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Quantitative In Situ Enhanced Oil Recovery Monitoring Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

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Abstract

Quantitative in situ monitoring of oil recovery from sedimentary rock is demonstrated for the first time using advanced two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) correlation measurements on a low field spectrometer. The laboratory-scale NMR system was chosen to provide a common physics of measurement with NMR well-logging tools. The NMR protocols are used to monitor recovery of a heavy Middle East crude oil from high permeability sandstone plugs using a brine (water) flood followed by chemical enhanced oil recovery agents: polymer and alkaline–surfactant–polymer solutions. 2D correlations between relaxation time (T 1, T 2) and apparent self-diffusion coefficient D app are used to obtain simultaneously a volumetric determination of the oil and aqueous fluid-phase saturations present in the porous material. The T 1 − T 2 and D app − T 2 correlations are bulk measurements of the entire rock core-plug; excellent agreement is shown between the measures of remaining oil (from NMR) and recovered oil (from gravimetric assay of the effluent). Furthermore, we introduce the capability to measure spatially resolved T 2 distributions on a low field spectrometer using a rapid frequency-encoded y − T 2 map. A non-uniform distribution of remaining oil is observed due to viscous instabilities in the flowing liquids; the final oil saturation ranges from \({S_{\rm o}^{\rm{(final)}} \approx 0}\) to 20 % along the direction of flow. These results highlight the quantitative nature of the NMR data obtainable in low field NMR core analysis and also the importance of spatially resolved measurements when studying short core-plugs.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, University of Cambridge, New Museums Site, Pembroke Street, Cambridge, CB2 3RA, UK

    Jonathan Mitchell

  2. Schlumberger Cambridge Research, High Cross, Madingley Road, Cambridge, CB3 0EL, UK

    John Staniland, Romain Chassagne & Edmund J. Fordham

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  1. Jonathan Mitchell
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  2. John Staniland
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  3. Romain Chassagne
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  4. Edmund J. Fordham
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Correspondence to Jonathan Mitchell.

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Mitchell, J., Staniland, J., Chassagne, R. et al. Quantitative In Situ Enhanced Oil Recovery Monitoring Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance. Transp Porous Med 94, 683–706 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-012-0019-8

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