TY - GEN
T1 - Optimizing electroosmotic flow potential for electrically enhanced oil recovery (EEOR™) in carbonate rock formations of Abu Dhabi based on rock properties and composition
AU - Haroun, Muhammad R.
AU - Chilingar, George V.
AU - Pamukcu, Sibel
AU - Wittle, J. Kenneth
AU - Belhaj, Hadi A.
AU - Bloushi, Mariam Nasser Al
PY - 2009
Y1 - 2009
N2 - Among the leading emerging technologies for in-situ oil recovery is the use of an electrokinetic technology known as electrically enhanced oil recovery (EEOR™)i. Electrokinetic methods are continually tested and improved both in the laboratory and in the field to render them highly feasible for increased oil recovery. The effectiveness of the process to enhance the flow and production of both light and heavy crude oil from sandstone reservoirs have been demonstrated in the laboratory by researchers for the last four decades. Successful but limited field applications, both in-situ and ex-situ have also been reported for the same duration of time. There has been little work done on the applicability of the technology to carbonate rock reservoirs, owing to predicted high energy consumption due to low clay content formations and high salinity environments. Yet, compared to currently incurred high costs of conventional electrical oil recovery which depends on joule heating of the formation, electroosmotic mass transport may offer a feasible option to augment the flow of these large volumes of crude oil both onshore and offshore. A great additional incentive is that EEOR™ can be engineered as a truly green technology, where there is no water consumption, and no air, water, and formation pollution. The technology can be applied with no depth limitation in-situ rendering it even more attractive in remote operating locations as well as the environmentally challenging ones. This paper addresses the first attempt undertaken at the newly-established Electrokinetic Laboratory of the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. to determine the efficacy of electrokinetic technology in EEOR™ tested on field collected data samples of Abu Dhabi. The results of the initial tests conducted on field retrieved specimens of Abu Dhabi on-shore carbonate reservoir rock candidates from several formations in high salinity environments that contained various crude types are reported.
AB - Among the leading emerging technologies for in-situ oil recovery is the use of an electrokinetic technology known as electrically enhanced oil recovery (EEOR™)i. Electrokinetic methods are continually tested and improved both in the laboratory and in the field to render them highly feasible for increased oil recovery. The effectiveness of the process to enhance the flow and production of both light and heavy crude oil from sandstone reservoirs have been demonstrated in the laboratory by researchers for the last four decades. Successful but limited field applications, both in-situ and ex-situ have also been reported for the same duration of time. There has been little work done on the applicability of the technology to carbonate rock reservoirs, owing to predicted high energy consumption due to low clay content formations and high salinity environments. Yet, compared to currently incurred high costs of conventional electrical oil recovery which depends on joule heating of the formation, electroosmotic mass transport may offer a feasible option to augment the flow of these large volumes of crude oil both onshore and offshore. A great additional incentive is that EEOR™ can be engineered as a truly green technology, where there is no water consumption, and no air, water, and formation pollution. The technology can be applied with no depth limitation in-situ rendering it even more attractive in remote operating locations as well as the environmentally challenging ones. This paper addresses the first attempt undertaken at the newly-established Electrokinetic Laboratory of the Petroleum Institute in Abu Dhabi, U.A.E. to determine the efficacy of electrokinetic technology in EEOR™ tested on field collected data samples of Abu Dhabi. The results of the initial tests conducted on field retrieved specimens of Abu Dhabi on-shore carbonate reservoir rock candidates from several formations in high salinity environments that contained various crude types are reported.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=77952327529&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:77952327529
SN - 9781615678150
T3 - Society of Petroleum Engineers - International Petroleum Technology Conference 2009, IPTC 2009
SP - 2645
EP - 2659
BT - Society of Petroleum Engineers - International Petroleum Technology Conference 2009, IPTC 2009
T2 - International Petroleum Technology Conference 2009, IPTC 2009
Y2 - 7 December 2009 through 9 December 2009
ER -
