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Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.52, No.43, 15211-15223, 2013
Parametric Study of the Cyclic CO2 Injection Process in Light Oil Systems
Performance of cyclic CO2 injection as an enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique in a light crude oil system was experimentally investigated. Series of cyclic CO2 injection tests were designed and carried out at various operating conditions. Effects of parameters including operating pressure (P-op), injection time (t(inj)), soaking period (t(soaking)) and connate water saturation (S-wc) were investigated on the oil recovery factor (RF) of cyclic injection tests. First, the CO2 solubility in the crude oil sample and the oil swelling factor as a result of CO2 dissolution into the oil phase for the crude oil-CO2 system at temperatures T = 21 and 30 degrees C were determined. Second, the equilibrium interfacial tension of the crude oil-CO2 system at T = 30 degrees C was measured. Afterward, the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) between crude oil and CO2 was calculated by means of the vanishing interfacial tension (VIT) technique and found to be MMP = 9.18 MPa. Finally, a total of 12 cyclic CO2 injection tests were performed at operating pressures P-op = 5.38, 6.55, and 8.27 MPa (i.e., immiscible to near-miscible conditions), and constant temperature T = 30 degrees C and in the presence and absence of connate water saturation. CO2 injection time and soaking period were varied at each operating pressure in order to determine how these parameters might affect the performance of cyclic CO2 injection. According to the obtained experimental results, it was found that the oil recovery factor of the cyclic CO2 injection technique increases considerably with increased operating pressure (e.g., from RF = 32.6% at P-op = 5.38 MPa to RF = 54.4% at P-op = 8.27 MPa). The results also demonstrated that the oil recovery factor increases by a longer soaking period particularly if the cyclic CO2 injection performed at lower operating pressures. Moreover, it was observed that the oil recovery factor is independent of CO2 injection time. In addition, at each operating pressure, the oil recovery factor obtained in the presence of connate water saturation was found to be more than that when there was no connate water saturation in the system.