Projects

Details:
The combustion tube is an important tool for screening reservoirs for the potential application of air injection based oil recovery processes.  The combustion tube test is an elemental model (as opposed to scaled model) in that it tests an actual reservoir sample under conditions of temperature and pressure (up to 6,000 psi) that would be encountered in the reservoirThree types of air injection laboratory data are routinely analyzed in the design of air injection projects.

Objectives for 2016:

• Define:
  1. Burn Stability:  Assessment of how well the combustion performs and whether any stability issues exist.
  2. Economic Parameters:  Measurement of air and fuel requirement provides parameters to perform preliminary production assessment and compressor sizing.
• Develop initial kinetic-displacement model from experimental data.

Potential Impact:
Reservoir screening, field design parameters and process performance monitoring for implementation of the HPAI-based oil recovery processes in Russia

Details:
The proposed technique is based on gas injection into gas hydrate reservoirs. The gas could be nitrogen (N2) and flue gas (or N2-CO2 mixtures), depending on in-situ conditions, infrastructure, and targets of the hydrate reservoir development. The injected gas will shift the thermodynamic conditions out of the methane hydrate stability zone (HSZ), resulting in gas hydrate decomposition and methane production.

Objectives for 2016:
The overall objectives of this project are to develop a novel technology by N2 and flue gas (N2-CO2 mixtures) injection (1) for recovering methane from gas hydrates and (2) for sequestrating CO2 in marine or permafrost sediments

Potential Impact:
In the late time of this project (e.g., the 5th year), in close collaboration with relevant Russian oil and gas companies, suitable candidate hydrate reservoirs in the West Siberian basin could be identified for field trials. Upscale the developed kinetic models can be upscaled using the field trial data. The outcomes of the field trials can be provide both scientific and engineering evidence to evaluate this N2 and flue gas injection method for methane recovery from gas hydrate reservoirs

Details:
Geophysical and geomechanical properties of hydrate-bearing permafrost sediments. This task is to quantitatively investigate the effect of gas hydrates on the geomechanical and geophysical properties of the permafrost sediments.  Methane hydrate will be formed in the sediment cores under test.  Then the hydrate-bearing sediment cores will be frozen.  The triaxial test system will be used for determining geophysical properties (P-wave and S-wave velocities, attenuation (quality factor), dynamic bulk and shear moduli) of methane hydrate-bearing frozen sediments, while the geomechanical properties (strain, stress, static bulk and shear moduli, Poisson ratio, etc.) will be tested through conventional loading-unloading experiments.  The tests will be repeated with a series of methane hydrate saturations at typical in-situ temperature and pressure conditions.  In this task the tests will conducted in the absence of salt to exclude the effect of salts and to establish a baseline.

Objectives for 2016:

• To measure the geomechanical and geophysical properties and thermal conductivity of ice-hydrate-bearing sediments.
• To investigate the effect of salts in the pore water on the hydrate cementing behavior in hydrate-bearing frozen sediments.
• To develop coupled geophysical-thermal correlations for determining gas hydrates in simulating gas hydrate-bearing permafrost sediments.

Potential Impact:
The measured geomechanical and geophysical data will provide the industry with experimental experience for wellbore stability information when drilling through gas hydrate-bearing sediments.The measured thermal conductivity of hydrate-bearing permafrost sediments can benefit the Russian geophysicists for better understanding of the thermal characteristic of gas hydrate reservoirs.The developed coupled geophysical and thermal models can be evaluated by the Russian oil and gas industry for quantifying gas hydrates in Russia.

Details:
Thermometry is currently the most effective method of control of oil field development. However, the developed theory, research methodology and interpretation are, to a greater extent, to terrigenous collectors and to the traditional ways of exploitation of oil fields. Control of development of fields with horizontal wells, with the use of hydraulic fracturing, including multi-stage fracturing collectors with super-low permeability, shale oil demand revision of theory, research design and interpretation of well thermometry.

Objectives for 2016:

• Justification of the criteria for allocation of the pay zones in unconventional oil reservoirs .
• Development of science-based technology of thermometric control of oil production in horizontal wells.

Potential Impact:

• Results of the analysis of information content of geophysical methods in the study of unconventional reservoirs.
• Physical basis of temperature control of hydrocarbon production in these conditions.
• Results of laboratory study of properties of unconventional reservoirs, physical and mathematical modeling of multiphase flows to different trajectories of the wellbore.
• Method of geophysical control of field development with horizontal wells.
• Multilayer well research method on the basis of mathematical modeling of thermohydrodynamic processes.
• Method of unsteady thermometry for diagnosing watered low yield wells.
• Method of diagnostics of hydraulic fracture on the basis of the thermohydrodynamic research by multi-sensor equipment to determine the direction, height, width and length of the fracture.

Details:
The project aims to solve the fundamental problem of physical-chemical hydrodynamics and mechanics of multiphase systems to investigate the interaction processes between electromagnetic fields and oil-saturated porous media, to create new combined influence methods on bottomhole formation zone to improve heavy oil recovery.

Objectives for 2016:

• Develop laboratory stand, the experimental laboratory and techniques to study an impact of radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic (EM) field on bottomhole formation zone.
• Develop mathematical model and realization of the predictive calculations for the RF EM field impact on high-viscosity oils and bitumen.

Potential Impact:
Methods for stimulation of high-viscosity oils and bitumen production and enhanced oil recovery.

Details:
Development of the technology of numerical modeling hydraulic fracture development for different growth mechanisms. It will account for different loading conditions as well as different structure of the medium

Objectives for 2016:

• Generation of seismic waves caused by fracture advancement depending on medium state and advancement mechanism.
• Mechanisms of fracture advancement.

Potential Impact:

• Obtained results will contribute to the development of technology for the development of unconventional hydrocarbon deposits by improving the methods of controlling HF.
• Technology of HF control.
• Technology of assessing feasibility and effectiveness of HF.
• Reducing costs and risks of contamination during HF.

Details:
Microseismic monitoring is currently one of the most informative methods aimed to describe hydraulic fracturing (HF) and widely used in hydrocarbons production. However, current state of art does not allow obtaining all the information about the geomechanical processes related to the fracturing.To improve microseismic data processing results and effectiveness of microseismic monitoring it is necessary to solve a number of problems.

Objectives for 2016:

• Development and implementation of new methods for microseismic data processing (from hydraulic fracturing monitoring) taking into account seismic anisotropy.
• Development methods for estimating the resolution of the method of hydraulic fracturing microseismic monitoring for different acquisition systems.

Potential Impact:

• Technology of data processing and analysis for microseismic monitoring of hydraulic fracturing without dependence on foreign software.
• Technology of seismic velocity model building from microseismic data suitable for application hydraulic fracturing in unconventional reservoirs (characterized by strong seismic anisotropy).
• Technology of calibrating geomechanic models of fracture growth and reservoir production using microseismic monitoring.

Details:
The efficient exploration and recovery of unconventional oil and gas is crucially dependent on the correct understanding of their physical properties at different scales. The principal goal of the project is to develop methods and algorithms that will allow to estimate the oil-bearing and filtration properties of unconventional collectors from seismic and log data. To reach this goal the comprehensive mathematical model of the main types of  rocks will be elaborated and calibrated via experiments.  The model will be based on the modern rock physics approaches, specifically – effective media theory. The necessary experiments include the high-pressure studies, micro-structure, mineralogical, fluid and chemical composition mapping. Deliverables will include the models, unconventional oil-bearing rock properties databases and software for the upscaling and downscaling of the effective elastic properties as well as for the inversion of the seismic and log data for oil-bearing and filtration properties.

Objectives for 2016:

• Investigate the unconventional oil-bearing and another hydrocarbon system elements rocks physical properties at different scales (from nm to 10th of m) and their dependence on microstructure, fluid, pressure, temperature, etc. for the purposes of the efficient hydrocarbon recovery and exploration and risk mitigation.
• Develop theoretical framework for homogenization methods including algorithms for calculating the effective elastic properties of the unconventional hydrocarbon reservoir rocks at different frequencies and scales, and methods for detecting oil saturation and permeability from geophysical data with the special emphasis on unconventional resources.

Potential Impact:

• Developed methods and software for the localization of the unconventional oil-bearing formations and determination of their effective transport and oil-bearing properties from well logs and field data will stimulate the exploration and recovery of the unconventional oil fields. The exploration will be more effective and associated risks will be lowered.
• The oil-bearing and transport properties of major Russian unconventional oil formations will be investigated. That will help to improve the accuracy of the unconventional oil supplies estimation and guide the exploration and recovery plans.
• Methods and algorithms for the estimation of the quasi-static elastic moduli and non-elastic rheology of rocks from core rock samples, well logs and field data, specifically for the unconventional reservoirs, are crucially needed for the geomechanical modeling of the oil fields. The latter is important for the optimal drilling design, drilling risks lowering, prevention of drilling accidents and optimal design of the oil recovery, including hydrofracturing and recovery regime.

Details:
Sea shelf hydrocarbon exploration and recovery is one of the major challenges for Russian industry. This project will address some of the problems associated with the efficient and safe shelf recourses development. One of the problems is the need for the efficient approaches for the reservoirs exploration in the shortage of the borehole information because of the high offshore drilling costs. This leads to the need for the joint inversion techniques of the different type of geophysical data acquired over sea shelf: seismic, geoelectric, gravity, magnetic, geochemical. Therefore one of the project goals is to develop the corresponding algorithms and software

Objectives for 2016:

• Develop methods of joint analysis of the multi-type geophysical data for the hydrocarbon system studies at sea shelf.
• Investigate the process of has hydrates formation and their stability and corresponding physical properties. Develop the methods of has hydrates location with seismic survey data.

Potential Impact:

• Investigation of geological structure and oil-gas-bearing capacity of external and internal Russian seas. Development of the corresponding innovative technologies adapted for the specific requirements of offshore projects, specifically – in Arctic areas.
• Novel technological and geophysical exploration decisions with possible applications in assessment of geological risks associated with the hydrocarbon recovery at sea shelf.
• New geophysical methods for accessing mechanical properties of near-bottom sediments with applications for drilling design and mitigation of construction risks.

Details:
The project is aimed at experimental investigation of surface topography, mechanical properties and wettability of reservoir rocks at micro- and nanoscales.
Wettability of reservoir rocks has a key influence on the fluid distribution and flow within the oil bearing formation. The study of wettability of rocks, determination and quantification of factors influencing the wetting, the development of methods to control the wettability is an important task for enhanced oil recovery, development of low-permeability reservoirs, etc. a Significant influence on the wettability of reservoir rocks have the surface topography features, the degree of homogeneity at the nanometer scale, where the role of capillary effects are significant.

Objectives for 2016:

• Determination of the surface relief properties at nanoscale. Determination of wetting properties.
• Determination of physico-mechanical characteristics.

Details:
In the development of technologies for improved oil recovery in low permeable polymictic reservoirs the capabilities of up-to-date laboratory equipment for rheological properties of fluids, filtration and physical and mechanical properties of reservoir rocks with the use of computed tomography (CT), digital computer microscopy and laser analysis will be used. The work under this project will be started with the determination of the mineral composition of the core samples of the analyzed deposits using X-ray fluorescence analysis and the analysis of micrographs of thin sections of cores. The composition and properties of the saturating fluids of the reservoir rocks will be determined by capillary electrophoresis systems, advanced automated capillary and rotational viscometers, densitometer systems, the contact angle definition systems, etc. Based on the obtained data filtration processes of reservoir fluids at very low velocities and pressure gradients will be investigated using modern high-precision filtration systems for the determination of the fluid filtration model and oil displacement efficiency. By means of modern computer tomography technique the processes occurring in the rock during the filtration will be visualized. That will form the basis for the development of high effective technological fluid formulations and technologies of its field application in order to improve oil recovery.

Objectives:

• Theoretical and experimental investigations of physical-chemical and hydrodynamic processes in producing low permeable polymictic reservoirs.
• Validation of development directions of enhanced oil recovery technologies and efficiency of well operations for low permeable polymictic reservoirs.
• Study of permeability and porosity of core samples of analyzed exploitation objects.
• Study of filtration and displacement of fluids in the models of the low permeable polymictic reservoir at the very low filtration rates and pressure gradients.
• Study of physical and mechanical properties of low-permeable polymictic reservoir rock samples under complex stress state.
• Development of new multi-functional chemicals and formulations of technological fluids for oil production processes.
• Development of technologies for enhanced oil recovery from low permeable reservoirs based on the developed multi-functional chemical compositions and technological fluids.

Details:

Three types of air injection laboratory data are routinely analyzed in the design of air injection projects. In order of increasing cost, complexity, and volume of oil and core required, these tests are:

• Accelerating-rate Calorimeter (ARC) tests
• High Pressure Ramped-Temperature Oxidation (HPRTO) tests
• High Pressure Combustion tube (HPCT) tests

ARC tests are useful for comparing the reactivity of different oils and the likelihood of achieving spontaneous ignition in the field. They are also used to provide initial estimates for the oxidation kinetics in the low-temperature region.
HPRTO tests use a larger sample of oil and are useful for obtaining kinetic data over both the low-temperature oxidation (LTO) and high-temperature oxidation (HTO) regimes. Approximately 30%-50% of the oil is consumed due to significant early-time LTO.
Apart from produced gas analyses, peak temperatures, oil and water compositional changes, and air/fuel requirements, combustion tubes tests allow proper calibration and validation of the air injection kinetic-displacement model, under the high-temperature displacement conditions expected in the field. Determination of combustion gas-liquid relative permeability curves is particularly important here.

Objectives:

• The development of initial kinetic-displacement model from experimental data that will be available from UofC Project #1 research program.
• Analysis and history-match of one of the combustion tube tests from UofC Project #1 research program.