What is the EOR? Mechanism and Exp. Earth System Engineering Course, Department of Earth Resources Engineering, Kyushu University Takehiro Esaki. Date: Thr. 3 th July. @UJICY
Plans Experimental plans for UJICY ① In-situ Hydrogen generation experiments. (Pre-e) ② EOR experiments (Extra experiments)
2025/6/4 UJICY ② EOR Experiments What is the EOR? EOR = Enhanced Oil Recovery Crude oil is stored in pore of Rocks at actual subsurface field To recover crude oil in the underground efficiently on the surface
2025/6/4 UJICY About EOR Demand for oil continues to rise but… Developing new oil fields is difficult EOR is essential as it is carried out in existing oil field ※EOR; Enhanced Oil Recovery Global liquid fuel consumption forecast International Energy Outlook 2023 – EIA https://www.eia.gov/outlooks/ieo 研究背景 This is Background for EOR
2025/6/4 UJICY EOR Mechanism Firstly, we get the Oil through subsurface by oil-self pressure effect (primary recovery) During getting oil, the pressure of subsurface is decreased. So, We inject the fluid from the injection well in order to recover the pressure, and obtained more Oil. The fluid is usually used water. (Secondary recovery) After the secondary recovery, we can obtained a large crude oil. But, Theoretically, it is said that the oil is remained 70 % at the subsurface field. (Estimation)
2025/6/4 UJICY EOR Mechanism Around 20 years ago, The oil company checked the well properties and Water cut ratio (Oil concentration on getting fluid). Then, shifted and moved the field, and made new wells. Currently, they cannot proceed the new development oil recovery projects because of global warming. The investment to new projects is difficult. So, The oil company considered the EOR methods. EOR is enhanced oil recovery (Tertiary recovery)
2025/6/4 UJICY Types of EOR methods Thermal EOR Chemical EOR CO2 EOR Nanoparticles EOR Microbe, bubble EOR Alkali Surfactants
2025/6/4 UJICY Improvements of Oil liquidity Thermal EOR ・ Injection of high temperature vapor, In-situ combustion The viscosity of crude oil varies with temperature. Chemical EOR IFT and contact angle between fluid and oil. CO2 EOR Oil is absorbed by CO2 super critical phase. Nanoparticles EOR IFT and nanoparticles agglomerate and blocking
2025/6/4 UJICY Purpose of these experiments Purpose of these experiments Do the EOR experiments in lab-scale using crude oil from Uzbekistan (Andijan) We obtained the effective methods for EOR methods. Evaluate the Oil reservoir condition after EOR, Replicate real subsurface conditions for gasification ※Unfortunately, we have a little amount of Andijan Oil In this year, we make the experimental equipment, and do the pre-experiments. (2025.7.3 ～ )
2025/6/4 UJICY The experimental equipment Overall view of equipment Syringe pump
2025/6/4 UJICY The experimental equipment
2025/6/4 UJICY Procedure ① Making sand pack ② Calculation of porosity ③ Measurement of permeability ④ Filling oil ⑤ Water flooding ⑥ Nanoparticle EOR Experimental procedure
2025/6/4 UJICY ・ Record the amount of water that comes out of the sand pack ・ Fill water to the mark line and add sand to the mark line ・ Water that comes above the mark line is transferred to a graduated cylinder ① Making sand packs
2025/6/4 UJICY L A ・ ε ： Porosity [%] ・ L ： Length of sand pack [cm] ・ A ： Closs-sectional area [cm²] ② Calculation porosity
2025/6/4 UJICY ・ Measuring flow rate and pressure difference using a plunger pump ・ K ： Permeability [ darcy ] ・ Q ： Flow rate [mL/sec] ・ μ ： Viscosity [ cP ] ・ L ： Length of sand pack [cm] ・ A ： Closs-sectional area [cm²] ・ ΔP ： Pressure difference [atm] ③ Measurement of permeability
2025/6/4 UJICY ・ 3PV oil flow into sand pack (PV ; Pore Volume = Injected flow rate [mL] / Water remining in the sand pack [mL]) ・ Measure the amount of water that coming out of the sand pack Amount of oil in the sand pack ④ Filling Oil
2025/6/4 UJICY ・ 3PV water flow at a rate of 1mL per minute ⑤ Water flooding (secondary recovery)
2025/6/4 UJICY ⑥ EOR ・ 4PV nanofluid flow at a rate of 0.5mL per minute ・ Determine how much the recovery rate has increased Nanoparticles to use ・ Ca(OH) ₂ ・ NiO ・ MgO Change the concentration Ca(OH) ₂ concentration change
2025/6/4 UJICY Situation during injection of Ca(OH) ₂ nanofluid (1.1 vol%) Pressure during injection pH and Ca² ⁺ concentration during injection No large pressure increase after 2PV → No blockage has occurred ※PV: Pore Volume Rise after 3PV → Oil is collected after the core is filled with nanofluid Water Ca(OH) ₂ ※1.1 vol% (pH:12.74, Ca² ⁺ concentration:330 ppm) Ca(OH) ₂ Experimental results (Estimation)
2025/6/4 UJICY The experimental equipment Build a device similar to what we have in our lab. ⇒ So, I will make the equipment, and tell you I will explain about EOR equipment How to setup, use, measure If possible, you finished the EOR experiment, take out the sand pack and used directly for gasification experiments.
