Journal of Petroleum Technology July 2012 : Page 31

SAVE THE PLANET, ONE WELL AT A TIME 6000 5000 4000 3000 20 2000 1000 0 10 0 0 5 10 15 20 25 50 40 30 Concentration, ppm Concentration Pressure Pore Volumes Injected Fig. 2—Effluent concentration and pressure drop change with injected volume in sandstone core. Summary Nanoparticle-stabilized foams may provide a novel means of generating improved mobility control agents for CO 2 EOR. Aqueous nanoparticle dis-persions may provide an alternative to the use of surfactants, especially in res-ervoirs with harsh conditions, where surfactant-produced foams may degrade because of adsorption on the reser-voir rock and high temperature. Com-mercial fumed nanosilica can be pur-chased at very low cost, at less than USD 4/lbm. The costs can be reduced fur-ther by use of other nanoparticles (e.g., nanoclays or fly ash). Proof-of-concept tests in real porous media have shown that it is possible to propagate these dispersions through a porous medium without the adsorption or trapping of nanoparticles in pores. The results are promising at labora-tory scale. More tests are needed to show the ability of nanofoam to improve con-formance for better volumetric sweep efficiency. Although this technology is still in its early development, some oper-ators have expressed interest in limited field testing. Tech) serves as principal investigator for award FE-DE0005979. JPT References Espinosa, D., Caldesas, F., Johnston, K., Bry-ant, S.L., and Huh, C. 2010. Nanoparti-cle-Stabilized Supercritical CO 2 , Foams for Potential Mobility Control Applica-tions. Paper SPE 129925, presented at the SPE Improved Oil Recovery Sympo-sium, Tulsa, 24–28 April. http://dx.doi. org/10.2118/129925-MS. National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). 2011. Use of Engineered Nanopar-ticle-Stabilized CO 2 Foams to Improve Vol-umetric Sweep of CO 2 EOR Processes http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/Petroleum/projects/EP/ImprovedRec/ FE0005917-UTA.html NETL. 2011. Nanoparticle-Stabilized CO 2 Foam for CO 2 EOR Application. http:// www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/oil-gas/ Petroleum/projects/EP/ImprovedRec/ FE0005979-NMIMT.html Worthen, A.J., Bagaris, H.G., Chen, Y., Bry-ant, S.L., Huh, C., and Johnston, K.P. 2012. Nanoparticle-Stabilized Carbon Dioxide in Water Foams for Enhanced Oil Recovery. Paper SPE 154285, presented at the SPE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium, Tulsa, 16–18 April. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/ 10.2118/154285-MS. Yu, J., An, C., Mo, D., Liu, N., and Lee, R. 2012. Study of Adsorption and Transportation Behavior of Nanoparticles in Three Dif-ferent Porous Media. Paper SPE 153337, presented at the SPE Improved Oil Recov-ery Symposium, Tulsa, 16–18 April, http:// dx.doi.org/10.2118/153337-MS. Pressure, psi Our latest citrus based CnF Nano-Fuids have revolutionized the way the world thinks about fracturing’s environmental impact and will improve your production. Oh, and one more thing... These same Nano-Fluids are also very beneficial in optimizing oil recovery in your EOR Projects. TM Acknowledgments The work described in the article was supported by two DOE/NETL awards. Steven Bryant and Keith Johnston (UT) are the principal investigators for award FE-DE0005917. Ning Liu (New Mexico For more information contact cesimkt@flotekind.com or call 832-308-CESI (2374) JPT • JULY 2012

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