An Overview of “Compositional Streamline Simulation” Project

Is there a Future for
Enhanced Oil Recovery?
Erling H. Stenby
22 August 2014
About me
• PhD 1985: EOR – a study on model systems
• Professor of Applied Thermodynamics since 1996
• Director of CERE 1994-2014
• Department Head of DTU Chemistry since 2010
• Scientific Director for EOR at DHRTC since 1 July 2014
CERE – a multi disciplinary center
DTU Chemistry
DTU Civil Engineering
DTU Chemical Engineering
DTU Compute
DTU Space
> 50 Researchers and PhDs
~ 10 Technicians and Admin
International guests
~ 20 Thesis projects
?
?
PROCESSING
FLOW ASSURANCE
ROCK PHYSICS
GEOPHYSICS
RESERVOIR PROCESSES
CERE Consortium 2014
A New Initiative from 1 July 2014: DHRTC
• Research center based at DTU in collaboration with:
– KU, AAU, AU and GEUS
• Funded by DUC:
– Maersk Oil, Shell, Chevron and Nordsøfonden
• Budget:
– DKK 1.000.000.000 over 10 years
• Objectives:
– Carry out research that can lead to enhanced oil recovery in the
Danish North Sea as well as increase the recruitment base for
the Danish oil and gas industry
Danish Oil Production
Danish Energy Authority, 2010
Danish Energy Authority, 2013
Temperature: 50 – 200oC Pressure: 300 - 1000 atm
0.007 mm
Micrometer
Centimeter
Meter
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Micrometer
Knudshoved
Sprogø
DTU
Centimeter
Ordrup
Halsskov
Meter
Halfdan Field
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Danish Oil Production
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What is the role of oil?
•A short explanation follows…
http://www.ted.com/talks/hans_rosling_and_the_
magic_washing_machine
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What is the role of oil?
•A short explanation follows…
•The basis for our modern society and thus Power
–Development of society:
• Economy and prosperity
–Geo politics: War and peace
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18
IEA
World Energy Outlook 2008
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IEA
World Energy Outlook 2008
Coffee Break
Problem
How big is the potential?
EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery)
Natural gas
N2
CO2
?
26%
74%
?
+1% ~ DKK 70 billion
Oil production mechanisms
•Primary recovery
–Use of the inherent energy of the system
•Secondary recovery
–Energy added to the system in form of
injected fluids
•Tertiary/enhanced oil recovery
–Mobilizing the trapped residual oil
Oil Recovery
Primary
•Drive mechanisms
Secondary
•Drive mechanisms
–Oil expansion
–Pressure maintenance
–Solution gas drive
–Water flooding
–Gas cap expansion
–Immiscible gas
–Water drive
EOR Processes
Gas injection simulations
How to recover more oil?
• Mobilize remaining oil
• Sweep unswept areas
Advanced Oil Recovery Methods
• Miscible gas injection: CO2, Hydrocarbon gas
– Change in oil composition = change in properties:
Viscosity, interfacial tension, Sor
• Chemical flooding: Polymer, Surfactant, Alkaline
– Change of water composition = change in properties:
Viscosity, interfacial tension, wettability, Sor
• Thermal recovery: Steam injection, In-situ combustion
– Change in reservoir temperature = change in oil properties
– Change in oil composition = change in oil properties:
Viscosity, Miscibility conditions, Upgrading
Advanced Oil Recovery Methods
• Drawbacks:
– Cost
– Delayed production
– Risk of failure = no effect
– Risk of failure = lower production, e.g. plugging and other
types of reservoir damage
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The Weyburn Field in Canada
CO2
EOR Research at DTU
• CO2 for EOR
CO2
• Advanced Water Flooding
• Chemical Flooding – Surfactants
• Thermal EOR
CH4
C10
– In-Situ Combustion
C4
– SAGD
– Steam + Solvents
• Microbial and Enzymatic EOR
• Advanced simulation methods
• Rock Mechanics
The Potential and Challenges of
CO2 EOR in the Danish Chalk
Erling H. Stenby
Center for Energy Resources Engineering – CERE
Technical University of Denmark, DTU
Co-authors:
M. Monzurul Alam, Ben Niu, Ida L. Fabricius, Wei Yan,
Center for Energy Resources Engineering, DTU
Helle F. Christensen, Frederik P. Ditlevsen, Morten L. Hjuler,
Danish Geotechnical Institute, GEO
Dan Olsen,
Geological Survey of Denmark and Greenland
Objective of WP 1: Rock – Fluid Interactions
To quantify the effect of CO2-flooding of chalk on:
• Borehole stability (Shear strength properties)
• Compaction and subsidence (Pore collapse strength)
• Stiffness parameters
Deliverables are data for:
• Reservoir modeling (compaction drive)
• Numerical modeling of borehole stability
• Petrophysical interpretation
Wormholes
Problem
Wormholes have compromised
test results in previous studies
Problem solution
Estimate highest allowable
flooding rate from Da and Pe
and staying below
Result
Efforts successful – no wormholes
detected in this test series
37 mm
Wormholes on chalk end surface!
Petrography: Tor Formation
Porosity: 26%
Permeability: 0.8 mD
BET: 1.7 m2/g
Ca-carbonate: 98.6%
calcite
quartz
smectite
dolomite
Petrography: Ekofisk Formation
Porosity: 32%
Permeability: 0.6 mD
BET: 3.5 m2/g
Ca-carbonate: 88.3%
calcite
quartz
kaolinite
Major Flooding Results
Formation
Tor
Porosity
Gas perm
26 %
1.1 mD
Ekofisk
33 %
0.73 mD
So, start of waterflood
0.64
0.65
So, end waterflood
0.10
0.43
So, end CO2-flood
0.018
0.15
Sg, end CO2-flood
0.57
0.58
Produced oil, waterflood
84 %OOIP
34 %OOIP
Produced oil, CO2-flood
13 %OOIP
44 %OOIP
Residual oil, end CO2 flood
2.8 %OOIP
22 %OOIP
Overview of the Experimental Setup
Ekofisk: Gas flooding
EOR through CO2 Utilization
o No negative effect on borehole stability and
compaction
o Some effect on stiffness of the Tor formation
o No negative interaction with the South Arne oil
o New generic data and modelling on CO2+brine
o Increased recovery from the Tor formation
o Dramatically increased recovery from the Ekofisk
formation
EOR in Denmark
•
•
•
•
•
CO2 was promising but…
Water works but…
Natural gas is valuable but…
Time is running…
Therefore DHRTC has been started and it
needs to be very focused.
Besides EOR…
Unconventional Resources
•Gas hydrates in oceans and polar regions
•Oil sand / Bitumen
•Extra heavy oil
•Deep water (> 3 km)
•Deep reservoirs, HP/HT (> 5 km)
•Arctic oil
Oil sand - SAGD (Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage)
NextOil: HPHT
• The petroleum industry is a growth
industry
• The potential in Denmark is
enormous!
• It involves economy, science, and
politics
• It is challenging, difficult, and fun
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Thank you for listening!
[email protected]