Petroleum Engineering Commons^™

Heavy Oil And Vapex Process: A Brief Review, Vijitha Mohan, Parthasakha Neogi, Baojun Bai

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Heavy oil recovery requires either heat or solvent assistance to reduce its high viscosity first and then the less viscous oil can be recovered. Processes that use vapor assisted petroleum extraction (VAPEX) utilize vaporized solvent. Solvent vapors are introduced through a top injection well to induce viscosity reduction and the less viscous oil is collected at the bottom production well. It is noteworthy, that the solvent itself when recovered, can be seen as an integral part of oil. Exact molecular weight and chemistry of heavy oil is uncertain making analysis of thermodynamic properties difficult, however this is overcome by making …

Detecting The Leakage In The Pipeline System Through Flow Parameter Analysis, Hao Fu

Theses and Dissertations

The pipeline is an efficient way to transport oil and gas over long distances. However, leakage can occur when the pipes have been running for a long time. The leak of energy resources will cause economic loss in millions of dollars, pollute the local environment, and result in safety problems. Therefore, the technology of pipeline leak detection is very crucial during the energy transport process.

The goals of the research are to develop mathematical models based on experimental data and CFD simulation to detect single and multiple leaks in a pipeline and/or pipeline system. The new methods use daily recorded …

Investigative Study Of Microalgal And Electrochemical Wastewater Treatment Systems And Modeling Of The Wafer-Enhanced Electrodeionization Using Supervised Learning, Humeyra Betul Ulusoy Erol

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Wastewater has a serious impact on environment and public health due to its high concentration of nutrients and toxic contaminants. Without proper treatment, excess nutrients discharged in wastewater can cause a damage to the ecosystem such as undesirable pH shifts, cyanotoxin production, and low dissolved oxygen concentrations.

Main objectives of this dissertation work were to investigate i) the biofuel potential of P. cruentum when grown in swine wastewater, ii) the influence of four most commonly used ion exchange resins on the system efficiency and selectivity for the removal of sodium, calcium, and magnesium ions, and iii) the modeling of wafer-enhanced …

Co2-Wettability Reversal Of Cap-Rock By Alumina Nanofluid: Implications For Co2 Geo-Storage, Muhammad Ali, Adnan Aftab, Faisal Ur Rahman Awan, Hamed Akhondzadeh, Alireza Keshavarz, Ali Saeedi, Stefan Iglauer, Mohammad Sarmadivaleh

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2021 Elsevier B.V. The usage of nanofluids is vast in different applications of nano-energy. These minute nanoparticles can be used to alter the hydrophobicity into hydrophilicity for CO2-brine-mineral systems in the presence of organic acids. Nonetheless, the literature lacks the information for the behavior of nanoparticles and its associated concentrations in the presence of organic acids at the reservoir (high temperature and high pressure) conditions. In this study, we have investigated that how different alkyl chain organic acids impact the wettability of mica muscovite for different ageing times (7 days and one year) and how this impact can be …

Effect Of Humic Acid On Co2-Wettability In Sandstone Formation, Mujahid Ali, Faisal Ur Rahman Awan, Muhammad Ali, Ahmed Al-Yaseri, Muhammad Arif, Mónica Sánchez-Román, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

© 2020 Elsevier Inc. Hypothesis: Millions of tons of CO2 are stored in CO2 geological storage (CGS) formations (depleted oil reservoirs and deep saline aquifers) every year. These CGS formations naturally contain small concentrations of water-soluble organic components in particular humic acid (HA), which may drastically affect the rock wettability - a significant factor determining storage capacities and containment security. Hence, it is essential to characterise the effect of humic acid concentration on CO2-wettability and its associated impact on storage capacity. Experimental: To achieve this, we measured advancing and receding contact angles at reservoir conditions using the pendant drop tilted …

Evaluation Of Vertical And Horizontal Wells For Utilization In Carbon Sequestration, Michael R. Bohnet

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

A Systematic Multiscale Investigation Of Nanoparticle-Assisted Co2 Enhanced Oil Recovery (Eor) Process For Shale Oil Reservoirs, Dayo A. Afekare

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Shale oil reservoirs are prolific on the short term due to hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling but experience significant production decline, leading to poor ultimate recovery and leaving billions of barrels of oil buried in the ground. In this study, a systematic multi-scale investigation of an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process using relatively inexpensive silicon dioxide nanoparticles and carbon dioxide for shale oil reservoirs was conducted. Using the Tuscaloosa Marine Shale (TMS) as a case study, aqueous dispersions of nanosilica in conjunction with CO₂ were investigated at nano-to-core scales. At the nanoscale, atomic force microscope was used to investigate …

Experimental And Modeling Study Of The Effects Of Sealing Structures In Lost Circulation Prevention And Remediation, Mingzheng Yang

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Drilling fluid lost circulation leads to non-productive time and increases the overall well cost. In general, wellbore strengthening and lost circulation control are achieved by creating effective sealing structures to inhibit fluid flow through loss conduits such as formation fractures. This research aims at better understanding the effects of sealing structures in fluid loss prevention and remediation, and providing useful references to effectively establishing filtercakes on the wellbore and plugs in the fracture.

Recent research on wellbore strengthening disclosed the critical role of filtercake in sealing microfractures during the initial stages of fracture initiation and propagation. The performance of a …

Characterization And Oil Recovery Enhancement By A Polymeric Nanogel Combined With Surfactant For Sandstone Reservoirs, Mustafa Mohammed Almahfood, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The characterization and enhanced oil recovery mechanisms of a nanosized polymeric cross-linked gel are presented herein. A negatively charged nanogel was synthesized using a typical free radical suspension polymerization process by employing 2-acrylamido 2-methyl propane sulfonic acid monomer. The synthesized nanogel showed a narrow size distribution with one peak pointing to a predominant homogeneous droplet size. The charged nanogels were also able to adsorb at the oil-water interfaces to reduce interfacial tension and stabilize oil-in-water emulsions, which ultimately improved the recovered oil from hydrocarbon reservoirs. In addition, a fixed concentration of negatively charged surfactant (sodium dodecyl sulfate or SDS) was …

An Experimental Study Investigating The Impact Of Miscible And Immiscible Nitrogen Injection On Asphaltene Instability In Nano Shale Pore Structure, Mukhtar Elturki, Abdulmohsin Imqam

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Miscible gas injection has become the most used enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method in the oil and gas industry. The deposition and precipitation of asphaltene during the gas injection process is one of the problems during the oil production process. The asphaltene can deposit and plug the pores, which reduces the permeability in a reservoir; thus, decreasing the oil recovery and increasing the production costs. This research investigates the nitrogen (N2) miscible and immiscible pressure injections on asphaltene instability in shale pore structures. First, a slim tube was used to determine the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) of N2 to ensure …

Prediction Of Equivalent Liquid Permeability From Gas Permeability Measurements: A Recurrent Neural Network Approach, Husam Alkinani, Abo Taleb Al-Hameedi, Shari Dunn-Norman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

One of the most vital reservoir properties is permeability. It is usually measured using core samples with two major measurement methods: using gas or using liquid. The purpose of this work is to use a data-driven recurrent neural network model to estimate the equivalent liquid permeability based on gas permeability. By using this model, the equivalent liquid permeability can be predicted for the permeability of core samples with rich clay minerals measured using gas (or any core sample that is measured using gas). This will give an alternative way to the currently used method (Klinkenberg method). Core sample data measurements …

Minimizing Lost Circulation Non-Productive Time Using Expected Monetary Value And Decision Tree Analysis, Husam Hasan Alkinani, Abo Taleb Tuama Al-Hameedi, Shari Dunn-Norman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Lost circulation and problems related to drilling present a major challenge for the drilling industry. Each year, billions are spent to treat these problems. There is not a single solution to lost circulation because of the complexity and kind of formations susceptible to this issue. Lost circulation treatment data for the Shuaiba formation (induced fractured formation) were gathered from drilled wells in Southern Iraq (over 2000). Treatments have been grouped according to the volume of mud loss as complete, severe, and partial loss remedies. Detailed costs and probabilities calculations were conducted. The costs of three types of loss treatments (partial, …

What Are The Dominant Flow Regimes During Carbon Dioxide Propagation In Shale Reservoirs’ Matrix, Natural Fractures And Hydraulic Fractures?, Sherif Fakher, Youssef Elgahawy, Hesham Abdelaal, Abdulmohsin Imqam

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Carbon dioxide (CO₂) injection in low permeability shale reservoirs has recently gained much attention due to the claims that it has a large recovery factor and can also be used in CO₂ storage operations. This research investigates the different flow regimes that the CO₂ will exhibit during its propagation through the fractures, micropores, and the nanopores in unconventional shale reservoirs to accurately evaluate the mechanism by which CO₂ recovers oil from these reservoirs. One of the most widely used tools to distinguish between different flow regimes is the Knudsen Number. Initially, a mathematical analysis of …

Will Carbon Dioxide Injection In Shale Reservoirs Produce From The Shale Matrix, Natural Fractures, Or Hydraulic Fractures?, Sherif Fakher, Youssef Elgahawy, Hesham Abdelaal, Abdulmohsin Imqam

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in shale reservoirs has been recently shown to increase oil recovery significantly from this unconventional oil and gas source. One of the most studied EOR methods in shale reservoirs is gas injection, with a focus on carbon Dioxide (CO₂) mainly due to the ability to both enhance oil recovery and store the CO₂ in the formation. Even though several shale plays have reported an increase in oil recovery using CO₂ injection, in some cases this method failed severely. This research attempts to investigate the ability of the CO₂ to mobilize crude …

Impact Of Rheology Models On Horizontal Well Polymer Flooding In A Heavy Oil Reservoir On Alaska North Slope: A Simulation Study, Jianqiao Leng, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai, Randall S. Seright, Yin Zhang, David Cercone, Samson Ning

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Polymer rheology can have either a positive or a negative effect on polymer flooding performance under varied circumstances. Many researchers have studied the effect of polymer rheology in a vertical well, but no field scale studies have been conducted to investigate whether polymer rheology is beneficial to polymer flooding in heavy oil reservoirs developed by horizontal wells. In this paper, we conducted a numerical simulation study to examine the effect of HPAM polymer rheology on a polymer flooding pilot, which is the first-ever project conducted on a heavy oil reservoir from Alaska North Slope (ANS) developed by horizontal wells. Three …

First Ever Polymer Flood Field Pilot To Enhance The Recovery Of Heavy Oils On Alaska's North Slope Pushing Ahead One Year Later, Abhijit Dandekar, Baojun Bai, John Barnes, Dave Cercone, Jared Ciferno, Reid Edwards, Samson Ning, Walbert Schulpen, Randy Seright, Brent Sheets, Dongmei Wang, Yin Zhang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In June 2018 the team embarked on an ambitious project to address the slow development pace of Alaska's 20+ billion barrels heavy oil resource via the first ever polymer flood pilot. Following the successful commencement of the pilot in August 2018, the field demonstration, supporting laboratory experiments and numerical simulation have steadily progressed. A significant amount of valuable data and lessons learned have been collected and are reported in this paper. The ongoing pilot and the research activities is making headway toward the primary objective of validating the use of polymer flooding for extracting heavy oil in Alaska's challenging environment. …

Shale Adhesion Force Measurements Via Atomic Force Microscopy, Nikolai Mitiurev, Michael Verrall, Svetlana Shilobreeva, Alireza Keshavarz, Stefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Wettability of sedimentary rock surface is an essential parameter that defines oil recovery and production rates of a reservoir. The discovery of wettability alteration in reservoirs, as well as complications that occur in analysis of heterogeneous sample, such as shale, for instance, have prompted scientists to look for the methods of wettability assessment at nanoscale. At the same time, bulk techniques, which are commonly applied, such as USBM (United States Bureau of Mines) or Amott tests, are not sensitive enough in cases with mixed wettability of rocks as they provide average wettability values of a core plug. Atomic Force Microscopy …

Influence Of Rock Wettability On Thf Hydrate Saturation And Distribution In Sandstones, Ghazanfer Raza Abbasi, Ahmed Al-Yaseri, Abubakar Isah, Alireza Keshavarz, Sefan Iglauer

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Natural gas trapped in hydrate deposits is a potentially enormous source of energy which can in principle be extracted from the underground reservoir structures. These reserves can potentially also catastrophically release very large quantities of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. One key parameter which is well known to strongly influence fluid distribution, saturation, and production is rock wettability. However, the effect of wettability on gas hydrate in sediments has not been investigated yet. We thus used nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometry to measure relaxation times (T₂ and T₁) and the corresponding surface relaxivity of tetrahydrofuran hydrate …

Hydrogen Adsorption On Sub-Bituminous Coal: Implications For Hydrogen Geo-Storage, Sefan Iglauer, Hussein Abid, Ahmed Z. Al-Yaseri, Alireza Keshavarz

Research outputs 2014 to 2021

Hydrogen is a clean fuel that can potentially revolutionize the energy supply chain and decarbonize fuel consumption. However, a key hurdle that needs to be overcome before a full-scale hydrogen economy can be established is hydrogen storage which is currently the main limitation. Here, we propose that hydrogen gas can be stored in underground coal seams, where it adsorbs on the coal surface. However, currently, no hard data related to such a procedure exists. We, therefore, demonstrate experimentally that significant amounts of hydrogen gas can be stored via this route. Hydrogen adsorption capacities reached 0.6 moles H₂/kg of …

Well Performance Analysis Of Mseel1 And Mseel2 Wellpads, Mohammad Faiq Adenan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

MSEEL1 and MSEEL2 are wellpads that were developed as a means of conducting research into how a gas well being developed in the Marcellus shale can be optimized from the reservoir identification stage to the completions and operational stage. This thesis provides a report of the workflow performed to use the generated data from different sources and analyze them for optimization.

MIP-3H and Boggess 17H were designated as science wells, for which the majority of the well logging and coring experiments were conducted on. The data obtained from the experiments were used as a basis for petrophysical analysis, the results …