16 September 2008
MUSCAT -- A group of academics in the College of Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University are working on a research project to develop pH-sensitive polymers aimed at improving reservoir sweep and conformance control applications in oil fields that would ultimately result in increased recovery of oil.
The petroleum industry has used polymers as a method for conformance control in an attempt to increase the volumetric sweep efficiency of on-going water floods and micellar-polymer floods. However, there are two challenges in using polymer for conformance control applications. The first difficulty is to maintain a good injectivity to overcome the large pressure drop caused by the high viscosity of the polymers. Secondly, large polymer volumes required to be injected to compensate for polymer retention in a reservoir.
It is in order to alleviate the above challenges that the SQU academics are engaged in this unique project. The project is funded by Petroleum Development Oman. The main focus is to study the viability of using pH-sensitive polymers for novel improving reservoir sweep and conformance control applications. The project is led by Dr Yahya Al Wahaibi, assistant professor at the Petroleum Engineering Department. Dr Talal Al Wahaibi and Dr Mahmoud Abdel-Goad, faculty members in the same department are participating in the project.
The rheological properties of the pH-sensitive polymers were measured at different conditions. The geochemical characterisation in terms of spatial and temporal change in pH and flow in porous media experiments using real core samples were thoroughly examined.
This intensive laboratory work at SQU has shown interestingly that these pH-sensitive polymers are very useful in treating fractures and fracture-like systems.
The research team has concluded that using this type of polymers is viable in enhancing oil recovery by plugging fractures and fracture-like systems deep in the reservoir and redirecting subsequent water flooding to other zones. Hence new oil is produced which was otherwise trapped. Dr Yahya Al Wahaibi said that the research team would conclude the first phase of the project by the end of this month. The next two phases will be the pilot and full field applications respectively.
MUSCAT -- A group of academics in the College of Engineering at Sultan Qaboos University are working on a research project to develop pH-sensitive polymers aimed at improving reservoir sweep and conformance control applications in oil fields that would ultimately result in increased recovery of oil.
The petroleum industry has used polymers as a method for conformance control in an attempt to increase the volumetric sweep efficiency of on-going water floods and micellar-polymer floods. However, there are two challenges in using polymer for conformance control applications. The first difficulty is to maintain a good injectivity to overcome the large pressure drop caused by the high viscosity of the polymers. Secondly, large polymer volumes required to be injected to compensate for polymer retention in a reservoir.
It is in order to alleviate the above challenges that the SQU academics are engaged in this unique project. The project is funded by Petroleum Development Oman. The main focus is to study the viability of using pH-sensitive polymers for novel improving reservoir sweep and conformance control applications. The project is led by Dr Yahya Al Wahaibi, assistant professor at the Petroleum Engineering Department. Dr Talal Al Wahaibi and Dr Mahmoud Abdel-Goad, faculty members in the same department are participating in the project.
The rheological properties of the pH-sensitive polymers were measured at different conditions. The geochemical characterisation in terms of spatial and temporal change in pH and flow in porous media experiments using real core samples were thoroughly examined.
This intensive laboratory work at SQU has shown interestingly that these pH-sensitive polymers are very useful in treating fractures and fracture-like systems.
The research team has concluded that using this type of polymers is viable in enhancing oil recovery by plugging fractures and fracture-like systems deep in the reservoir and redirecting subsequent water flooding to other zones. Hence new oil is produced which was otherwise trapped. Dr Yahya Al Wahaibi said that the research team would conclude the first phase of the project by the end of this month. The next two phases will be the pilot and full field applications respectively.
© Times of Oman 2008
