Molecular Dynamics Simulation of Spontaneous Imbibition in Nanopores and Recovery of Asphaltenic Crude Oils Using Surfactants for EOR Applications

• Published in: Oil & gas science and technology Vol. 67; no. 5; pp. 737 - 742
• Main Authors: Stukan, M.R., Ligneul, P., Boek, E.S.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Paris Technip 01.09.2012; Institut Français du Pétrole (IFP)
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Crude oil, natural gas and petroleum products; Crude oil, natural gas, oil shales producing equipements and methods; Energy; Enhanced oil recovery methods; Exact sciences and technology; Fuels; Physics; Prospecting and production of crude oil, natural gas, oil shales and tar sands; Wettability; Adsorption; Crude oil; Enhanced recovery; Imbibition; Cleaning; Surfactant
• ISSN: 1294-4475; 1953-8189
• DOI: 10.2516/ogst/2012039

We present Molecular Dynamics (MD) simulations of the imbibition process in nanopores in case of two different mechanisms of the wettability modification. We compare the imbibition of an aqueous surfactant solution into an oil-wet pore driven by surfactant adsorption onto the oil-wet rock surface (coating mechanism) and the imbibition of an aqueous surfactants solution driven by surfactants removing the contaminant molecules from the originally water-wet surface (cleaning mechanism). Our results show qualitative difference in the imbibition dynamics in these two cases and indicate that MD simulation is a useful tool to investigate details of the imbibition mechanisms at the pore scale with direct implications for Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) operations. Nous presentons des simulations de Dynamique Moleculaire (DM) du processus d’imbibition dans des nanopores dans le cas de deux mecanismes differents de modification de mouillabilite. Nous comparons l’imbibition d’une solution aqueuse d’agent tensioactif dans un pore mouille d’huile entrainee par une adsorption d’agent tensioactif sur la surface de roche mouillee d’huile (mecanisme de revetement) et l’imbibition d’une solution aqueuse d’agent tensioactif entrainee par des agents tensioactifs eliminant les molecules contaminantes de la surface originellement mouillee d’eau (mecanisme de nettoyage). Nos resultats montrent une difference qualitative en matiere de dynamique d’imbibition dans ces deux cas et indiquent que la simulation de DM constitue un outil utile pour etudier les mecanismes d’imbibition a l’echelle des pores avec des implications directes pour des operations de recuperation renforcee d’huile (EOR, Enhanced Oil Recovery).