Experimental Study on Reducing CO 2 –Oil Minimum Miscibility Pressure with Hydrocarbon Agents

Junrong Liu, Lu Sun, Zunzhao Li and Xingru Wu
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Junrong Liu: Key Laboratory of Unconventional Oil & Gas Development (China University of Petroleum (East China)), Ministry of Education, Qingdao 266580, China
Lu Sun: Dongming Petroleum Distribution Company, Shandong Dongming Petrochemical Group Co., Ltd., Heze 274000, China
Zunzhao Li: Dalian Petrochemical Research Institute, Dalian 116045, China
Xingru Wu: Mewbourne School of Petroleum & Geological, The University of Oklahoma, 100 E. Body St. SEC1362, Norman, OK 73019, USA

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 10, 1-17

Abstract: CO 2 flooding is an important method for improving oil recovery for reservoirs with low permeability. Even though CO 2 could be miscible with oil in regions nearby injection wells, the miscibility could be lost in deep reservoirs because of low pressure and the dispersion effect. Reducing the CO 2 –oil miscibility pressure can enlarge the miscible zone, particularly when the reservoir pressure is less than the needed minimum miscible pressure (MMP). Furthermore, adding intermediate hydrocarbons in the CO 2 –oil system can also lower the interfacial tension (IFT). In this study, we used dead crude oil from the H Block in the X oilfield to study the IFT and the MMP changes with different hydrocarbon agents. The hydrocarbon agents, including alkanes, alcohols, oil-soluble surfactants, and petroleum ethers, were mixed with the crude oil samples from the H Block, and their performances on reducing CO 2 –oil IFT and CO 2 –oil MMP were determined. Experimental results show that the CO 2 –oil MMP could be reduced by 6.19 MPa or 12.17% with petroleum ether in the boiling range of 30–60 °C. The effects of mass concentration of hydrocarbon agents on CO 2 –oil IFT and crude oil viscosity indicate that the petroleum ether in the boiling range of 30–60 °C with a mass concentration of 0.5% would be the best hydrocarbon agent for implementing CO 2 miscible flooding in the H Block.

Keywords: CO 2 miscible flooding; interfacial tension; minimum miscibility pressure; hydrocarbon agent (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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