Gas and downhole water sink-assisted gravity drainage (GDWS-AGD) is a new process of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in oil reservoirs underlain by large bottom aquifers. The process is capital intensive as it requires the construction of dual-completed wells for oil production and water drainage and additional multiple vertical gas-injection wells. The costs could be substantially reduced by eliminating the gas-injection wells and using triple-completed multi-functional wells. These wells are dubbed triple-completion-GDWS-AGD (TC-GDWS-AGD). In this work, we design and optimize the TC-GDWS-AGD oil recovery process in a fictitious oil reservoir (Punq-S3) that emulates a real North Sea oil field. The design aims at maximum oil recovery using a minimum number of triple-completed wells with a gas-injection completion in the vertical section of the well, and two horizontal well sections—the upper section for producing oil (from above the oil/water contact) and the lower section for draining water below the oil/water contact. The three well completions are isolated with hydraulic packers and water is drained from below the oil–water contact using the electric submersible pump. Well placement is optimized using the particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique by considering only 1 or 2 TC-GDWS-AGD wells to maximize a 12-year oil recovery with a minimum volume of produced water. The best well placement was found by considering hundreds of possible well locations throughout the reservoir for the single-well and two-well scenarios. The results show 58% oil recovery and 0.28 water cut for the single-well scenario and 63.5% oil recovery and 0.45 water cut for the two-well scenario. Interestingly, the base-case scenario using two wells without the TC-GDWS-AGD process would give the smallest oil recovery of 55.5% and the largest 70% water cut. The study indicates that the TC-GDWS-AGD process could be more productive by reducing the number of wells and increasing recovery with less water production.
Experimental measurements of viscosity and thermal conductivity of single layer of graphene . based DI-water nanofluid are performed as a function of concentrations (0.1-1wt%) and temperatures between (5 to 35ºC). The result reveals that the thermal conductivity of GNPs nanofluids was increased with increasing the nanoparticle weight fraction concentration and temperature, while the maximum enhancement was about 22% for concentration of 1 wt.% at
35ºC. These experimental results were compared with some theoretical models and a good agreement between Nan’s model and the experimental results was observed. The viscosity of the graphene nanofluid displays Newtonian and Non-Newtonian behaviors with respect to nanoparticles concen
Natural polymers are often non-toxic, biodegradable, biocompatible, and safe. A novel ligand was synthesized as a natural polymer using chitosan and oleander plant extract [(2R,3S,4R,5S)-5-(acetoxyamino)-4-hydroxy-3,6-dimethoxytetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-yl) methyl (16R)-3-(((2S,4S,5R)-4-methoxy-2,5-dimethyltetrahydro-2H-pyran-2-yl)oxy-10,13,16-trimethyl-17-(5-oxo-2,5-dihydrofuran-3-yl) hexadecahydro-14H-cyclopenta [a] phenanthren-14-yl) phthalate] (Chitosan-Ph-Oleander). This ligand and its complexes with several metals (Cr+3, Mn+2, Fe+3, Ni+2, Cu+2, Zn+2) were characterized using FTIR, UV-visible and 1H-NMR spectroscopy, as well as by molar conductivity, magnetic moment, and TGA analysis. The biological activity for the prepared polymer
... Show MoreAsmari is the main productive reservoir in Abu Ghirab oilfield in the south-east part of Iraq. It has history production extends from 1976 up to now with several close periods. Recently, the reservoir suffers some problems in production, which are abstracted as water production rising with oil production declining in most wells. The water problem type of the field and wells is identified by using Chan's diagnostic plots (water oil ratio (WOR) and derivative water oil ratio (WOR') against time). The analytical results show that water problem is caused by the channeling due to high permeability zones, high water saturation zones, and faults or fracturing. The numerical approach is also used to study the water movement insi
... Show MoreIn drilling fluid program, selecting the drilling fluid that will reduce the lost time is the first objective, and will be economical regardless of its cost. The amount and type of solids in drilling fluid is the primary control of the rheological and filtration properties. Palygorskite clay (attapulgite) is an active solid that has the ability to reactive with its environment and form a gel structure within a fluid and due to its stability in the presence of brines and electrolytes this type of clay is preferred for use. The aim of this study is to improve properties of Iraqi palygorskite (PAL) by adding different chemical additives such as caustic soda NaOH and soda ash Na2CO3 with a different con
... Show MoreIn this research, a novel synthesis of CaONPs has been developed via an environmentally friendly, green method. Garlic extract (Allium sativum) was used as a green-reducing and stabilizing agent for CaONPs. The average particle size of CaONPs was approximately 24.42 nm. The synthesized CaONPs were identified by using Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, U.V.-vis spectrum, X-ray diffraction (XRD), Field Emission-Scanning Electron Microscopy (FE-SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM), Energy Dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM), and zeta potential (Zp) analysis. The current study highlights the notable applications for CaONPs. First, an antimicrobial assay revea
... Show MoreNanoparticles (NPs) have unique capabilities that make them an eye-opener opportunity for the upstream oil industry. Their nano-size allows them to flow within reservoir rocks without the fear of retention between micro-sized pores. Incorporating NPs with drilling and completion fluids has proved to be an effective additive that improves various properties such as mud rheology, filtration, thermal conductivity, and wellbore stability. However, the biodegradability of drilling fluid chemicals is becoming a global issue as the discharged wetted cuttings raise toxicity concerns and environmental hazards. Therefore, it is urged to utilize chemicals that tend to break down and susceptible to biodegradation. This research presents the pra
... Show MoreIn this work an experimental study is performed to evaluate the thermal performance
of locally made closed loop solar hot water system using a shell and helical coiled tube
heat exchanger as a storage tank. Several measurements are taken include inlet and outlet
temperatures of both collectors and supply water and temperature distribution within the
storage tank. This is beside the water flow rate in both collectors and load cycle. The
main parameters of the system are obtained.
