Effect of water salinity on oil/brine interfacial behaviour during low salinity waterflooding: A mechanistic study

Abstract

In recent years, controlling the salinity and composition of the injected water has become an emerging enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique, often described as low salinity (LS) waterflooding. This work is done with the intention to contribute to the ongoing discussions about LS waterflooding mechanism(s). For this purpose, a series of different experiments were conducted. At first, the effect of salinity on the interfacial tension (IFT) and the contact angle was evaluated with a crude oil sample. Then to achieve more accurate results in observing oil/water interface, similar IFT experiments were also carried out on a synthetic oil containing asphaltenes. Thereafter, microscopic visualization using glass micromodel was performed on the interface of the synthetic oil sample and brines. Four brine solutions including Sea Water (SW), it's dilutions and formation water (FW) were used for various experiments. Finally, to investigate the presented mechanism by other Authors, a series of Environmental Scanning Electron Microscopy (ESEM) analysis on the synthetic oil was carried out to understand better the phase behaviour after contacting both synthetic oil and water phases from the micromodel experiment. Based on the existing mechanism, there exists an optimal concentration beyond which dilution is no longer an effective process.

Keywords

Water salinity / Wettability / Interfacial tension / Oil/brine interface / Low salinity waterflooding

References

[1] J.C. Martin, The effects of clay on the displacement of heavy oil by water, Venezuelan Annual Meeting, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 1959.

[2] T. Austad, A. RezaeiDoust, T. Puntervold, Chemical mechanism of low salinity water flooding in sandstone reservoirs, SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2010.

[3] B. Soraya, C. Malick, C. Philippe, H.J. Bertin, G. Hamon, Oil recovery by low-salinity brine injection: laboratory results on outcrop and reservoir cores, SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2009.

[4] D.J. Ligthelm, J. Gronsveld, J. Hofman, N. Brussee, F. Marcelis, H. van der Linde, Novel waterflooding strategy by manipulation of injection brine composition, EUROPEC/EAGE Conference and Exhibition, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2009.

[5] P. McGuire, J. Chatham, F. Paskvan, D. Sommer, F. Carini, Low salinity oil recovery: an exciting new EOR opportunity for Alaska's North Slope, SPE Western Regional Meeting, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2005.

[6] H. Pu, X. Xie, P. Yin, N.R. Morrow, Application of coalbed methane water to oil recovery from Tensleep Sandstone by low salinity waterflooding, SPE Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2008.

[7] K. Webb, A. Lager, C. Black, Comparison of high/low salinity water/oil relative permeability, International Symposium of the Society of Core Analysts, UAE, Abu Dhabi, 2008.

[8] Y. Zhang, N.R. Morrow, Comparison of secondary and tertiary recovery with change in injection brine composition for crude-oil/sandstone combinations, SPE/DOE Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2006.

[9] T.s.E. Chávez-Miyauchi, A. Firoozabadi, G.G. Fuller, Nonmonotonic elasticity of the crude oil-brine interface in relation to improved oil recovery, Langmuir 32 (2016) 2192-2198.

[10] A. Tarek, Reservoir Engineering Handbook, Butterworth-Heinemann, 2000.

[11] J. Batias, G. Hamon, B. Lalanne, C. Romero,Field and laboratory observations of Remaining oil saturations in a light oil reservoir flooded by a low salinity aquifer, Paper SCA2009- 01 Presented at the 23rd International Symposium of the Society of Core Analysts, Noordwijk aan Zee, The Netherlands, 2009, pp. 27-30.

[12] A. Lager, K.J. Webb, C. Black, M. Singleton, K.S. Sorbie, Low salinity oil recovery-an experimental investigation1, Petrophysics 49 (2008) 28-35.

[13] A. Telmadarreie, J. Trivedi, Dynamic behavior of asphaltene deposition and distribution pattern in fractured porous media during hydrocarbon solvent injection: pore-level observations, Energy Fuel. 31 (2017) 9067-9079.

[14] S. Kord, R. Miri, S. Ayatollahi, M. Escrochi, Asphaltene deposition in carbonate rocks: experimental investigation and numerical simulation, Energy Fuel. 26 (2012) 6186-6199.

[15] M.B. Alotaibi, R.A. Nasralla, H.A. Nasr-El-Din, Wettability studies using low-salinity water in sandstone reservoirs, SPE Res. Eval. Eng. 14 (2011) 713-725.

[16] M.M. Bidhendi, G. Garcia-Olvera, B. Morin, J.S. Oakey, V. Alvarado, Interfacial viscoelasticity of crude oil/brine: an alternative enhanced-oil-recovery mechanism in smart waterflooding, SPE J. 23 (2018) 803-818.

[17] N. Ikeda, M. Aratono, K. Motomura, Thermodynamic study on the adsorption of sodium chloride at the water/hexane interface, J. Colloid Interface Sci. 149 (1992) 208-215.

[18] B.-Y. Cai, J.-T. Yang, T.-M. Guo, Interfacial tension of hydrocarbon+ water/brine systems under high pressure, J. Chem. Eng. Data 41 (1996) 493-496.

[19] A. Badakshan, P. Bakes, The Influence of Temperature and Surfactant Concentration on Interfacial Tension of Saline Water and Hydrocarbon Systems in Relation to Enhanced Oil Recovery by Chemical Flooding, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 1990.

[20] R. Aveyard, S.M. Saleem, Interfacial tensions at alkane-aqueous electrolyte interfaces, J. Chem. Soc., Faraday Trans. 1: Physical Chemistry in Condensed Phases 72 (1976) 1609-1617.

[21] C.S. Vijapurapu, D.N. Rao, Compositional effects of fluids on spreading, adhesion and wettability in porous media, Colloid. Surf. Physicochem. Eng. Asp. 241 (2004) 335-342.

[22] M.B. Alotaibi, H.A. Nasr-El-Din, Salinity of injection water and its impact on oil recovery, EUROPEC/EAGE Conference and Exhibition, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2009.

[23] H.H. Al-Attar, M.Y. Mahmoud, A.Y. Zekri, R. Almehaideb, M. Ghannam, Low-salinity flooding in a selected carbonate reservoir: experimental approach, Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology 3 (2013) 139-149.

[24] A.A. Yousef, S. Al-Saleh, A.U. Al-Kaabi, M.S. Al-Jawfi, Laboratory investigation of novel oil recovery method for carbonate reservoirs, Canadian Unconventional Resources and International Petroleum Conference, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2010.

[25] A. Yousef, S. Al-Saleh, M. Al-Jawfi,Improved/enhanced oil recovery from carbonate reservoirs by tuning injection water salinity and ionic content, Paper SPE 154076 Presented at the SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA, 14-18 April, There Is No Corresponding Record for This Reference, 2012.

[26] V. Alvarado, M. Moradi Bidhendi, G. Garcia-Olvera, B. Morin, J.S. Oakey, Interfacial visco-elasticity of crude oil-brine: an alternative EOR mechanism in smart waterflooding, SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2014.

[27] V. Alvarado, G. Garcia-Olvera, P. Hoyer, T.E. Lehmann, Impact of polar components on crude oil-water interfacial film formation: a mechanisms for low-salinity waterflooding, SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2014.

[28] G. Garcia-Olvera, T.M. Reilly, T.E. Lehmann, V. Alvarado, Effects of asphaltenes and organic acids on crude oil-brine interfacial visco-elasticity and oil recovery in lowsalinity waterflooding, Fuel 185 (2016) 151-163.

[29] B. Morin, Y. Liu, V. Alvarado, J. Oakey, A microfluidic flow focusing platform to screen the evolution of crude oil-brine interfacial elasticity, Lab Chip 16 (2016) 3074-3081.

[30] P.M. Spiecker, P.K. Kilpatrick, Interfacial rheology of petroleum asphaltenes at the oil-water interface, Langmuir 20 (2004) 4022-4032.

[31] M. Lashkarbolooki, S. Ayatollahi, Effect of asphaltene and resin on interfacial tension of acidic crude oil/sulfate aqueous solution: experimental study, Fluid Phase Equilib. 414 (2016) 149-155.

[32] M. Sohrabi, P. Mahzari, S.A. Farzaneh, J.R. Mills, P. Tsolis, S. Ireland, Novel insights into mechanisms of oil recovery by use of low-salinity-water injection, SPE J. 22 (2017) 407-416.

[33] P. Mahzari, M. Sohrabi, Crude oil/brine interactions and spontaneous formation of micro-dispersions in low salinity water injection, SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2014.

[34] M. Kazempour, C.S. Gregersen, V. Alvarado, Mitigation of anhydrite dissolution in alkaline floods through injection of conditioned water, Fuel 107 (2013) 330-342.

[35] M. Bezerra, F. do Rosario, C. Khalil, P. Milanez, R. de Souza, Prevention and control of sulfate scaling in the namorado field, campos basin, Brazil, NACE International, Houston, TX (United States), 1996.

[36] R. Mota, M. Bezerra, F. Rosario, F. Prais, Forecasts and alternative analysis for sulphate removal or chemical treatments for barium and strontium scale deposition-Offshore Brazil, SPE International Symposium on Oilfield Scale, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2004.

[37] P. Bedrikovetsky, R. Lopes Jr. P. Gladstone, F. Rosario, M. Bezerra, E. Lima, Barium sulphate oilfield scaling: mathematical and laboratory modelling, SPE International Symposium on Oilfield Scale, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2004.

[38] J.S. Buckley, T. Fan, Crude oil/brine interfacial tensions, Petrophysics 48 (2007) 175-185.

[39] A. Chamkalani, A.H. Mohammadi, A. Eslamimanesh, F. Gharagheizi, D. Richon, Diagnosis of asphaltene stability in crude oil through “two parameters” SVM model, Chem. Eng. Sci. 81 (2012) 202-208.

[40] A. Emadi, M. Sohrabi, Visual investigation of oil recovery by lowsalinity water injection: formation of water micro-dispersions and wettabilityalteration, SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Society of Petroleum Engineers, 2013.

[41] K. Chan, D. Shah, The molecular mechanism for achieving ultra low interfacial tension minimum in a petroleum sulfonate/oil/brine system, J. Dispersion Sci. Technol. 1 (1980) 55-95.

[42] G. Tang, N.R. Morrow, Salinity, temperature, oil composition, and oil recovery by waterflooding, SPE Reservoir Eng. 12 (1997) 269-276.