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Analysis of capillary interaction and oil recovery under ultrasonic waves

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Abstract

Although, the effects of ultrasonic irradiation on multiphase flow through porous media have been studied in the past few decades, the physics of the acoustic interaction between fluid and rock is not yet well understood. Various mechanisms may be responsible for enhancing the flow of oil through porous media in the presence of an acoustic field. Capillary related mechanisms are peristaltic transport due to mechanical deformation of the pore walls, reduction of capillary forces due to the destruction of surface films generated across pore boundaries, coalescence of oil drops due to Bjerknes forces, oscillation and excitation of capillary trapped oil drops, forces generated by cavitating bubbles, and sonocapillary effects. Insight into the physical principles governing the mobilization of oil by ultrasonic waves is vital for developing and implementing novel techniques of oil extraction. This paper aims at identifying and analyzing the influence of high-frequency, high-intensity ultrasonic radiation on capillary imbibition. Laboratory experiments were performed using cylindrical Berea sandstone and Indiana limestone samples with all sides (quasi-co-current imbibition), and only one side (counter-current imbibition) contacting with the aqueous phase. The oil saturated cores were placed in an ultrasonic bath, and brought into contact with the aqueous phase. The recovery rate due to capillary imbibition was monitored against time. Air–water, mineral oil–brine, mineral oil–surfactant solution and mineral oil-polymer solution experiments were run each exploring a separate physical process governing acoustic stimulation. Water–air imbibition tests isolate the effect of ultrasound on wettability, capillarity and density, while oil–brine imbibition experiments help outline the ultrasonic effect on viscosity and interfacial interaction between oil, rock and aqueous phase. We find that ultrasonic irradiation enhances capillary imbibition recovery of oil for various fluid pairs, and that such process is dependent on the interfacial tension and density of the fluids. Although more evidence is needed, some runs hint that wettability was not altered substantially under ultrasound. Preliminary analysis of the imbibition recoveries also suggests that ultrasound enhances surfactant solubility and reduce surfactant adsorption onto the rock matrix. Additionally, counter-current experiments involving kerosene and brine in epoxy coated Berea sandstone showed a dramatic decline in recovery. Therefore, the effectiveness of any ultrasonic application may strongly depend on the nature of interaction type, i.e., co- or counter-current flow. A modified form of an exponential model was employed to fit the recovery curves in an attempt to quantify the factors causing the incremental recovery by ultrasonic waves for different fluid pairs and rock types.

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Abbreviations

A :

Cross sectional area

C :

Constant

D :

Core diameter (cm)

\(\phi\) :

Porosity

f(γ,θ):

Capillary function

γ:

Interfacial tension (dynes/cm)

k :

Matrix permeability (millidarcy)

k w :

Permeability to water (millidarcy)

L :

Core length (cm)

L m :

Matrix length (cm)

μ gm :

Geometric mean of oil and water viscosities (cp)

μ o :

Oil viscosity (cp)

μ w :

Water viscosity(cp)

n :

Exponent

P c,eff :

Effective capillary pressure (kPa)

PV :

Pore volume

Q :

Imbibition rate (cm3/min)

R :

Recovery (cm3)

\(\rho\) :

Density (g/cm3)

R ∞ :

Ultimate recovery (cm3)

S w :

Water saturation

t :

Time (min)

ω:

Convergence constant (min−n)

Labels :

 

ADA:

Alkyldiphenyloxide disulfonic acid

CMC:

Critical miscelle concentration

HI:

High intensity (45W/cm2)

IFT:

Interfacial tension

K:

Kerosene

LO:

Low intensity (25W/cm2)

MO:

Mineral oil

NUS:

No ultrasound

OIIP:

Oil initially in place

Surf:

Surfactant

US:

Ultrasound

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Author notes

  1. Tarek Hamida

    Present address: Alberta Research Council, Edmonton, AB, Canada

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Mining and Petroleum, University of Alberta, 3-112 Markin CNRL-NREF, Edmonton, AB, Canada, T6G 2W2

    Tarek Hamida & Tayfun Babadagli

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  1. Tarek Hamida
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  2. Tayfun Babadagli
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Correspondence to Tayfun Babadagli.

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Hamida, T., Babadagli, T. Analysis of capillary interaction and oil recovery under ultrasonic waves. Transp Porous Med 70, 231–255 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-006-9097-9

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