Saudi Arabian Oil Company

Subhash Ayirala

Ali Abdallah Al-Yousef

Dong Kyu Cha

Muhammad Majid Almajid

Zuhair AlYousef

Ming Han

Ali AlYousef

A method to improve the efficiency of a gravity drainage CO2 gas injection process includes the steps of: (a) injecting a slug proximate to an underground reservoir, wherein the slug comprises a polymer component and an inorganic metal ion type crosslinking agent that are configured to form an in situ weak gel in the reservoir to block high permeability channels in a pay zone of the reservoir; and (b) continuously injecting COgas at a top of the pay zone to form a gas cap at the top of the reservoir and to cause the gas cap to advance rapidly towards a producing well located below to provide a uniform sweep of the gas cap.

Methodology to improve the efficiency of gravity drainage CO2 gas injection processes

Described is a method for treating hydrocarbons in a reservoir. A foaming surfactant solution and a foaming gas are introduced into the upper portion of a reservoir such that barrier foam bubbles form. Then, super/critical carbon dioxide is introduced such that a CO2 cap forms. The CO2 cap is formed above a foam barrier of aggregated barrier foam bubbles positioned at an interface between hydrocarbons to be treated in the reservoir and the CO2 cap. The super/critical carbon dioxide is introduced into the reservoir at an injection rate that is greater than a pre-treatment critical gas injection rate. Hydrocarbons are recovered from a lower portion of the reservoir.

Methodology to increase oil production rates in gravity drainage CO2 gas injection processes

A method for measuring liquid-rock and liquid-liquid interfaces including performing at least one measurement technique proximate a subterranean rock sample and an interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction, where a liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the subterranean rock sample are combined to exhibit a first interface between the liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the subterranean rock sample, producing the interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction. The method includes performing at least one measurement technique proximate the interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction and a brine solution, where the liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the brine solution are combined to exhibit a second interface between the liquid hydrocarbon fraction and the brine solution, and where the measurement techniques result in measurements of the interfacial liquid hydrocarbon fraction at macro, micro to nano, nano to sub-nano, and sub-nano scales, and result in measurements of the second interface at macro and micro to nano scales.

Smart water flooding processes for increasing hydrocarbon recovery

Methods, compositions, and techniques for enhancing the production of hydrocarbons such as crude oil from subterranean hydrocarbon bearing formations are disclosed. In some embodiments, the invention relates to processes for evaluating enhanced oil recovery mechanisms in carbonate based reservoirs at both the rock-fluid and oil-water interfaces using spectroscopic and interfacial techniques. In further embodiments, the spectroscopic and interfacial techniques include microscopic, rheometric and tensiometric measurements. In preferred embodiments, the disclosed methods and techniques provide reservoir based details at that allow for optimized 'smart water' flooding practices and correspondingly higher oil recovery rates.

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Katy, TX, United States of America

Subhash Ayirala