Petroleum Engineering Commons^™

Electrical Resistivity Tomography Revealing Possible Breaching Mechanism Of A Late Pleistocene Long-Lasted Gigantic Rockslide Dam In Diexi, China, Lanxin Dai, Xuanmei Fan, Dan Wang, Fanyu Zhang, Ali P. Yunus, Srikrishnan Siva Subramanian, J. David Rogers, Hans Balder Havenith

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Landslide damming is a widespread phenomenon worldwide and significantly affects the evolution of fluvial landscapes. However, it is rarely witnessed from an antiquities perspective, and the case for observing their internal structure is challenging. We attempt to visualize the subsurface structure and understand the likely breaching mechanism of the late Pleistocene Diexi gigantic landslide dam (longevity of ~ 10 ka), using electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) method. Eight ERT measurements on the Diexi dam body revealed high resistivity zones near the periphery and lower resistivity zones in the middle portion of the profiles. Geomorphological mapping based on the LiDAR data determined …

Insights To Surfactant Huff-Puff Design In Carbonate Reservoirs Based On Machine Learning Modeling, Ya Yao, Yue Qiu, Yue Cui, Mingzhen Wei, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Surfactants could react with adsorbates on carbonate rock surface to alter wettability from oil-wetness to water-wetness, which is effective to enhance oil recovery. Surfactant huff-puff treatment is mostly applied for this purpose and the resulting surfactant performance is the outcome of complex interfacial processes. Currently, the effect of important parameters on surfactant performance is not completely reported and the contribution of each parameter to surfactant performance is hard to be quantified. Traditional methods to optimize surfactant performance are time-consuming and show strong dependency on extensive experiments. in this paper, we address these problems from machine learning (ML) perspectives. Several ML …

Impact Of Composition And Salinity On Swelling And Gel Strength Of Poly (Acrylamide-Co-Acrylic Acid) Preformed Particle Gel, Ahmed Ben Ali, Reem Elaf, Mohammed Saad, Ibnelwaleed A. Hussein, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The effects of various material compositions and reservoir environments on the ultimate strength and swelling kinetics of a commercial preformed particle gel (PPG) have been investigated. This study used different ratios of acrylamide and acrylic acid copolymers with a specific crosslinker concentration. Results have indicated that increasing the acrylic acid proportion enhances the PPGs' ability to swell but weakens their network structure. In contrast, increasing the crosslinker content decreases the swelling ratio and increases the gel strength. The highest equilibrium swelling capacity among the six preformed particle gel samples was obtained for PPG2, which has the highest acrylic acid amount …

Experimental Investigation Of The Interface And Wetting Characteristics Of Rock-H2-Brine Systems For H2 Geological Storage, Mirhasan Hosseini

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

The projected rise in demand for hydrogen (H2) production is a response to several factors, including greenhouse gas emissions caused by burning fossil fuels, depletion of fossil fuel reserves, and their uneven distribution around the earth. Thus, increased requirement for large-scale hydrogen storage solutions is anticipated to overcome imbalance between energy demand and supply. Deep underground formations such as salt caverns and porous reservoir rocks (e.g., depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and deep saline aquifers) are necessary to achieve such volumes in practice. This process is known as underground hydrogen storage (UHS) which is technically very similar to underground natural gas storage. …

Machine Learning Assisted Framework For Advanced Subsurface Fracture Mapping And Well Interference Quantification, Mohammad Faiq Adenan

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The oil and gas industry has historically spent significant amount of capital to acquire large volumes of analog and digital data often left unused due to lack of digital awareness. It has instead relied on individual expertise and numerical modelling for reservoir development, characterization, and simulation, which is extremely time consuming and expensive and inevitably invites significant human bias and error into the equation. One of the major questions that has significant impact in unconventional reservoir development (e.g., completion design, production, and well spacing optimization), CO2 sequestration in geological formations (e.g., well and reservoir integrity), and engineered geothermal systems (e.g., …

Comparative Analysis Of Artificial Intelligence And Numerical Reservoir Simulation In Marcellus Shale Wells, Arya Maher Sattari

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This dissertation addresses the limitations of conventional numerical reservoir simulation techniques in the context of unconventional shale plays and proposes the use of data-driven artificial intelligence (AI) models as a promising alternative. Traditional methods, while providing valuable insights, often rely on simplifying assumptions and are constrained by time, resources, and data quality. The research leverages AI models to handle the complexities of shale behavior more effectively, facilitating accurate predictions and optimizations with less resource expenditure.

Two specific methodologies are investigated for this purpose: traditional numerical reservoir simulations using Computer Modelling Group's GEM reservoir simulation software, and an AI-based Shale Analytics …

Comparative Study Of Proppant Transport In The Vertical Fracture For High Viscosity Friction Reducers And Slickwater Fracturing With High-Tds Marcellus Shale Formation Water, Xiaojing Ge, Abdulmohsin Imqam, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High viscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) have been gaining more attention and increasing in use as proppant carriers. Reusing of produced water has also been driven by both environmental and economic benefits. However, high total dissolved solids (TDS) of produced water and high reservoir temperature significantly decrease the viscoelastic properties of HVFRs even for the cationic ones, which further reduce their proppant transport capabilities. Increasing loadings of HVFRs also has very limited effects on improving their proppant transport performances under high-TDS and high-Temperature conditions. The ultimate objective of this experimental study is to investigate the injection rate effects on the proppant …

Verification Of Oil Recovery Mechanism Through Alteration Of Relative Permeability Curve And Analytical Measurements, Tina Tharn

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

In the petroleum production industry, there are several methods that can be utilized to increase oil recovery. These methods are so-called Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). Nowadays, Low Salinity Water Flooding (LSWF) is one of the considerable of those techniques due to its cost and simplicity. However, understanding its main oil recovery mechanism is still limited. Therefore, the investigation of oil mechanism provided by LSWF would help refine its application to oilfields. In this study, the Johnson–Bossler–Naumann (JBN) approach is employed to examine relative permeability curves during LSWF in different rock formations including clean sandstone (SS), shaly-sandstone (SHS), and dolostone (DL). …

Analysis Of Plastic Pyrolysis Oil Separation Using Chemcad, Brian Berish, Juliana Mcgaffic

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

Excessive plastic waste is a massive global issue. Plastic pyrolysis is a process of melting plastic in the absence of oxygen to create an wax-oil type substance called pyrolysis oil. This project will use a ChemCAD simulation to perform a distillation of a predetermined plastic pyrolysis oil into usable products. Heat integration will be used to construct a heat exchanger network and estimate utility usage. Sizing and costing of all equipment will be calculated and an overall cost analysis of the completed simulation will be performed to determine the economic viability of plant construction. Market research for potential products will …

Investigations Of A Surrogate Fuel Based On Fischer-Tropsch Gtl And Ctl In Cvcc, Idi And Di Compression Ignition Engines, Amanda C. Weaver

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

With the increase in availability, feedstocks, and properties of alternative fuels, compatibility issues emerge between current engine platforms often requiring a limit on the blend percentage of alternative fuel in conventional fuel or alteration to the engine platform. Two key metrics were identified, autoignition quality and lubrication characteristics, as vital for the proper function of a compression ignition engine, and if the blend of alternative fuels matches these two criteria for the diesel standard, then the resulting blend percentage can be considered as a viable alternative for complete replacement of conventional petroleum ULSD. Autoignition quality was matched using blends S-8, …

Prediction Of Single Proppant Terminal Settling Velocity In High Viscosity Friction Reducers By Using Artificial Neural Networks And Xgboost, Xiaojing Ge, Rong Lu, Ghith Biheri, Abdulmohsin Imqam, Baojun Bai

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

High viscosity friction reducers (HVFRs) have been recently gaining more attention and increasing in use, not only as friction-reducing agents but also as proppant carriers. The settling velocity of the proppant is one of the key outputs to describe their proppant transport capability. However, it is influenced by many factors such as fluid properties, proppant properties, and fracture properties. Many empirical/physics-based models and correlations to predict particle settling velocity have been developed. However, they are usually based on certain assumptions and have applicable limits. In contrast, machine learning models can be considered as a black box. The objective of this …

The Success Story Of First Ever Polymer Flood Field Pilot To Enhance The Recovery Of Heavy Oils On Alaska's North Slope, Abhijit Dandekar, Baojun Bai, John Barnes, Dave Cercone, Reid Edwards, Samson Ning, Randy Seright, Brent Sheets, Dongmei Wang, Yin Zhang

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The primary goal of the first ever polymer flood field pilot at Milne Point is to validate the use of polymers for heavy oil Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) on Alaska North Slope (ANS). The specific objectives are systematic evaluation of advanced technology that integrates polymer flooding, low salinity water flooding, horizontal wells, and numerical simulation based on polymer flood performance data. Accordingly, under the co-sponsorship of the US Department of Energy and Hilcorp Alaska LLC the first ever polymer field pilot commenced on August 28, 2018 in the Schrader Bluff heavy oil reservoir at the Milne Point Unit (MPU) on …

Kinetic Experimental And Modeling Evaluations Of Asphaltene Morphology And Growth Rate Under Varying Temperature And Brine Conditions, Kwamena Ato Quainoo, Abdulmohsin Imqam, Cornelius Borecho Bavoh

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

The utilization of predictive mechanisms to resolve asphaltene precipitation during oil production is a cleaner and less expensive means than the mechanical/chemical remediation techniques currently employed. Existing models lack predictive success due to opposing views on temperature-asphaltene precipitation interactions. In this study, the effect of varying temperatures (40, 50, 60, 70 80 and 90 °C) and brine concentrations (0 – 5 wt.%) on the long-time kinetics of asphaltene precipitations was evaluated. A series of experiments were conducted using the filtration technique and the confocal microscopy to study asphaltene precipitation on a model oil system consisting of asphaltenes, a precipitant, and …

Risk As A Process: A History Informed Hazard Planning Approach Applied To The 2018 Post-Fire Debris Flows, Montecito, California, Anna Serra-Llobet, John Radke, G. Mathias Kondolf, Larry Gurrola, J. David Rogers, Sarah Lindbergh, Johnny Douvinet

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Historical information about floods is not commonly used in the US to inform land use planning decisions. Rather, the current approach to managing floods is based on static maps derived from computer simulations of the area inundated by floods of specified return intervals. These maps provide some information about flood hazard, but they do not reflect the underlying processes involved in creating a flood disaster, which typically include increased exposure due to building on flood-prone land, nor do they account for the greater hazard resulting from wildfire. We developed and applied an approach to analyze how exposure has evolved in …

Transport And Plugging Performance Evaluation Of A Novel Re-Crosslinkable Microgel Used For Conformance Control In Mature Oilfields With Super-Permeable Channels, Adel Alotibi, T. Song, Baojun Bai, Thomas P. Schuman

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Preformed particle gels (PPG) have been widely applied in oilfields to control excessive water production. However, PPG has limited success in treating opening features because the particles can be flushed readily during post-water flooding. We have developed a novel micro-sized Re-crosslinkable PPG (micro-RPPG) to solve the problem. The microgel can re-crosslink to form a bulk gel, avoiding being washed out easily. This paper evaluates the novel microgels' transport and plugging performance through super-permeable channels. Micro-RPPG was synthesized and evaluated for this study. Its storage moduli after fully swelling are approximately 82 Pa. The microgel characterization, self-healing process, transportation behavior, and …

Impact Of Hvfr Loading Concentrations On Its Viscoelastic Properties And Proppant Transport Performance, Ghith Biheri, Shari Dunn Norman, Abdulmohsin Imqam

Geosciences and Geological and Petroleum Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

In unconventional reservoirs, increasing the low formation conductivities through hydraulic fracturing may substantially increase oil production from wells. This work of improving the fracture conductivity could be conducted by distributing and transporting proppant within the fracture lengths using high fracture fluid concentrations. This research focused on three areas. First, it assessed the fluid rheology including the viscosity and elasticity of a high viscosity friction reducer (HVFR) and linear guar using deionized (DI) water at different fluid concentrations (i.e., 2, 4, and 8 gpt for the HVFR and 15, 25, and 35 ppt for linear guar), and measured the impact of …

The Effect Of Different Fracturing Fluids On The Productivity Of Multi-Staged Fractured Marcellus Shale Horizontal Wells, Vida Gyaubea Matey-Korley

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

While hydraulic fracturing has undeniably improved the production from oil and gas reservoirs, this technology is not without limitations. The primary hurdles lie in the areas of proppant transport, fluid rheology, and stress management. Despite the extensive research conducted in this domain, there remains a considerable amount of work to be done for comprehensive solutions that account for the complex interactions among fracturing fluid, proppant distribution, and geomechanical conditions. Achieving this will then make room for a holistic and efficient hydraulic fracturing strategy.

This study addresses the above-mentioned problem by examining the impact of fluid type on proppant transport and …

An Artificial Neural Network Approach To Predicting Formation Stress In Multi-Stage Fractured Marcellus Shale Horizontal Wells Based On Drilling Operations Data, Moudhi Alawadh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

The distribution of the anisotropic minimum horizontal stress, both in horizontal and vertical directions, is necessary for effective hydraulic fracture treatment design in Marcellus Shale horizontal wells. Typically, the minimum horizontal stress can be estimated sonic logs. However, sonic log data is not commonly available for the horizontal Marcellus shale wells due to the complexity and cost. The objective of this research is to predict the anisotropic minimum horizontal stress by utilizing drilling parameters including depth, weight-on-bit (WOB), revolution per minute (RPM), standpipe pressure, torque, pump flow rate, and the rate of penetration (ROP). More specifically, artificial neural network (ANN) …

Leveraging Artificial Intelligence And Geomechanical Data For Accurate Shear Stress Prediction In Co2 Sequestration Within Saline Aquifers (Smart Proxy Modeling), Munirah Alawadh

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

This research builds upon the success of a previous project that used a Smart Proxy Model (SPM) to predict pressure and saturation in Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) operations into saline aquifers. The Smart Proxy Model is a data-driven machine learning model that can replicate the output of a sophisticated numerical simulation model for each time step in a short amount of time, using Artificial Intelligence (AI) and large volumes of subsurface data. This study aims to develop the Smart Proxy Model further by incorporating geomechanical datadriven techniques to predict shear stress by using a neural network, specifically through supervised …

Investigation Of Recrosslinkable Preformed Particle Gels For Natural Gas Conformance Control, Ali Abdulmohsen Al Brahim

Doctoral Dissertations

"Recross linkable Preformed Particle Gel (RPPG) is a novel type of preformed particle gel in which particles can bond together to form a strong bulk gel system after being placed in the target formation. In this research, I systematically evaluated the feasibility of using this product to improve gas flooding conformance for mature reservoirs with conduits or fractures. Two RPPG systems were used for the experiment: a CO₂- resistant RPPG (CR-RPPG) synthesized using acrylamide (AM) and 2-acrylamide-2- methylpropane sulfonate acid (AMPS), designed for CO2 flooding; and an acrylamide-co-acrylic acid-based RPPG (LT-RPPG), designed for water flooding. Different experimental apparatuses …

Data Analytics Of Wettability Alteration With Surfactants In Carbonate Reservoirs, Ya Yao

Doctoral Dissertations

"Wettability alteration with surfactants has been widely applied to improve oil recovery in carbonate reservoirs. An effective surfactant huff-puff application design requires comprehensive guidelines about where, how, and when this method could be applied. Besides, traditional methods to design an effective application and optimize surfactant performance are dependent on extensive experiments and are time-consuming. This study is to assist in the design of surfactant huff-puff via statistical methods and machine learning techniques.

In this study, a dataset including 402 effective surfactant imbibition tests is established by collecting information from nearly 50 publications. The dataset provides a foundation for further data …

ผลกระทบของวิธีการสร้างภาพเอกซเรย์ต่อความถูกต้องของ ค่าความหนาแน่นอิเล็กตรอนและเลขอะตอมยังผลจาก เครื่องเอกซเรย์คอมพิวเตอร์จำลองการรักษาแบบสองพลังงาน, เกตุนภาพร เกตุประดิษฐ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ในระยะไม่กี่ปีที่ผ่านมา มีการพัฒนาเครื่องเอกซเรย์คอมพิวเตอร์ในหลายรูปแบบ หนึ่งในนั้นได้แก่เครื่องเอกซเรย์คอมพิวเตอร์แบบสองพลังงาน (Dual-Energy Computed Tomography) ซึ่งมีความแม่นยำในการประมาณค่าความหนาแน่นอิเล็กตรอนและค่าเลขอะตอมยังผล ทั้งสองค่านี้มีความสำคัญในด้านรังสีรักษาเป็นส่วนบ่งบอกคุณลักษณะของเนื้อเยื่อ งานวิจัยนี้มีจุดประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาความถูกต้องของการคำนวณค่าความหนาแน่นอิเล็กตรอนและค่าเลขอะตอมยังผลจากภาพที่ประมวลผลด้วย Iterative reconstruction algorithm วิธีการทดลอง ขั้นตอนแรกจะสร้างหุ่นจำลองดิจิตอลโดยใช้โปรแกรม MATLAB R2021a อ้างอิงลักษณะเนื้อเยื่อจากหุ่นจำลอง GAMMEX 467 โดยมีประเภทเนื้อเยื่อดังต่อไปนี้ เนื้อเยื่อกระดูกชนิดเนื้อแน่น (Cortical bone) เนื้อเยื่อสมอง (Brain) เนื้อเยื่อไขมัน (Adipose) และเนื้อเยื่อเต้านม (Breast) ขั้นตอนที่สองสร้างซิโนแกรม (sinogram) โดยจำลองพลังงานของรังสีเอกซ์จากเครื่องเอกซเรย์คอมพิวเตอร์แบบสองพลังงานที่พลังงาน 80 และ 140 kVp โดยใช้ SPEKTR 3.0 MATLAB Toolbox ให้พลังงานทั้งสองผ่านหุ่นจำลองดิจิตอลที่สร้างขึ้นมา เก็บมุมของภาพทั้งหมด 180 มุม ขั้นตอนที่สามเพิ่มสัญญาณรบกวนลงในภาพซิโนแกรมโดยตั้งค่าการกระจายสัญญาณรบกวน 3 ระดับได้แก่ 2, 5 และ 10 ขั้นตอนที่สี่ทำการประมวลผลสร้างภาพตัดขวางจากภาพซิโนแกรมที่ไม่มีสัญญาณรบกวนและมีสัญญาณรบกวนในระดับต่างๆ ด้วยวิธีการฉายภาพย้อนกลับแบบกรอง (Filtered back projection) และวิธีการวนซํ้า (iterative algorithm) โดยใช้ TIGRE Toolbox แล้วคำนวณหาค่าความหนาแน่นอิเล็กตรอนและค่าเลขอะตอมยังผลจากภาพที่ประมวลผลได้โดยใช้สมการ DEEDZ ผลการวิจัยพบว่าวิธีการประมวลผลแบบวิธีการวนซํ้า ให้ค่าความหนาแน่นอิเล็กตรอนจากภาพซิโนแกรมที่ไม่มีสัญญาณรบกวนและที่มีสัญญาณรบกวนในระดับต่างๆในเนื้อเยื่อทุกประเภทดีกว่าวิธีการฉายภาพย้อนกลับแบบกรอง ยกเว้น ภาพซิโนแกรมที่ไม่มีสัญญาณรบกวนในเนื้อเยื่อกระดูกชนิดเนื้อแน่นเมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับค่าความหนาแน่นอิเล็กตรอนมาตรฐาน ผลการวิจัยในส่วนค่าเลขอะตอมยังผลพบว่าวิธีการประมวลผลแบบวิธีการวนซํ้าให้ค่าเลขอะตอมยังผลจากภาพซิโนแกรมที่ไม่มีสัญญาณรบกวนและที่มีสัญญาณรบกวนในระดับต่างๆในเนื้อเยื่อทุกประเภทดีกว่าวิธีการฉายภาพย้อนกลับแบบกรองเมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับค่าเลขอะตอมยังผลมาตรฐาน

Structural Evolution Of The Phu Kradung Formation By Calcite Veins Characterization, South Of Lam Sonthi District, Lopburi Province., Ausa Nonthason

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Calcite veins in Mesozoic sedimentary rock localities are found in the southern part of Lam Sonthi district, Lopburi province, in central Thailand, near the Loei-Petchabun fold belt regions. The vein’s host rocks are siliciclastic rocks, primarily mudstone and sandstone. The main aim of this study is to learn more about calcite vein geometry and development, as well as the structural evolution of calcite veins in the Phu Kradung formation in the Lam Sonthi area of Lopburi province. A petrographic and structural analysis of the veins was performed to examine the kinematics and geological structures of the calcite vein in the …

Geophysical Characteristics Of Kuan Kreng Peat Swamp Forest At Thale Noi Area, Theethach Phiranram

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Peatlands, as an important carbon sink, store a large amount of atmospheric carbon. However, peatlands are vulnerable to environmental alteration due to anthropogenic and natural processes. While peatlands are degraded, carbon dioxide emissions arise. The Kuan Kreng peat swamp forest is the second largest peatland in Thailand and is in coastal wetland serving for carbon stock in the subsurface. To assess carbon stock in peatland, the thickness and distribution of the peat layer are necessary. This study determines physical and chemical characteristics of the peatlands in the coastal wetland, southern Thailand by conventional core study and geophysical surveys, including ground …