Year: 2010
Type: dissertation
Abstract: The idea of this thesis is to use the technique for applications in petroleum engineering. This has been previously thought about, and the biogrouting technique has already been verified in the laboratory to work in a well (much larger pressure and temperature) (Latil e.a. 2008). The purpose of this thesis is to examine if the technique can be used for enhanced recovery. In enhanced oil and gas recovery, water is injected into the reservoir, to increase pressure and replace the gas and/or oil, and thus get more hydrocarbon out of the reservoir. When this is done in a zone of dual permeability, it only works to a certain degree. Suppose we have two layers with different permeabilities, and water is injected; the water replaces the hydrocarbons in the most permeable layer, and fills it up. When more water is injected, the oil in the least permeable layer is harder to push out than the previously injected water in the other layer, and the ‘new’ water just replaces the ‘old’, thus eliminating further effect of water injection. A possible solution for this problem, and subject of this thesis is ‘specific grouting’ of just the high permeable zone, so that the oil in the low permeable zone becomes ‘first choice’; that is, the high permeable layer now has the lowest permeability (because of the cement), and the previously low permeable layer now has the higher permeability of the system. Upon injection, it is now easier for the water to push out and replace the oil than to fill up the other, water saturated low permeable layer. Most important parts of the work for this thesis were designing the laboratory set-up, calculating the concentrations of flushing fluid and measuring pressure drop before and after cementation, so that difference in permeability can be detected.
Author: Mathijs Janzen
Language: English
Subfield: Fuel Technology
Field: Energy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funder: Technische Universiteit Delft
OpenAlex ID: W4763969