EORI Low Salinity Research Program Geoffrey Thyne and Mark Leslie Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute University of Wyoming Update on Progress – July 2008
EORI Low Salinity Research Program
Geoffrey Thyne and Mark Leslie
Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute
University of Wyoming
Update on Progress – July 2008
Outline
Low Salinity Theory and Prediction
Low Salinity Water Flooding Goals
Planned Laboratory Projects
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0 5 10 15 20 25 30
Injected brine, PV
R (
%O
OIP
) o
r DP
(p
si)
pH
R
Minnelusa brine CBM water
Core 5479B
Swi = 23%
q = 1 ft/D
DP
Tensleep rock, Minnelusa brine and oil, CBM flood
Low Salinity Theory and Prediction
“The response of crude oil/brine/rock
combinations to injection of low salinity brine
can not be predicted. At the present state of
knowledge laboratory screening prior to field
testing is essential” (Zhang and Morrow 2006).
One or more of the proposed mechanisms can
be verified and used to develop a general
model.
Low Salinity Water Flooding Goals
Evaluate potential for low salinity flooding in Wyoming reservoirs.
Develop laboratory capability to test individual reservoirs and perform related experiments.
Form partnerships with producers that have favorable potential for field trials.
Low Salinity Water Flooding Goals
Evaluate potential for low salinity flooding
in Wyoming reservoirs
Review all relevant literature
Evaluate past experience in Wyoming
Develop screening and scoping tools
Develop process-based predictive model
EORI Low Salinity Project Q1 08 Q2 08 Q3 08 Q4 08 Q1 09 Q2 09
Evaluate Low Sal Potential
Literature review
Evaluation of past
experience
Develop screening
tools
Develop scoping tools
Develop predictive
model
Develop Lab Capacity
Design and construct
lab
Begin core floods
Form partnerships for field
project
Preliminary Project Schedule
Preliminary screening for low salinity in Wyoming
based on review of published work
Sandstone with low clay content
High salinity reservoir water
One scenario would be -
Use Powder River Basin CBM produced water
– TDS of 1500 ppm
Best results with 100X difference in salinity
(meaning reservoir TDS of 100,000 –
150,000)
Identify potential candidate reservoirs/fields
Confine choices to PRB
Identify top six producing reservoirs (2007)
Reservoir Oil BBLS
MINNELUSA 5,920,432
WALL CREEK-2 2,440,875
SHANNON 1,788,583
PARKMAN 1,334,707
MUDDY 1,192,833
SUSSEX 1,078,432
Minnelusa Fields TDS Cum. (bbls)
AM-KIRK 101,674 2,260,174
BISHOP RANCH SOUTH 182,812 5,012,569
BREEN 101,921 3,107,909
DILLINGER RANCH 151,540 14,594,110
DONKEY CREEK 142,122 16,810,691
DUVALL RANCH 154,243 15,604,704
HALVERSON 204,238 16,731,354
RAINBOW RANCH 124,248 3,047,071
RAVEN CREEK 158,523 47,032,884
REEL 169,721 10,120,751
ROZET 109,592 27,478,316
ROZET SOUTH 218,884 6,735,768
ROZET WEST 127,177 9,255,553
SLATTERY 109,673 13,250,119
STEWART 157,045 15,851,436
TIMBER CREEK 117,296 19,805,756
TIMBER CREEK NW 158,456 1,693,705
TOTAL 228,392,870
17 Minnelusa FieldsTDS > 100,000
Cumulative production > 1Mbbls
Successful Lab results will
trigger contact with producers
Planned Laboratory Projects
Systematic set of batch experiments for
most likely Wyoming fields.
Systematic set of core floods for most
likely Wyoming fields (test specific
response and provide data for model).
Laboratory Setup Schematic
Pump
Transfer Vessel Core
Back-pressure regulator
Oil sample
Water sample
Sample Separator
EORI Mass balance approach: measure all influent and effluent constituents.
Measure influent and effluent components and study differences.
Core (SEM, EXDA, XRD, petro).
Crude oil (SARA; trace metals).
Brine cations (Ca, Mg, Na, K, Fe).
Brine anions (Cl, SO4, HCO3).
Flow-thru cell: pH, specific conductance, TDS.
Inorganic tracer (e.g., Br-)
Organic tracer (?)
Input data to preliminary geochemical model
(Geochemist’s Workbench®).
Coreflood data used in model for all reactions between
oil/rock/water:
Ion exchange
Precipitation-dissolution
Partitioning (Kd’s) of oil and water components to rock
Transport of brine and oil relative to conservative
tracer
May modify commercial multiphase flow model if required
Low Salinity Laboratory Perform batch experiments to determine partitioning
between water-rock-oil system
Perform water-only floods to determine effects on rock and flow properties caused by change in salinity.
Secure core samples from potential
candidate reservoirs/fields
Secure oil and water samples/analyses-
from potential candidate reservoirs/fields
Oil and water samples from Raven Creek Field, PRB – sample courtesy of Citation O&G Corp.
Low Salinity Laboratory Protocol
Fully characterize the pre-flood reservoir rock -mineralogy, porosity and permeability (SEM, XRD, thin section, tracer studies, por-perm. CEC, BET).
Casper TensleepBerea
Analysis of water from potential candidate
reservoirs/fields and lab experiments
Effluent Water Samples
Extract Effluent Water with CH2Cl2to remove organics
Cations by ICP
Anions by IC
Concentrate CH2Cl2extract and
analyze for organics by GC/MS
Original Reservoir Brine and
Original Low Salinity Brine
Cations by ICP
Anions by IC
Low Salinity Laboratory Protocol
Fully characterize the pre-flood reservoir oil -acid/base, GCMS, SARA, metals, (contract with WRI)
Low Salinity Laboratory Protocol
Questions?