A Review of the Seepage Mechanisms of Heavy Oil Emulsions during Chemical Flooding

Xiuyu Wang (), Fuqiong Wang, Mohanad A. M. Taleb, Zhiyuan Wen and Xiulin Chen
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Xiuyu Wang: Petroleum Engineering College, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102200, China
Fuqiong Wang: Petroleum Engineering College, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102200, China
Mohanad A. M. Taleb: Petroleum Engineering College, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102200, China
Zhiyuan Wen: Petroleum Engineering College, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102200, China
Xiulin Chen: Petroleum Engineering College, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102200, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 22, 1-19

Abstract: Chemical flooding plays an important role in enhancing oil recovery due to many reasons, including the viscosity-increment effect of polymer, wettability alteration effect of surfactant, and the formation of emulsions, which have been known to effectively increase the swept area and oil displacement efficiency, hence increasing heavy oil recovery. Laboratory tests and pilot trials of alkali–surfactant–polymer (ASP) injection show that the oil recovery of the emulsified system is 5% more than the cases where no emulsions existed. Therefore, it is of great significance to study heavy oil emulsions and its field application for enhanced heavy oil recovery. This paper discusses a thorough overview of the most fundamental ASP flooding mechanisms, along with some examples of laboratory experiments and field trials. In addition, the formation conditions and the interfacial characteristics of heavy oil emulsions are also discussed, mainly ASP flooding, and then the seepage mechanisms of these emulsions are investigated. The relationship between the formation of heavy oil emulsions and the enhanced heavy oil recovery effect by chemical flooding is discussed through core flooding experiments at the reservoir temperature and some field pilots to reach the optimum heavy oil recovery.

Keywords: chemical flooding; ASP flooding; emulsions; enhance oil recovery; seepage mechanisms (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)

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