Waterflooding Injectate Design for Hydrocarbon Recovery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional waterflooding methods often leave significant amounts of liquid hydrocarbons unrecoverable due to strong adhesive interactions between hydrocarbons and reservoir rock, limiting the effectiveness of primary and secondary extraction techniques.
Innovation Solution
A customized injectate design system that analyzes physico-chemical data of the reservoir to optimize the pH, ionic strength, and composition of the injectate, reducing surface complexation between liquid hydrocarbons and reservoir rock, thereby increasing hydrocarbon mobility and recovery.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If conventional waterflooding with unmodified seawater or terrestrial water is used, then the injectate is readily available and easy to implement, but significant amounts of liquid hydrocarbons remain unrecoverable due to strong adhesive interactions with reservoir rock
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by modifying the pH and ionic strength of the injectate to optimize hydrocarbon recovery. The system evaluates different pH values and ionic strengths to determine the optimal composition that minimizes adhesive interactions between hydrocarbons and reservoir rock, thereby improving recovery efficiency while maintaining manageable complexity through systematic parameter optimization.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements preliminary action by pre-designing and pre-testing injectate compositions before actual waterflooding operations. The system evaluates various injectate formulations in advance to identify the optimal composition that will effectively reduce surface complexation and adhesive interactions during the recovery process, ensuring maximum hydrocarbon extraction efficiency from the outset.
2Productivity
If low salinity injectate is used to increase hydrocarbon recovery, then adhesive interactions between hydrocarbons and rock are reduced, but the effectiveness depends on specific reservoir conditions requiring customized design
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by customizing the injectate composition according to specific reservoir characteristics. The system evaluates physico-chemical data of individual reservoirs to determine the optimal pH and ionic strength parameters tailored to each reservoir's unique properties, ensuring that the injectate is locally optimized for maximum effectiveness in reducing adhesive interactions and improving hydrocarbon recovery.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent utilizes parameter changes by systematically varying pH and ionic strength parameters to optimize injectate performance. The system evaluates different parameter combinations to identify the optimal settings that maximize hydrocarbon recovery while adapting to specific reservoir conditions, thereby achieving both improved productivity and parameter-based adaptability.
3Productivity
If more injectate volume is injected to compensate for adhesive losses, then more hydrocarbons may be mobilized, but the cost and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies parameter changes by optimizing the chemical composition (pH and ionic strength) of the injectate to enhance its effectiveness per unit volume. By adjusting these parameters, the system maximizes the ability of each unit of injectate to reduce adhesive interactions and mobilize hydrocarbons, thereby improving recovery efficiency without proportionally increasing the total injectate volume required.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful adhesive interactions between hydrocarbons and reservoir rock into a benefit by using chemically optimized injectate. The modified injectate composition actively counteracts and reverses the adhesive forces that initially prevented hydrocarbon recovery, transforming the problematic surface complexation into a mechanism that facilitates hydrocarbon mobilization and recovery with reduced injectate volume requirements.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The designed injectate effectively disrupts electrostatic bridges between hydrocarbons and rock, enhancing oil recovery by improving water-wettability of the rock and reducing the need for injectate volume, leading to increased hydrocarbon extraction efficiency.
Implementation Method 1
the designed injectate is operable to reduce an extent of surface complexation between interfaces of the liquid hydrocarbon and the rock
Data Source
AI summary
A method of designing an injectate to be used in a waterflooding operation is disclosed. One aspect includes specifying data representative of chemical characteristics of a liquid hydrocarbon, a connate, and a reservoir rock, of a subterranean reservoir. Charged species at an interface of the liquid hydrocarbon are determined based on the specified data by evaluating at least one chemical reaction. Charged species at an interface of the reservoir rock are determined based on the specified data by evaluating at least one chemical reaction. An extent of surface complexation between the charged species at the interfaces of the liquid hydrocarbon and the reservoir rock is determined by evaluating at least one surface complexation reaction. The injectate is designed and is operable to decrease the extent of surface complexation between the charged species at interfaces of the liquid hydrocarbon and the reservoir rock. Other methods, apparatus, and systems are disclosed.