Experimental Investigation of Polymer-Induced Fouling of Heater Tubes in the First-Ever Polymer Flood Pilot on Alaska North Slope

IF 16.4 1区 化学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY
Anshul Dhaliwal, Yin Zhang, A. Dandekar, S. Ning, J. Barnes, R. Edwards, W. Schulpen, D. Cercone, J. Ciferno
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引用次数: 10

Abstract

Polymer flooding is being pilot tested for the first time in the Schrader Bluff viscous oil reservoir at the Milne Point Field on Alaska North Slope (ANS). One of the major concerns of the operator is the impact of polymer on the oil production system after polymer breakthrough, especially the polymer-induced fouling issues in the heat exchanger. This study investigates the propensity of polymer fouling on the heater tubes as a function of different variables, with the ultimate goal of determining safe and efficient operating conditions. A unique experimental setup was designed and developed in-house to simulate the fouling process on the heating tube. The influence of heating tube skin temperature, tube material, and polymer concentration on fouling tendency was investigated. Each test was run five times with the same tube, and in each run, the freshly prepared synthetic brine and polymer solution was heated from 77°F to 122°F to mimic field-operating conditions. The heating time and fouling amount were recorded for each run. Cloud point measurement has also been conducted to find the critical temperature at which the polymer in solution becomes unstable and precipitates out. The morphology and composition of the deposit samples were analyzed by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. It was found that the presence of polymer in produced fluids would aggravate the fouling issues on both carbon steel and stainless steel surfaces at all tested skin temperatures. Only higher skin temperatures of 250°F and 350°F could cause polymer-induced fouling issues on the copper tube surface, and the fouling tendency increased with polymer concentration. At the lower skin temperatures of 165°F, no polymer-induced fouling was identified on the copper tube. A critical temperature that is related to the cloud point of the polymer solution was believed to exist, below which polymer-induced fouling would not occur and only mineral scale was deposited but above which the polymer would aggravate the fouling issue. The cloud point of the tested polymer solution was determined to be between 220°F and 230°F. From a practical safer design standpoint, we recommend a value of 220°F for operational purposes on the pilot site. The heating efficiency of the tube would be decreased gradually as more fouling material accumulates on its surface. If polymer precipitated and deposited on the surface, it would bond to the mineral crystals to form a robust three-dimensional network structure, resulting in a rigid polymer-induced fouling. The study results have provided practical guidance to the field operator for the ongoing polymer flooding pilot test on ANS.
阿拉斯加北坡首次聚合物驱试验中加热管聚合物诱导结垢的实验研究
聚合物驱首次在阿拉斯加北坡Milne Point油田的Schrader Bluff稠油油藏进行了试点测试。作业公司主要关注的问题之一是聚合物突破后对采油系统的影响,特别是聚合物引起的热交换器结垢问题。本研究探讨了聚合物污染在加热管上的倾向作为不同变量的函数,最终目标是确定安全和有效的操作条件。设计并开发了一套独特的实验装置来模拟加热管的结垢过程。研究了热管表面温度、管材和聚合物浓度对结垢倾向的影响。每次测试使用同一管进行5次,每次测试中,将新制备的合成盐水和聚合物溶液从77°F加热到122°F,以模拟现场操作条件。记录每次运行的加热时间和污垢量。还进行了云点测量,以确定溶液中的聚合物变得不稳定并析出的临界温度。采用环境扫描电子显微镜(ESEM)和x射线衍射仪(XRD)对样品的形貌和成分进行了分析。研究发现,在所有测试的表面温度下,生产液中聚合物的存在都会加剧碳钢和不锈钢表面的污垢问题。只有较高的表面温度(250°F和350°F)才会引起铜管表面聚合物诱导的结垢问题,并且随着聚合物浓度的增加,结垢倾向增加。在较低的表面温度为165°F时,铜管上没有发现聚合物引起的污染。认为存在一个与聚合物溶液的浊点有关的临界温度,低于该温度聚合物诱导的结垢不会发生,只会沉积矿物垢;高于该温度聚合物会加剧结垢问题。被测聚合物溶液的浊点在220°F和230°F之间。从实际安全设计的角度来看,我们建议在试验现场的操作中使用220°F的值。随着积垢物的增多,热管的热效率会逐渐降低。如果聚合物沉淀并沉积在表面,它将与矿物晶体结合形成坚固的三维网络结构,从而导致刚性聚合物诱导的污垢。研究结果为现场作业人员在ANS上进行聚合物驱先导试验提供了实用指导。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
Accounts of Chemical Research
Accounts of Chemical Research 化学-化学综合
CiteScore
31.40
自引率
1.10%
发文量
312
审稿时长
2 months
期刊介绍: Accounts of Chemical Research presents short, concise and critical articles offering easy-to-read overviews of basic research and applications in all areas of chemistry and biochemistry. These short reviews focus on research from the author’s own laboratory and are designed to teach the reader about a research project. In addition, Accounts of Chemical Research publishes commentaries that give an informed opinion on a current research problem. Special Issues online are devoted to a single topic of unusual activity and significance. Accounts of Chemical Research replaces the traditional article abstract with an article "Conspectus." These entries synopsize the research affording the reader a closer look at the content and significance of an article. Through this provision of a more detailed description of the article contents, the Conspectus enhances the article's discoverability by search engines and the exposure for the research.
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