Developing methodology and experimental procedure эfor experimental microfluidic study of chemical enhanced oil recovery

Abstract

The concern of this research was to review the different methodology on microfluidic experiments conducted to study chemical enhanced oil recovery methods on micromodel chips. In general, there are several ways to study EOR methods such core flooding and microfluidics. The disadvantage of first method is that the flow processes inside the core sample cannot be imagined. Hence, the second method helps us to fully visualize how fluid flow behaviour occurs though the porous medium of the rocks. The various chemical EOR processes such as surfactant flooding, polymer flooding and ASP flooding were studied on microfluidic chips. These chemicals were injected into micromodels to drive out crude oil. It helps to understand the interactions between crude oil and chemicals, the advancement of front developed between displacing and displaced fluids and the viscous fingering effect. Visual studies enabled us to understand the effectiveness of polymer, surfactant and alkaline separately and as combined. The different experimental methodologies to study the EOR methods are reviewed. Mainly experiments divided into two main groups: methods of geological characterisations influence to fluid transport while others study oil displacement at different condition, such high temperature, high pressure, low or high salinity, highly viscous oil. We reviewed methodologies applied to study an oil displacement by polymer, surfactant-polymer (SP) and alkaline surfactant polymer (ASP) solutions, their interactions and transport in porous media. Based on reviewed article the experimental procedure was developed. Analyses of published materials have helped to design and direct the methodology of research.