Evaluation of OKRA ( Abelmoschus esculentus ) Macromolecular Solution for Enhanced Oil Recovery in Kazakhstan Carbonate Reservoir

Azza Hashim Abbas (), Obinna Markraphael Ajunwa, Birzhan Mazhit, Dmitriy A. Martyushev (), Kamel Fahmi Bou-Hamdan and Ramzi A. Abd Alsaheb
Additional contact information
Azza Hashim Abbas: School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Obinna Markraphael Ajunwa: Biofilm Research Laboratory, Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Birzhan Mazhit: School of Mining and Geosciences, Nazarbayev University, Nur-Sultan 010000, Kazakhstan
Dmitriy A. Martyushev: Department of Oil and Gas Technologies, Perm National Research Polytechnic University, 614990 Perm, Russia
Kamel Fahmi Bou-Hamdan: Chemical & Petroleum Engineering Department, Beirut Arab University, Debbieh 01270, Lebanon
Ramzi A. Abd Alsaheb: Al-Khwarizmi College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad 10001, Iraq

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-13

Abstract: Natural polymers have been investigated as part of the endeavors of green chemistry practice in the oil field. However, natural polymer studies are still preliminary. The current study examines okra’s (natural polymer) efficiency for polymer flooding, particularly in Kazakhstan. The evaluation targets the heavy oil trapped in carbonate reservoirs. SEM and FTIR were used to characterize morphology and chemical composition. A rheology study was conducted under different shear rates for three plausible concentrations: 1 wt.%, 2 wt.% and 5 wt.%. The core flooding was challenged by the low porosity and permeability of the core. The results showed that okra’s size is between 150–900 μm. The morphology can be described by rod-like structures with pores and staking as sheet structures. The FTIR confirmed that the solution contains a substantial amount of polysaccharides. During the rheology test, okra showed a proportional relationship between the concentration and viscosity increase, and an inversely proportional relationship with the shear rate. At reservoir temperature, the viscosity reduction was insignificant, which indicated good polymer stability. Okra showed shear-thinning behavior. It was fitted to the Ostwald–de Waele power-law model by a (90–99)% regression coefficient. The findings confirm okra’s pseudo-plasticity, and that it is proportional to the solution concentration. The incremental oil recovery was 7%. The flow was found to be restricted due to the mechanical entrapment resulting from the large molecule size and the low porosity–permeability of the system. This study proves that the dominating feature of natural polysaccharide derivatives is their applicability to moderate reservoir conditions. The current study is a positive attempt at natural polymer application in Kazakhstan and similar field conditions.

Keywords: enhanced oil recovery; polymer flooding; Ostwald–de Waele power-law model; shear-thinning; carbonate; polysaccharides (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: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/18/6827/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/15/18/6827/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:15:y:2022:i:18:p:6827-:d:918246

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().