decreasing the interfacial tension
between the two substances to almost zero (from 2-3
N/m2), to form a low viscosity fluid that can be easily
displaced and produced. The recovery is typically in the
range 4 to 12% of OOIP.

CONT.

In

Immiscible Displacement processes, when

reservoir pressure is too low and the oil density
too high, the CO2 injected does not mix with the
oil within the reservoir, but causes the swelling
of the oil, reducing its density, improving
mobility and, consequently, increasing the oil
recovery. In heavy and extra heavy oil reservoirs
CO2 and the oil form two distinct fluid phases,
maintaining a separation interface all along the
process. The oil recovery can reach 18% of
OOIP.

Contd....

Carbon dioxide (CO2)

injection
Moreover, the

process is widely applicable in both sandstone

and carbonate formations with a variety of permeabilities and
thickness of hydrocarbon bearing zones.CO2 injection
process is technically challenging for the following reasons:
1.The ow of CO2 is governed by its phase behavior with the
resident uids;this phase behavior is often very complex,
involving multiple liquid and vapor phases.
2. There are complex interactions between ow and phase
behavior. For example, the CO2 -laden phases are often much
lighter, tending to migrate upward in the formation.
Interactions of gravity and phase behavior can create
unexpected recovery patterns.

Contd....
Geologic

complexity adds another dimension to the

process. It is challenging to determine ow distributions
in an environment comprised of complex faults and
fractures.

Phase behavior of oil and carbon dioxide

The phase behavior of a CO2-oil system can be very complex.

When the injection gas and reservoir oil, mixed in any ratio, form
a single phase, they are said to be rst contact miscible. First
contact miscibility can be achieved only for highly hydrocarbon
rich gases, or at very high pressures for lean systems. Carbon
dioxide is not rst contact miscible with most reservoir oils even
at fairly high operating pressures.
. Miscibility could be generated by two di erent mechanisms: (1)
The vaporizing gas drive process (VGD) in which the gas phase
is enriched through extraction of the light and intermediate
fractions of oil. The original oil is in contact with the vapour
phase generated from the previous mixture. The vapor phase
eventually gets so rich in light and intermediate hydrocarbons that
it becomes completely miscible with the reservoir crude.

CONT.
(2) In situ transfer of the intermediate molecular
hydrocarbon fraction from the injected gas into the oil
can also generate miscible displacement between
reservoir oil and hydrocarbon gases. This mechanism of
miscibility generation is called condensing gas drive
(CGD).
Carbon dioxide ooding is typically a VGD process.

EOR Worldwide
During

the last few decades, a general increase in the number

of EOR projects has been observed
EOR projects worldwide are 316 in 2010, corresponding to
an enhanced oil production of 1,627,000 bpd, around 2% of
the world total oil production today (84 million bpd).
In particular: o 193 projects, out of 316, are located in USA
(+9 over 2008) for an additional production of 666,000 bpd
(-17,000 bpd over 2008)
40 projects are in Canada (-9 over 2008) for an additional
production of 356,000 bpd (- 49,000 bpd over 2008)
83 projects are in the rest of the world (-7 over 2008) for an
additional production of 605,000 bpd (similar to 2008
production)

REFERENCES
http://www.geo.arizona.edu/~

reiners/geos195K/CO2Sequestration_Benson_ELEMENTS
.pdf
http://udini.proquest.com/view/carbon-dioxidedisplacement-goid:846234952/
http://content.lib.utah.edu/utils/getfile/collection/etd3/id/4
54/filename/403.pdf
http://gradworks.umi.com/34/33/3433815.html
http://www.ebay.ie/itm/NEW-Carbon-DioxideDisplacement-Mechanisms-Phase-Equilibria-Effectsand-/181370000592
https://www.onepetro.org/journal-paper/SPE-7061-PA

Thanks for your Attention