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At least 199 records · Page 11
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2020

Performance of Low Salinity Polymer Flood in Enhancing Heavy Oil Recovery on the Alaska North Slope

Combining low-salinity water (LSW) and polymer flooding was proposed to unlock the tremendous heavy oil resources (20–25 billion barrels) on the Alaska North Slope (ANS). The synergy effect of LSW and polymer flooding was demonstrated through coreflooding experiments carried out on representative rock and fluid systems. The results indicate that the high-salinity polymer solution (HSP, 2,300 ppm, salinity=27,500 ppm) requires nearly two thirds more polymer than the low-salinity polymer (LSP, 1,400 ppm, salinity=2,500 ppm) to achieve the same target viscosity of 45 cp measured from viscometer. Additional oil (5–9%) can be recovered from LSW flooding after extensive high-salinity water (HSW) flooding. LSW flooding performed in secondary mode can achieve higher recovery than in tertiary mode. Strikingly, LSP flooding can further improve the oil recovery by ~8% even after extensive HSP flooding with the same viscosity. LSP flooding performed directly after waterflooding can achieve ~10% more incremental oil recovery. The pH increase of the effluent during LSW/LSP flooding was significantly greater than that during HSW/HSP flooding, indicating the occurrence of ion exchange which might contribute to the improved oil recovery. Also, the water breakthrough was delayed in a low-salinity flood compared with a high-salinity flood. The idea of combining LSW and polymer flooding has been put into practice on a pattern-scale field pilot test in the target Milne Point field. Nearly two-year observation has shown impressive success: water cut reduction (70% to below 15%), increasing oil rate, and no polymer breakthrough so far. This work has demonstrated remarkable economical and technical benefits of combination of LSW and polymer flooding in enhancing heavy oil recovery.

Zhao, Yang↗
DOE OSTI2020

Polymer Retention Evaluation in a Heavy Oil Sand for a Polymer Flooding Application on Alaska’s North Slope

For a polymer flooding field trial in a heavy oil reservoir on Alaska’s North Slope, polymer retention is a key parameter. Because of the economic impact of retention, this parameter was extensively studied using field core material and conditions. Several important findings were noted. Polymer retention based on effluent viscosity measurements can be overestimated unless the correct (non-linear) relation between polymer concentration and viscosity is used. Polymer degradation (either mechanical or oxidative) can also lead viscosity-based measurements to overestimate retention. Inaccessible pore volume (IAPV) can be overestimated if insufficient brine is flushed through the sand between polymer banks. Around 100 pore volumes (PV) of brine may be needed to displace mobile polymer to approach a true residual resistance factor and properly measure IAPV. Even for a sand pack with kwsor = 20 mD, IAPV was zero for HPAM with molecular weight (Mw) of 18 million g/mol. Fine-grain particles (<20 μm) strongly impacted polymer retention values. Native NB#1 sand with a significant component of particles <20 μm exhibited 290 μg/g, while the same sand exhibited 28 μg/g after these small particles were removed. Polymer retention did not necessarily correlate with mineral composition. The NB#1, NB#3, and OA sands had similar elemental and clay compositions, but the NB#1 sand exhibited ~10 times higher retention than the NB#3 sand. Polymer retention did not necessarily correlate with permeability. NB#1 sand exhibited much higher retention than OA sand, even though NB#1 sand was twice as permeable as OA sand. No evidence of chromatographic separation of HPAM molecular weights was found in our experiments. Although retention tended to be greater without a residual oil saturation (than at Sor), the effect was not strong. Aging a core (with high oil saturation) at 60°C reduced HPAM retention by a factor of two. As expected, under similar conditions, polymer retention was greater for a higher Mw HPAM (18 million g/mol) than for a lower Mw HPAM (10-12 million g/mol). In many cases with high polymer retention values (e.g., 240 μg/g), polymer arrival at the end of the core was relatively quick, but achieving the injected concentration occurred gradually over many pore volumes. This effect was not due chromatographic separation of polymer molecular weights. Results from modeling of this behavior was consistent with concentrationdependent polymer retention. The form assumed for the retention function in a simulator can have an important impact on the timing and magnitude of the oil response from a polymer flood. Field-based observations can underestimate polymer retention, depending on when the tracer and polymer concentrations were measured and the assumptions made about reservoir heterogeneity.

Wang, Dongmei↗
DOE OSTI2020

First Ever Polymer Flood Field Pilot To Enhance The Recovery Of Heavy Oils On Alaska’s North Slope - Pushing Ahead One Year Later

In June 2018 the team embarked on an ambitious project to address the slow development pace of Alaska’s 20+ billion barrels heavy oil resource via the first ever polymer flood pilot. Following the successful commencement of the pilot in August 2018, the field demonstration, supporting laboratory experiments and numerical simulation have steadily progressed. A significant amount of valuable data and lessons learned have been collected, and are reported in this paper. The ongoing pilot and the research activities is making headway toward the primary objective of validating the use of polymer flooding for extracting heavy oil in Alaska’s challenging environment. The pilot is conducted in two pre-existing pairs of horizontal injectors and producers in an isolated fault block of the Schrader Bluff heavy oil reservoir at the Milne Point Field. A customized polymer blending and pumping unit injects HPAM polymer at a concentration of 1,750 ppm to achieve a target viscosity of 45 cP. Supporting coreflood laboratory experiments have focused on quantification of polymer retention in the rock, and effect of injection water salinity, polymer, and their combinations on oil recovery. The injection and production response of the pilot flood pattern is utilized to develop a history matched reservoir simulation model for forecasting oil recovery beyond the pilot. Finally, specially designed laboratory experiments address anticipated operating concerns regarding post-polymer breakthrough such as oil-water separation efficiency and polymer induced fouling of heater tubes. Polymer has been injected continuously since startup except for two short equipment modification shutdowns, and more recently a prolonged disruption due to polymer hydration issues at the J-pad field site. Cumulatively, over 600,000 lbs. of polymer has been injected, corresponding to ~7%PV. The two producers show significant decrease in the water cut, gradually increasing oil rate, and no polymer breakthrough. Two main observations from the coreflood are a significant uncertainty in polymer retention values, and positive oil recovery response to low salinity water (2,600 mg/liter TDS). The heterogeneity in the flood pattern presents some challenges in obtaining a robust history matched simulation model. Experimental results on produced fluids treatment indicate the formation of a dense polymer deposit, at certain conditions, on heating tubes that can negatively impact the heat transfer efficiency. The scientific knowledge, including the lessons learned during unanticipated shutdowns, quality control, logistics and field data that is being acquired from this effort has referential value for other planned EOR projects. Finally, by all indications, the polymer field pilot is steadily progressing toward achieving the ultimate goal of unlocking the massive heavy oil resources on Alaska North Slope (ANS).

Dandekar, Abhijit↗
DOE OSTI2022

Oil Recovery Prediction for Polymer Flood Field Test of Heavy Oil on Alaska North Slope Via Machine Assisted Reservoir Simulation

The first ever polymer flood field pilot to enhance the recovery of heavy oils on the Alaska North Slope is ongoing. This study constructs and calibrates a reservoir simulation model to predict the oil recovery performance of the pilot through machine-assisted reservoir simulation techniques. To replicate the early water breakthrough observed during waterflooding, transmissibility contrasts are introduced into the simulation model, forcing viscous fingering effects. In the ensuing polymer flood, these transmissibility contrasts are reduced to replicate the restoration of injection conformance during polymer flooding, as indicated by a significant decrease in water cut. Later, transmissibility contrasts are reinstated to replicate a water surge event observed in one of the producing wells during polymer flooding. This event may represent decreased injection conformance from fracture overextension; its anticipated occurrence in the other production well is included in the final forecast. The definition of polymer retention in the simulator incorporates the tailing effect reported in laboratory studies; this tailing effect is useful to the simultaneous history match of producing water cut and produced polymer concentration. The top 24 best-matched simulation models produced at each stage of the history matching process are used to forecast oil recovery. The final forecast clearly demonstrates that polymer flooding significantly increases the heavy oil production for this field pilot compared to waterflooding alone. This exercise displays that a simulation model is only valid for prediction if flow behavior in the reservoir remains consistent with that observed during the history matched period. Critically, this means that a simulation model calibrated for waterflooding may not fully capture the benefits of an enhanced oil recovery process such as polymer flooding. Therefore, caution is recommended in using basic waterflood simulation models to scope potential enhanced oil recovery projects.

Keith, Cody Douglas↗
DOE OSTI2022

Experimental Investigation of Polymer-Induced Fouling of Heater Tubes in the First-Ever Polymer Flood on Alaska North Slope Part II

A polymer flood pilot has been ongoing in the Schrader Bluff viscous oil reservoir at Milne Point on the Alaska North Slope. The results from the pilot are encouraging. However, a major concern of the operator is the influence of polymer on the production system after breakthrough, especially the fouling in heat exchangers. This work applies a multiexperimental approach to study the severity of polymer-induced fouling in both dynamic and static states of produced fluids to determine safe operating conditions. Dynamic scale loop (DSL) tests were conducted to study fouling due to polymer at different skin temperatures (165–350°F) in a dynamic state of fluid flow where the fluids’ flow mimics the residence time of fluids in the heat exchanger of the field pilot. Static deposit tests were also conducted at similar skin temperatures of 165–250°F using a novel experimental apparatus designed and built in-house. It was found that at higher skin temperatures of 250–350°F, tube blocking was observed in the DSL tests, whereas the tests at 165–200°F did not show any tube blocking, even in a more extended test period. The deposit test showed that the deposit rate generally increases with skin temperature, and the presence of polymer aggravates the fouling. The copper tube performs best when the skin temperatures are 165–200°F, while the stainless steel tube performs best at a skin temperature of 250°F. These experiments also manifested the influence of the cloudpoint of the solution as the deposit rate increased significantly when the skin temperature was higher than the solution cloudpoint. The study provides a source of practical guidance to the field operations.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2021

Comparison of X1 (OLD) and X3 (NEW) Aerosol Observing Systems at the North Slope of Alaska NOAA Observatory

This report describes a comparison of the overlapping X1 and X3 Aerosol Observing Systems (AOS) at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) observatory. Due to structural issues with the original observatory building, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) funded the design and construction of a new observatory building. Construction began in 2019 and was completed in 2020. The now decommissioned old NOAA Barrow Observatory (BRW) housed the AOS referred to as an NSA external site X1 from October 1997 through August 2021. A new observatory building next door housed the AOS referred to as an NSA external site X3 starting in October 2020. In this document we will refer to the original observatory system measurements as 'OLD' and the measurements in the new building as 'NEW'.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2022

North Slope Alaska and Tethered Balloon Systems: ARM Facilities Monthly Status Update

In support of the DOE Office of Science, Sandia National Labs is one of nine national laboratories which oversees the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Program. The Sandia ARM team has an obligation to fulfill its mission to provide the nation with data to improve the understanding of climate processes and the representation of those processes in climate models. Sandia’s ARM team’s ability to provide detailed and accurate descriptions of the Earth’s atmosphere in diverse climate regimes assists the DOE in development of sustainable solutions to the nation’s energy and environmental challenges. Sandia Labs manages ARM atmospheric facilities along the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) at Utqiagvik as well as the Tethered Balloon System (TBS). Activities conducted at NSA and with the TBS aide in data collection for the ARM data archive. An overview of these activities for the month of December follows.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2024

Biogenic Emissions and Aerosol Response on the North Slope (BEAR-oNS) Field Campaign Report

Climate in the Arctic is changing at a rapid pace. When vegetation reacts to these changes, chemicals called biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) can be released into the atmosphere in new ways. This project seeks to investigate how climate change affects the quantity and type of BVOCs released into the atmosphere on the North Slope of Alaska (NSA). In addition, we are interested in the chemical reactions these BVOCs undergo in the arctic atmosphere. Project goals will be accomplished through field work on the NSA at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s observatory in Utqiagvik, real-time measurements, and collection and laboratory analysis of atmospheric aerosol samples.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2025

Assessment of North Slope of Alaska (NSA) Snow Monitoring Arrays

Arrays of instruments for monitoring winter precipitation (snowfall) and snow cover on the ground installed in 2017 at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility’s North Slope of Alaska (NSA) C1 and at Oliktok Point sites became operational in 2018. In 2022, the instruments from Oliktok Point were moved to NSA E12, about 5.4 km south of NSA C1, where two arrays now operate. The instrument arrays monitor wind speed and direction, snow depth at multiple locations, the horizontal flux of blowing snow, and the number and fall speed of hydrometeors. The arrays are monitored using digital cameras. Collectively, the instruments produce a wealth of data on falling and accumulated snow, but, as with any instrument array, some data are more reliable and accurate than others. In this document, we present our findings on the efficacy, accuracy, and reliability of each type of instrument. Overall, a key finding is that no single instrument provides sufficient information to determine the source of falling snow particles nor the cause of changes in snow depth. However, if used in concert, the instruments produce a reliable understanding of the processes affecting the snow cover depth distribution and the true winter precipitation.

47 OTHER INSTRUMENTATION↗
DOE OSTI2025

Examining the Ice-Nucleating Particles from the North Slope of Alaska (ExINP-NSA) (Final Campaign Report)

The Examining the Ice-Nucleating Particles from the North Slope of Alaska (ExINP-NSA) campaign was conducted at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Barrow Atmospheric Baseline Observatory (71.3230° N, 156.6114° W, “BRW” hereafter), next to the Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) user facility NSA site and ~ 6 km northeast of the town of Utqiaġvik. The location of the NSA site is shown in Figure 1. Our observing period began in October 2021 and continued until May 2024. This campaign was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Science Early Career Research Program through grant number DE-SC001879. This grant contains funding for three ARM field campaigns. The previous field campaigns were performed at ARM’s Southern Great Plains atmospheric observatory in Oklahoma (SGP; 36.6073° N, 97.4876° W) and the ARM’s Eastern North Atlantic atmospheric observatory on Graciosa Island, Azores (ENA; 39.0916° N, 28.0257° W). The ExINP-NSA campaign aims included: • Determining the number concentration of ice-nucleating particles (n INPs ) active at temperatures spanning the range of heterogeneous freezing processes (from ≈−30 °C to 0 °C) using a combination of online and offline measurements, • Determining whether local meteorological conditions and/or synoptic scale air mass transport impact INP abundance and/or ice nucleation efficiency, • Examining if the physicochemical properties of INPs relate to aerosol chemistry, and • Assessing if there is a similarity in INP properties across three ARM sites Multi-seasonal datasets of INP abundance in the NSA region were delivered from this campaign. This campaign also allowed researchers to perform a comprehensive analysis of atmospheric INPs based on long- term ground-based measurements in the Alaskan Arctic. Our data and results from the ExINP-NSA campaign will help refine current earth system models. One of the stated goals of ARM is to advance aerosol-cloud ice interaction, which will be a direct result of this campaign. Current earth system models poorly represent INPs, and the 15-minute time resolution data over several seasons generated during this campaign will provide an invaluable resource, especially combined with the datasets generated during two previous ARM ExINP campaigns. These datasets will allow for a greater understanding of ice nucleation processes as they may (or may not) relate to local meteorological processes and aerosol chemistry and will eventually help further the understanding of the Earth’s atmospheric processes and energy balance.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

North Slope of Alaska XSAPR b1 Data Processing Report: April 2024-April 2025

The North Slope of Alaska (NSA) atmospheric observatory, operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility, is a measurement site in the Arctic that has been collecting crucial atmospheric data for more than 25 years. The central facility located in Utqiaġvik, Alaska (formerly known as Barrow) hosts a suite of instruments that are used to better understand arctic processes, which are often not well represented in earth system models. The NSA site sits only a few kilometers from the Arctic Ocean, which also makes it a prime location to study complex ocean-atmosphere-ice interactions. Arctic cloud and precipitation processes are also of scientific interest, and remote-sensing instruments including radars are a key component of the NSA instrument suite. One of the radars at NSA is the X-band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar (XSAPR). This report evaluates one year of recent XSAPR data from April 2024 through April 2025 and details the process of generating b1-level data. This analysis marks the first effort by ARM staff to quality-control NSA XSAPR data with the goal of routinely producing b1-level data in the future depending on radar operations.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Multi-Year Electric Field Study at the North Slope of Alaska (OYESNSA) Field Campaign Report

The Global Electric Circuit (GEC) of the atmosphere provides a unique perspective on Earth’s changing climate. Monitoring this global electrical signature provides details of the global nature of electrified clouds and thunderstorms. The North Slope of Alaska (NSA) is a unique location for collecting these electric field measurements. Besides being at the opposite pole from many previous electric field measurements taken at Russia’s Vostok station in Antarctica, this site provides a rare opportunity to use other instruments at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility’s NSA observatory at Utqiaġvik (formerly known as Barrow), such as the Ka-band ARM Zenith Radar (KAZR), upward-facing micropulse lidar (MPL), vertical profile of meteorological measures, and other aerosol measurements. Since 2017, Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) has established an observational instrument package, including CS110 electric fields and anemometer, at ARM’s NSA observatory at Utqiaġvik. This enabled the unique opportunity to not only provide information about the global signature of the GEC, but also the physical inputs to the local electric field, by analyzing the physical properties of the simultaneous cloud, wind, and aerosol properties occurring with the vertical electric field.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Multi-Year Electric Field Study at the North Slope of Alaska (OYESNSA) Field Campaign Report

The Global Electric Circuit (GEC) of the atmosphere provides a unique perspective on Earth’s changing climate. Monitoring this global electrical signature provides details of the global nature of electrified clouds and thunderstorms. The North Slope of Alaska (NSA) is a unique location for collecting these electric field measurements. Besides being at the opposite pole from many previous electric field measurements taken at Russia’s Vostok station in Antarctica, this site provides a rare opportunity to use other instruments at the U.S. Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility’s NSA observatory at Utqiaġvik (formerly known as Barrow), such as the Ka-band ARM Zenith Radar (KAZR), upward-facing micropulse lidar (MPL), vertical profile of meteorological measures, and other aerosol measurements. Since 2017, Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi (TAMUCC) has established an observational instrument package, including CS110 electric fields and anemometer, at ARM’s NSA observatory at Utqiaġvik. This enabled the unique opportunity to not only provide information about the global signature of the GEC, but also the physical inputs to the local electric field, by analyzing the physical properties of the simultaneous cloud, wind, and aerosol properties occurring with the vertical electric field.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

North Slope of Alaska XSAPR b1 Data Processing Report: May 2025-April 2026

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) User Facility operates an X-band Scanning ARM Precipitation Radar (XSAPR) at the North Slope of Alaska (NSA) atmospheric observatory in Utqiaġvik. This radar provides year-round dual-polarization measurements of snow and ice in an arctic environment. Over the past few years, there has been greater focus on the NSA XSAPR, and recent efforts by ARM staff have resulted in quality-controlled, b-level data (Rocque et al. 2026b). This report outlines the processing of the second set of b-level data released for this radar from May 2025 through April 2026 following similar methods from Rocque et al. (2026b).

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2021

Processes contributing to cloud dissipation and formation events on the North Slope of Alaska

Abstract. Clear-sky periods across the high latitudes have profound impacts on the surface energy budget and lower atmospheric stratification; however an understanding of the atmospheric processes leading to low-level cloud dissipation and formation events is limited. A method to identify clear periods at Utqiaġvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska, during a 5-year period (2014–2018) is developed. A suite of remote sensing and in situ measurements from the high-latitude observatory are analyzed; we focus on comparing and contrasting atmospheric properties during low-level (below 2 km) cloud dissipation and formation events to understand the processes controlling clear-sky periods. Vertical profiles of lidar backscatter suggest that aerosol presence across the lower atmosphere is relatively invariant during the periods bookending clear conditions, which suggests that a sparsity of aerosol is not frequently a cause for cloud dissipation on the North Slope of Alaska. Further, meteorological analysis indicates two active processes ongoing that appear to support the formation of low clouds after a clear-sky period: namely, horizontal advection, which was dominant in winter and early spring, and quiescent air mass modification, which was dominant in the summer. During summer, the dominant mode of cloud formation is a low cloud or fog layer developing near the surface. This low cloud formation is driven largely by air mass modification under relatively quiescent synoptic conditions. Near-surface aerosol particles concentrations changed by a factor of 2 around summer formation events. Thermodynamic adjustment and increased aerosol presence under quiescent atmospheric conditions are hypothesized as important mechanisms for fog formation.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗
DOE OSTI2026

Surface radiation trends at North Slope of Alaska influenced by large-scale circulation and atmospheric rivers

Arctic amplification manifests as a pervasive warming trend emerging over the past century in near-surface air temperature throughout the Arctic that is double the globally averaged temperature increase throughout most of the year. It results from complex processes involving oceanic, atmospheric and terrestrial components which require detailed study to discern roles of the fundamental processes involved to improve predictions of the Arctic environment. We report on signals that are beginning to emerge, on a timescale predicted by recent satellite remote sensing studies, from the unique 25 year record of detailed surface-based radiometer measurements obtained by the US Department of Energy Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Facility North Slope of Alaska (NSA) site at Utqiaġvik, Alaska. Statistically significant warming trends are found at the site in the boreal fall, while a decrease in net radiation occurs in late summer. This decrease is driven primarily by the decrease in shortwave radiation resulting from increasing cloud liquid water path as observed by the microwave radiometer. The magnitude of the liquid water path trends is slightly larger than the root mean square error (RMSE) due to natural variability, while the magnitude of the net radiation trends is smaller than the RMSE natural variability, emphasizing that these signals are only just emerging. Analysis of prevailing meteorological regimes linking NSA with the Arctic Ocean and subarctic latitudes, and atmospheric rivers, suggests that specific changing circulation patterns are the primary driver for these summertime trends.

Lubin, Dan [Univ. of California, San Diego, CA (Un↗