Steven L. Bryant (steven_bryant@mail.utexas.edu) is the Program Manager of the Reservoir Engineering research program.
The Reservoir Engineering research program at CPGE covers a wide range of interests. Subjects include reservoir simulation, miscible gas injection, enhanced oil recovery processes, gas condensate reservoir studies, CO2 sequestration, reservoir characterization, foam mobility control, new generation reservoir simulator development, cluster computing, EOR in naturally fractured reservoir, wettability alteration in naturally fractured reservoir, improved SAGD processes, and mobility control. Our research in these areas has been supported by U.S. Government (DOE), The Texas State Government, major and independent domestic operating and service companies, and many international independent companies.
Research Projects
Compositional Gravity Drainage - David DiCarlo
In many reservoirs, gravity drainage is an effective recovery technique yielding very low residual oil saturations, with the total recovery depending on the ratio of the capillary force to the gravitational force. For gas injection, the injected gas is never in chemical equilibrium with the oil in place which will lead to spatial variations in the interfacial tension and the amount of oil held by capillary forces. These types of capillary variations are also likely to occur in VAPEX displacements. We are currently using experiments, simulation, and analytic calculations to understand the complex roles capillarity, gravity, compositional changes, and diffusion play in these compositional gravity drainages.
Three-Phase Flow (Experiments and Simulation) - David DiCarlo
Understanding the dynamics of three-phase flow is essential for optimizing enhanced oil recovery and vadose zone remediation processes. The ultimate recovery of oil and other non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) depends on the residual saturations and relative permeabilites of each of the phases. In particular, the wettability of the porous media affects the placement of the fluids in the porous media and the relative permeabilities. Previously we have shown experimentally how the oil relative permeability scales with oil saturation at low oil saturations for different wettabilities. These results imply very low residual oil saturations are obtainable under three-phase gravity. Currently, we are measuring three-phase relative permeabilities throughout the entire saturation range for a range of wettabilities. These results will lead to experimentally based relative permeability models which can be directly input into simulations of gas injection.
Novel Concept of Surfactant Design for Subsurface CO2 Processes - Quoc P. Nguyen, Gary A. Pope
This funded project is aimed at development of novel surfactants that improve the conformance of CO2 in subsurface processes such as CO2 enhanced oil recovery and/or sequestration. The molecular design of these novel surfactants is based on two principal pore-scale processes: foaming and emulsification. Particularly, surfactants can be efficiently delivered through the CO2 phase to some areas in the formation where these processes are desired (e.g. normally swept zone). This novel concept has the potential to reduce significantly the chemical cost for CO2 subsurface processes. In addition, the performance of the surfactants is partially controlled by the oil phase such that foaming/emulsification of CO2 does not impair the efficiency of the miscible displacement of oil by CO2.
Mobility Control with Cross Flow Effect - Quoc P. NguyenThis project is aimed at insuring better control of gas mobility during gas or gas-water injection in stratified reservoirs with high permeability contrast. For this purpose, a parallel program of experiments and modeling has been developed. The effect of crossflow on the fluid partitioning profile is visualized using X-ray computed tomography.
Improved SAGD Process - Quoc P. Nguyen
The current state of the art in steam flooding, SAGD, and cyclic steam stimulation suffers from inherent geological heterogeneity and poor solvent mass transfer, frequently leading to high operating costs and poor sweep efficiency. For instance, an aqueous film with impure surfaces imposes a significant resistance to the gas diffusion (see figure). To overcome these issues, the subobjectives of this project are to (1) develop novel solvents and additives to enhance solvent mass transfer through the condensed-water front around the steam chamber, (2) obtain a pore-scale coupled thermal and mass transfer model as a first step towards upscaling of the new processes, (3) reduce heat loss to overburden, (4) improve diversion techniques.
DOE Projects
Mechanistic Understanding of Microbial Plugging for Improved Sweep Efficiency - Steven L. Bryant, Larry N. Britton
Funding amount: $755,000 for the period of Oct. 2004 - Sep. 2007
This research will investigate biofilm growth in porous media to better understand and harness indigenous microorganisms that promote increased oil recovery from depleted oil reservoirs at low cost.
Modeling Wettability Alteration Using Chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery Processes in Naturally Fractured Reservoirs - Mojdeh Delshad, Kamy Sepehrnoori, Gary A. Pope
Funding amount: $445,000 for the period of Oct. 2004 - Sep. 2007
This research will provide a computer model of the complex wettability alterations that occur when detergents are used to induce oil production from fractured oil reservoirs. Extremely large volumes of oil remain in such known oil reservoirs and better models are needed to economically produce such oil by enhanced oil recovery methods.
pH Sensitive Polymers for Improving Reservoir Sweep and Conformance Control in Chemical Flooding - Mukul M. Sharma, Steven L. Bryant, Chun Huh
Funding amount: $790,000 for the period of Oct. 2004 - Sep. 2007
This research will develop better ways to use polymers to enhance the oil recovery from depleted oil reservoirs and provide inexpensive oil from existing domestic oil reservoirs that might otherwise be uneconomic to produce and subject to abandonment.
Related Research
Reservoir Simulation Joint Industry Project - Kamy Sepehrnoori, Principal Investigator
Research activities include the development, testing, verification and application of reservoir simulators for oil and gas recovery processes. The following research topics will be investigated in the project. The first two research topics are further development of an existing compositional chemical flooding simulator and further development of an existing equation-of-state compositional miscible gas flooding simulator. These simulators have been developed at The University of Texas at Austin to be used as test beds for new process physics, computational algorithms, and physical property models and other scientific purposes. Both simulators have features that are not available in commercial simulators such as ECLIPSE and VIP. The third topic is development of a new general purpose adaptive simulator (GPAS) designed for use on parallel supercomputers or clusters of PCs. The final topic is the application and benchmarking of parallel codes on clusters of PCs and massively parallel computers.Total funding of $180,000/year
Please see the Reservoir Simulation Joint Industry Project page for more information.
Rheology Laboratory for Petroleum-Industry Fluids - Chun Huh (more info)
Center for Subsurface Modeling (http://www.ices.utexas.edu/csm/)
Research Initiatives
Nontraditional Resources (heavy oil, etc.) (DOE proposal)
New Ways to Confront Heterogeneity in Hydrocarbon Recovery Forecasts (DOE) - Larry W. Lake (more info)
Improved Performance and Prediction For In Situ Combustion (DOE) - Sanjay Srinivasan (more info)
Improved Displacement and Sweep Efficiency in Gas Flooding (DOE) - Russell T. Johns, Gary A. Pope (more info)