Multiscale modelling of fundamentals of reactive transport for enhanced oil recovery applications: Impact of electrokinetics in charged systems.

Abstract

Enhanced oil recovery processes require an understanding of a variety of transport phenomena taking place at multiple scales. In Low salinity waterflooding (LSF), alteration of injected brine ionic composition into the reservoir has been observed to increase the amount of oil produced. Although the physical mechanism by which LSF operates is a subject of debate, it has been known to be linked to the electrokinetic transport mechanisms arising from the chemical interaction between the oil, the brine and the solid substrate that are present in porous media found in oil reservoirs. This work was focused on using computational modelling to study the electrokinetic transport mechanisms relevant to these processes at different scales. First, a pore-scale study is made centered on the hydrodynamic regimes produced by the superposition of electro-osmotic and pressure-driven flows in porous media containing surface-charged solids. The effect of these flow regimes on solute mixing and dispersion was analyzed. Next electrokinetic transport in nano-scale films under variable salinity conditions was studied to gain insights into the physical mechanisms associated with wettability alteration; with particular emphasis on the impact of divalent ions in the electrostatic disjoining pressure in constant charge systems. Finally, a two-phase electro-hydrodynamic analysis was made focused on studying the ability of local electrostatic forces to deform an oil/brine interface.

Date of Award	6 Jan 2021
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Nima Shokri (Supervisor) & Vahid Joekar-Niasar (Supervisor)