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A master's thesis from Aalborg University
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Smart Water Flooding and Production

Translated title

Smart vand oversvømmelse og produktion

Author

Term

4. term

Publication year

2019

Submitted on

Pages

129

Abstract

Specialet undersøger, om og hvordan smart vand (lavsalint vand, der bevarer vigtige divalente ioner) kan ændre kalkreservoirers vådbarhed for at øge olieindvindingen, hvordan sådant vand kan fremstilles ved hjælp af membranteknologi, og hvilke produktionsscenarier der er mest energieffektive. Vådbarheden (hvordan væske fordeler sig på klippeoverfladen) blev målt med en modificeret flotationsteknik ved 100 °C på kalkprøver udsat for forskellige saltholdige opløsninger baseret på syntetisk havvand og Ekofisk-formationens vand med varierende fortynding. 20× fortyndet syntetisk havvand, som stadig indeholdt sulfat, magnesium og calcium, gav den største vådbarhedsændring (ca. 60,67%) og dermed potentiale for højere olieudbytte. Til fremstilling af smart vand blev nanofiltration (NF) og omvendt osmose (RO) brugt til at adskille ioner i havvand og blande NF-retentat (med divalente ioner) med lavsalint permeat for at opnå den ønskede sammensætning. NF tilbageholdt omtrent 90% sulfat, 60% Mg2+, 28% Ca2+, 20% Cl− og 23% Na+ i retentatet, mens RO leverede et permeat med ca. 5% sulfat, 49% Mg2+, 8% Ca2+, 17% Cl− og 26% Na+. Den producerede smart vand øgede vådbarheden i kalk med ca. 25% i forhold til originalt havvand i efterfølgende tests. En sammenligning af to produktionsscenarier viste en optimal membranbaseret løsning med et minimalt energiforbrug omkring 4,63 kWh/m3.

This thesis examines whether and how smart water (low-salinity water that retains key divalent ions) can alter the wettability of chalk reservoirs to enhance oil recovery, how to produce such water using membrane technology, and which production setups are most energy efficient. Wettability (how a fluid spreads over a rock surface) was assessed using a modified flotation technique at 100 °C on chalk exposed to a range of brines prepared from synthetic seawater and Ekofisk formation water at different dilutions. A 20× diluted synthetic seawater containing sulfate, magnesium, and calcium produced the largest wettability alteration (about 60.67%), indicating potential for higher oil recovery. To make smart water, nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) were used to separate ions in seawater and blend NF retentate (rich in divalent ions) with low-salinity permeate to reach the desired composition. NF retained approximately 90% sulfate, 60% Mg2+, 28% Ca2+, 20% Cl−, and 23% Na+ in the retentate, while RO yielded a permeate with about 5% sulfate, 49% Mg2+, 8% Ca2+, 17% Cl−, and 26% Na+. The produced smart water increased chalk wettability by around 25% compared with original seawater in follow-up tests. Evaluation of two production scenarios identified an optimal membrane-based setup with a minimum energy use of about 4.63 kWh/m3.

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