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At least 235 records · Page 13
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
DOE OSTI2021

Identification of SPR Caverns with Multiple Oil Layers

This analysis shows that when lower density crude oil is injected into the top of an underground salt storage cavern containing more dense crude, separate oil phases can form and coexist indefinitely. This has been observed at the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve in spite of geothermal heating and natural convection, which tend to mix the contents of containers with significant vertical extent subjected to wall and bottom heating. Such persistent layering can create operational challenges for meeting delivery specifications if high-value, low-vapor pressure oil becomes trapped below incoming low-density, high-vapor pressure oil, effectively blocking access to the lower layers until the top layer is removed. Previous conceptual models assumed that the oil injection process mixed incoming oil with resident oil in a storage cavern, forming a single oil phase with relatively homogeneous properties. Here, a review of historical data from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve revealed that several caverns contain multiple oil layers. As a result, oil layering needs to be another variable considered when planning oil movements at SPR in order to optimize low-vapor pressure oil availability to assist in oil delivery blending.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2025

The Impact of Naphthenic Acids on Dynamic Fluid–Fluid Interactions: Implication for Enhanced Oil Recovery

Previous coreflooding results and wettability analyses in our group show that injection of naphthenic-acid-enriched water can improve oil recovery over traditional waterflooding. This observation is still a subject of research efforts without a definitive explanation. Naphthenic acids (NA) have been reported to drive wettability alteration and increase the water–oil interface elasticity. These alterations depend on the NA carbon number and aqueous-phase salinity, among other conditions, as reported in the literature. Smart-water flooding (SWF) research often links recovery to the initial wettability condition, being higher for initially oil-wet rock. SWF refers to a technique in which the aqueous-phase ion composition or/and salinity are changed to maximize oil recovery. Given NAs’ complex solution behavior, selecting acid combinations that prompt oil recovery is a difficult objective. The aim of this research is to determine the effects of select naphthenic acids on the oil–water interfacial rheology and wettability alteration and how these interfacial effects are associated with oil recovery under spontaneous imbibition. NAs were selected based on their carbon number, molecular structure, and solubility in the saline solution used in this research. We aimed at exploring which NAs should be used to regulate interfacial properties so as to either increase oil recovery or accelerate production. Time-domain nuclear magnetic resonance, interfacial dilatational rheology, and liquid-bridge experiments, i.e., proxy of snap-off, were conducted. A baseline was established using results obtained with a previously tested sulfate-rich aqueous phase, shown to be effective in recovering oil. Results show that NA14 and N18 increase the water–oil interfacial viscoelasticity and induce interfacial healing but led to different recovery factors. N10, while effective at inducing water wetness in oil-wet rock, is ineffective at increasing the recovery factor. We concluded that wettability and oil–water interfacial rheology are not exclusive, and instead they can synergistically favor EOR benefits. Moreover, oil recovery benefits under spontaneous imbibition are shown to depend strongly on the initial wettability conditions.

Medina-Rodriguez, Bryan X. (ORCID:0000000262922831↗
NASA NTRS1984

The influence of temperature on the lubricating effectiveness of MoS2 dispersed in mineral oils

The effects of oil viscosity, base oil temperature, and surface-active agents naturally present in mineral oils on the lubricating effectiveness of MoS2 dispersions under boundary lubrication conditions are investigated. Friction and wear data are obtained from tests conducted under a wide range of oil viscosities and operating temperatures. The dispersion temperature at which the friction dropped below that obtained with the base oils, depended upon the base oil viscosity and the concentration of surface-active agents present in the oil. White oils showed reductions in friction before mineral oils of like viscosity, and lower viscosity oils showed reductions in friction before heavier viscosity oils. The results show that for a given base oil, wear increases as temperature increases, while the wear obtained from a MoS2 dispersion made from the base oil remains approximately constant as temperature is increased.

Rolek, R. J.↗
NASA NTRS2011

Gulf of Mexico Air Quality: CALIPSO Support for Gulf of Mexico Air Quality Relating to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

On April 20, 2010, an oil platform belonging to BP exploded and leaked a huge volume of oil into the Gulf of Mexico. In an effort to control the spread of the oil, BP applied dispersants such as Corexit and conducted in-situ burnings of the oil. This catastrophe created a complex chain of events that affected not only the fragile water and land ecosystems, but the humans who breathe the air every day. Thousands of people were exposed to fumes associated with oil vapors from the spill, burning of the oil, and the toxic mixture of dispersants. While aiding in clean-up efforts, local fishermen were directly exposure to fumes when working on the Gulf. A notable amount of Gulf Coast residents were also exposed to the oil fumes as seasonal southeasterly winds blew vapors toward land. The Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) found in oil vapors include: benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene, xylene, naphthalene, hydrogen sulfide and particulate matter (PM). Increases in water temperature and sunlight due to the summer season allow for these VOCs and PM to evaporate into the air more rapidly. Aside from the VOCs found in oil vapors, the dispersant being used to break up the oil is highly toxic and is thought to be even more toxic than the oil itself (EPA website, 2010). To protect human health, the environment, and to make informed policy decisions relevant to the spill, the EPA Region 6 has continuously monitored the affected areas carefully for levels of pollutants in the outdoor air that are associated with petroleum products and the burning of oil along the coast. In an effort to prevent, prepare for, and respond to future oil spills that occur in and around inland waters of the United States, the EPA has been working with local, state, and federal response partners. Air quality measurements were collected by the EPA at five active monitoring systems stationed along the coast.

Nguyen, Myngoc T.↗
DOE OSTI2018

STABILIZATION OF BIO-OIL TO ENABLE ITS HYDROTREATING TO PRODUCE BIOFUELS

Fast pyrolysis is considered to be the simplest and most cost-effective approach to produce liquid oil (bio-oil) from biomass. Bio-oil is not suitable to substitute for petroleum as high-quality fuels and significant upgrading such as hydrotreating is required to remove oxygen, add hydrogen, and rearrange carbon backbone of bio-oil. However, the grand challenge in bio-oil hydrotreating technology is bio-oil instability, which limits the lifetime of catalyst and operation. To enable a sustainable and economically viable process for bio-oil hydrotreating, it is vital to develop effective technologies for stabilizing bio-oils. This chapter will be devoted to bio-oil stabilization. The current understating of the major cause of bio-oil instability, condensation of reactive species such as sugar, aldehydes, ketones, and phenolics, is elucidated. The reported physical and chemical methods for bio-oil stabilization are summarized in detail, with a specific focus on bio-oil catalytic hydrogenation for stabilization. The impact of stabilization on bio-oil hydrotreating is discussed as well.

Wang, Huamin↗
DOE OSTI2015

Combating oil spill problem using plastic waste

Highlights: • Up-cycling one type of pollution i.e. plastic waste and successfully using it to combat the other type of pollution i.e. oil spill. • Synthesized oil sorbent that has extremely high oil uptake of 90 g/g after prolonged dripping of 1 h. • Synthesized porous oil sorbent film which not only facilitates in oil sorption but also increases the affinity between sorbent and oil by means of adhesion. - Abstract: Thermoplastic polymers (such as polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and high density polyethylene (HDPE)) constitute 5–15% of municipal solid waste produced across the world. A huge quantity of plastic waste is disposed of each year and is mostly either discarded in landfills or incinerated. On the other hand, the usage of synthetic polymers as oil sorbents, in particular, polyolefins, including polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene (PE) are the most commonly used oil sorbent materials mainly due to their low cost. However, they possess relatively low oil absorption capacities. In this work, we provide an innovative way to produce a value-added product such as oil-sorbent film with high practical oil uptake values in terms of g/g from waste HDPE bottles for rapid oil spill remedy.

38 RADIATION CHEMISTRY, RADIOCHEMISTRY, AND NUCLEA↗
DOE OSTI2017

Plastic waste to liquid oil through catalytic pyrolysis using natural and synthetic zeolite catalysts

Highlights: • Liquid fuel was produced from plastic waste through catalytic pyrolysis. • Pyrolysis of polystyrene plastic produced highest liquid oil yield of 54% using natural zeolite. • Pyrolysis liquid oil mainly consisted of aromatic hydrocarbons with a few aliphatic compounds. • Primary compounds in liquid oil were styrene, ethylbenzene, benzene, azulene, and naphthalene. • Liquid oil had high heating values (HHV) of 40.2–45 MJ/kg. - Abstract: This study aims to examine the catalytic pyrolysis of various plastic wastes in the presence of natural and synthetic zeolite catalysts. A small pilot scale reactor was commissioned to carry out the catalytic pyrolysis of polystyrene (PS), polypropylene (PP), polyethylene (PE) and their mixtures in different ratios at 450 °C and 75 min. PS plastic waste resulted in the highest liquid oil yield of 54% using natural zeolite and 50% using synthetic zeolite catalysts. Mixing of PS with other plastic wastes lowered the liquid oil yield whereas all mixtures of PP and PE resulted in higher liquid oil yield than the individual plastic feedstocks using both catalysts. The GC–MS analysis revealed that the pyrolysis liquid oils from all samples mainly consisted of aromatic hydrocarbons with a few aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds. The types and amounts of different compounds present in liquid oils vary with some common compounds such as styrene, ethylbenzene, benzene, azulene, naphthalene, and toluene. The FT-IR data also confirmed that liquid oil contained mostly aromatic compounds with some alkanes, alkenes and small amounts of phenol group. The produced liquid oils have high heating values (HHV) of 40.2–45 MJ/kg, which are similar to conventional diesel. The liquid oil has potential to be used as an alternative source of energy or fuel production.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗
DOE OSTI2017

Effect of the Injection Pressure on Enhancing Oil Recovery in Shale Cores during the CO 2 Huff-n-Puff Process When It Is above and below the Minimum Miscibility Pressure

In CO 2 injection, there is a minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) above that CO 2 can be miscible with oil, so that oil recovery will be high. This work is to investigate the effect of the injection pressure on enhanced oil recovery in shale oil cores under huff-n-puff CO 2 injection, when the pressure is above and below the MMP. We first estimated the MMP for a Wolfcamp oil using slimtube tests. The slimtube test results showed that the estimated MMP for the CO 2 –Wolfcamp crude oil system was about 1620 psi at 104 °F. After that, we conducted 15 CO 2 huff-n-puff experiments using three different Wolfcamp shale cores at pressures below and above the MMP. These pressures were 1200, 1600, 1800, 2000, and 2400 psi. Each huff-n-puff test has 7 cycles. The huff-n-puff experiments for three cores showed that, below the MMP, the injection pressure had a significant effect on enhancing oil recovery. Higher than the MMP, the increased pressure further increased the oil recovery until the injection pressure was about 200 psi higher than the MMP. In the extremely low-permeability shale oil cores, additional pressure is needed to push gas into the deeper core to be miscible with the crude oil inside the core. The results indicated that, to have a high oil recovery in shale oil reservoirs during the CO 2 huff-n-puff process, the injection pressure should be higher (at least 200 psi in this case) than the MMP estimated from slimtube tests.

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS↗
DOE OSTI2015

U.S. oil dependence 2014: Is energy independence in sight?

The importance of reducing U.S. oil dependence may have changed in light of developments in the world oil market over the past two decades. Since 2005, increased domestic production and decreased oil use have cut U.S. import dependence in half. The direct costs of oil dependence to the U.S. economy are estimated under four U.S. Energy Information Administration Scenarios to 2040. The key premises of the analysis are that the primary oil market failure is the use of market power by OPEC and that U.S. economic vulnerability is a result of the quantity of oil consumed, the lack of readily available, economical substitutes and the quantity of oil imported. Monte Carlo simulations of future oil market conditions indicate that the costs of U.S. oil dependence are likely to increase in constant dollars but decrease relative to U.S. gross domestic product unless oil resources are larger than estimated by the U.S. Energy Information Administration. In conclusion, reducing oil dependence therefore remains a valuable goal for U.S. energy policy and an important co-benefit of mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.

04 OIL SHALES AND TAR SANDS↗
DOE OSTI2018

Air Pollutant Emissions and Regulatory Implications of a Biorefinery Co-Processing Bio-Oil in a Petroleum Refinery: Preprint

Pyrolysis oil, often referred to as bio-oil when derived from biomass through a fast pyrolysis process, has attracted considerable attention because of the high carbonaceous matter and high heating value compared to the original biomass. Pyrolysis oil provides a viable link between the agriculture/forestry and (petro-) chemical industry. Utilizing existing fossil fuel infrastructure by introducing bio-oil in petroleum refineries to produce renewable hydrocarbon fuels (i.e., repurposing existing assets) is appealing due to its relatively low capital requirement. Our analysis examined the air pollutant emissions for a biorefinery utilizing an ex situ catalytic fast pyrolysis process to produce raw bio-oil, with a design capacity of 2,000 dry metric tons of biomass per day. Such a biorefinery is capable of providing sufficient bio-oil to a 4,200 barrels per day capacity of fluidized catalytic cracking unit if the bio-oil is co-processed at 5% (by volume) feed rate. This research is focused on understanding the potential air pollutant regulatory and permitting implications for a refinery co-processing 5% bio-oil with 95% vacuum gas oil in a fluidized catalytic cracking unit for two scenarios: the first case assumes that an ex situ biorefinery is collocated with a petroleum refinery, and the second one assumes that a petroleum refinery will receive bio-oil from a stand-alone biorefinery. We estimated the potential-to-emit values for 4 biorefinery and FCC sizes and assessed technically feasible emission control options that could help to avoid being subject to prevention of significant deterioration requirements due to petroleum refinery modifications to co-process bio-oil. This research fills gaps and overcomes barriers related to air permitting requirements for co-processing bio-oil in existing refineries for various stakeholders. The insights gained from this analysis can facilitate decision making and help expedite permitting processes for petroleum refineries, which seek opportunities to produce lower carbon fuels in their existing infrastructure.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Air Pollutant Emissions and Regulatory Implications of a Biorefinery Co-Processing Bio-Oil in a Petroleum Refinery

Pyrolysis oil, often referred to as bio-oil when derived from biomass through a fast pyrolysis process, has attracted considerable attention because of the high carbonaceous matter and high heating value compared to the original biomass. Pyrolysis oil provides a viable link between the agriculture/forestry and (petro-) chemical industry. Utilizing existing fossil fuel infrastructure by introducing bio-oil in petroleum refineries to produce renewable hydrocarbon fuels (i.e., repurposing existing assets) is appealing due to its relatively low capital requirement. Our analysis examined the air pollutant emissions for a biorefinery utilizing an ex situ catalytic fast pyrolysis process to produce raw bio-oil, with a design capacity of 2,000 dry metric tons of biomass per day. Such a biorefinery is capable of providing sufficient bio-oil to a 4,200 barrels per day capacity of fluidized catalytic cracking unit if the bio-oil is co-processed at 5% (by volume) feed rate. This research is focused on understanding the potential air pollutant regulatory and permitting implications for a refinery co-processing 5% bio-oil with 95% vacuum gas oil in a fluidized catalytic cracking unit for two scenarios: the first case assumes that an ex situ biorefinery is collocated with a petroleum refinery, and the second one assumes that a petroleum refinery will receive bio-oil from a stand-alone biorefinery. We estimated the potential-to-emit values for 4 biorefinery and FCC sizes and assessed technically feasible emission control options that could help to avoid being subject to prevention of significant deterioration requirements due to petroleum refinery modifications to co-process bio-oil. This research fills gaps and overcomes barriers related to air permitting requirements for co-processing bio-oil in existing refineries for various stakeholders. The insights gained from this analysis can facilitate decision making and help expedite permitting processes for petroleum refineries, which seek opportunities to produce lower carbon fuels in their existing infrastructure.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2022

Standard Analytical Methods for Pyrolysis Bio-Oils

There has been significant recent interest in the production of renewable fuels and chemicals from biomass and waste feedstocks. Pyrolysis pathways produce a liquid bio-oil product, which must be processed further, or upgraded, to yield fuel or chemical products. Bio-oils are very complex and often unstable samples, and research and development on upgrading processes needs reliable analytical information. In particular, chemical characterization techniques are needed to quantify both functional groups and individual compounds present in bio-oils. Reliable analytics are also needed to enable the bioenergy industry, as industrial facilities often have different analytical needs and capabilities than research facilities. In this presentation, we will discuss the development of a suite of standard analytical methods for pyrolysis bio-oils. Analytical methods to be discussed include: Determination of Carbon, Hydrogen, Nitrogen, and Oxygen in bio-oils; Accelerated Aging of Fast Pyrolysis Bio-oil using Carbonyl Titration; Determination of Water Content in Bio-oils by Volumetric Karl Fischer Titration; Determination of Carbon Functional Groups; Elemental Analysis of Bio-oils by Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Emission Spectroscopy (ICP-OES) - Na, K, Mg, Ca, S, P, and Fe; Determination of Phenolic Groups in Bio-oils using Revised Folin-Ciocalteu Methods: Single Cuvette and Plate Reader; Corrosivity of Bio-oils: Screening Test using Metal Leaching; Determination of Biogenic Content by 14C Measurement using Liquid Scintillation Counter. These new analytical methods are publicly available as Laboratory Analytical Procedures (https://www.nrel.gov/bioenergy/bio-oil-analysis.html), along with previously developed standard methods: GC-MS, Acid Titration, Carbonyl Titration, and 31P NMR. Additionally, the development of diffusion ordered NMR for characterization of bio-oil molecular weight will be discussed. Collectively, this suite of analytical methods represents the most comprehensive set of standard methods available for pyrolysis bio-oils. These standard methods are commonly used by the bioenergy community, and provide reliable information that enables research, scaleup, and industrial processing of biomass to produce renewable fuels and chemicals.

analytical↗
DOE OSTI2025

Bacterial response to the 2021 Orange County, California, oil spill was episodic but subtle relative to natural fluctuations

ABSTRACT An oil spill began in October 2021 off the coast of Orange County, California, releasing 24,696 gallons of crude oil into coastal environments. Although oil spills, such as this one, are recurrent accidents along the California coast, no prior studies have been performed to examine the severity of the local bacterial response. A coastal 10-year time series of short-read metagenomes located within the impacted area allowed us to quantify the magnitude and duration of the disturbance relative to natural fluctuations. We found that the largest change in bacterial beta-diversity occurred at the end of October. The change in taxonomic beta-diversity corresponded with an increase in the sulfur-oxidizing clade Candidatus Thioglobus, an increase in the total relative abundance of potential hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, and an anomalous decline in the picocyanobacteria Synechococcus . Similarly, changes in function were related to anomalous declines in photosynthetic pathways and anomalous increases in sulfur metabolism pathways as well as aromatic degradation pathways. There was a lagged response in taxonomy and function to peaks in total PAHs. One week after peaks in total PAH concentrations, the largest shifts in taxonomy were observed, and 1 week after the taxonomy shifts were observed, unique functional changes were seen. This response pattern was observed twice during our sampling period, corresponding with the combined effect of resuspended PAHs and increased nutrient concentrations due to physical transport events. Thus, the impact of the spill on bacterial communities was temporally extended and demonstrates the need for continued monitoring for longer than 3 months after initial oil exposure. IMPORTANCE Oil spills are common occurrences in waterways, releasing contaminants into the aquatic environment that persist for long periods of time. Bacterial communities are rapid responders to environmental disturbances, such as oil spills. Within bacterial communities, some members will be susceptible to the disturbance caused by crude oil components and will decline in abundance, whereas others will be opportunistic and will be able to use crude oil components for their metabolism. In many cases, when an oil spill occurs, it is difficult to assess the oil spill’s impact because no samples were collected prior to the accident. Here, we examined the bacterial response to the 2021 Orange County oil spill using a 10-year time series that lies within the impacted area. The results presented here are significant because (i) susceptible and opportunistic taxa to oil spills within the coastal California environment are identified and (ii) the magnitude and duration of the in situ bacterial response is quantified for the first time.

Brock, Melissa L. (ORCID:0000000340329241)↗
DOE OSTI2015

Refinery Upgrading of Hydropyrolysis Oil From Biomass

Cellulosic and woody biomass can be converted to bio-oils containing less than 10% oxygen by a hydropyrolysis process. Hydropyrolysis is the first step in Gas Technology Institute’s (GTI) integrated Hydropyrolysis and Hydroconversion IH2®. These intermediate bio-oils can then be converted to drop-in hydrocarbon fuels using existing refinery hydrotreating equipment to make hydrocarbon blending components, which are fully compatible with existing fuels. Alternatively, cellulosic or woody biomass can directly be converted into drop-in hydrocarbon fuels containing less than 0.4% oxygen using the IH2 process located adjacent to a refinery or ethanol production facility. Many US oil refineries are actually located near biomass resources and are a logical location for a biomass to transportation fuel conversion process. The goal of this project was to work directly with an oil refinery partner, to determine the most attractive route and location for conversion of biorenewables to drop in fuels in their refinery and ethanol production network. Valero Energy Company, through its subsidiaries, has 12 US oil refineries and 11 ethanol production facilities, making them an ideal partner for this analysis. Valero is also part of a 50- 50 joint venture with Darling Ingredients called Diamond Green Diesel. Diamond Green Diesel’s production capacity is approximately 11,000 barrels per day of renewable diesel. The plant is located adjacent to Valero’s St Charles, Louisiana Refinery and converts recycled animal fats, used cooking oil, and waste corn oil into renewable diesel. This is the largest renewable diesel plant in the U.S. and has successfully operated for over 2 years For this project, 25 liters of hydropyrolysis oil from wood and 25 liters of hydropyrolysis oils from corn stover were produced. The hydropyrolysis oil produced had 4-10% oxygen. Metallurgical testing of hydropyrolysis liquids was completed by Oak Ridge National Laboratories (Oak Ridge) and showed the hydropyrolysis oils had low acidity and caused almost no corrosion in comparison to pyrolysis oils, which had high acidity and caused significant levels of corrosion.

09 BIOMASS FUELS↗
DOE OSTI2019

Oil and gas flow through fractures and along interfaces in well cement

A number of wells at the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) have shown sustained, positive pressure (referred to as sustained casing pressure or SCP) in the cemented annulus behind the production casing. To better understand how SCP may develop for SPR conditions, we conducted gas and oil flow tests on cement specimens with flaws including cement fractures and discrete interfaces along a cement-steel contact. Many specimens were tested initially with gas, followed by oil, and finally with gas again to identify how the fluid type may affect the flow through flaws in the well cement. Nitrogen was used as the gas, and silicone oil with properties similar to typical crude oil was used in most tests. One set of measurements were made with crude oil. Composite steel-cement specimen with corroded steel were also tested. For both gas and oil tests, the measured flow test data were used to interpret permeability and, assuming the cubic law for flow between parallel plates, the corresponding hydraulic aperture of the flaw. The hydraulic apertures for the flawed specimens ranged from about 20 to >100 μm, which corresponds to permeabilities of about 10 -14 to 10 -12 m 2 , respectively; these hydraulic apertures are consistent with the range of values interpreted from field measurements on leaky wells. Observed differences between the flow of gas and oil were attributed to a number of factors, including non-linear flow of gas, possible blocking of flow paths by solids within the crude oil, two-phase gas and oil flow and the presence of residual oil in the cement flaw. Furthermore, we determined that corroded steel itself is permeable. Using input values consistent with the gas and oil flow measurements, we conducted one-dimensional simulations of gas and oil flow through cemented annulus systems to investigate the role of flaw size and fluid type on the expected response (i.e., pressure build-up) in the annular cement.

02 PETROLEUM↗
DOE OSTI2019

A Nonconventional CO 2 -EOR Target in the Illinois Basin: Oil Reservoirs of the Thick Cypress Sandstone

The Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) identified and quantified nonconventional carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) enhanced oil recovery (EOR) target opportunities within the thick Cypress Sandstone in the Illinois Basin. Up to 60 m thick Cypress Sandstone bodies define a northeast-southwest fairway that is approximately 230 km long and 100 km wide across the central portion of the Illinois Basin. These sandstones commonly contain relatively thin oil reservoirs and were found to have associated underlying residual oil zones (ROZs). The presence of a thick brine aquifer underlying the ROZ and high vertical permeability results in characteristic low primary oil recovery caused by excessive brine production from the aquifer. Nonconventional CO 2 -EOR in these oil reservoirs are expected to require more CO 2 to produce a unit of oil compared to conventional CO 2 -EOR. Consequently, nonconventional CO 2 -EOR will have a higher storage component and offer a unique storage opportunity. An integrated approach of detailed site-specific geologic reservoir characterization, three-dimensional geocellular modeling, and reservoir simulation of multiple development cases at Noble Field was employed to determine development strategies for CO 2 -EOR and storage. The findings of Noble Field research were leveraged to assess the regional CO 2 -EOR and associated storage resource within the nonconventional reservoirs of the thick Cypress Sandstone in the Illinois Basin. Regional characterization shows that thick, multistory fluvial facies of the Cypress Sandstone exhibits porosity from 15% to 21% and horizontal and vertical permeability up to approximately 0.98 µm 2 (1,000 mD). Oil saturation indicators screened from well records and well log analyses were used to map 27 brownfield and greenfield ROZ prospects with residual oil saturation (S OR ) values ranging from 14 to 35%. ROZ thickness varies from 2.7 to 21.6 m (9 to 71 ft). The 27 Cypress Sandstone ROZ prospects have approximately 290.8 million m 3 (1.8 billion barrels) of oil in place. Specific CO 2 -EOR development strategies depend on the goals of the project (prioritizing EOR performance vs. storage performance and NCNO) and geologic setting (brownfield vs greenfield), and company’s business strategies (economic metrics). Nevertheless, applying two unique development strategies derived from reservoir simulation of the depleted main pay zone and ROZ in the Cypress Sandstone at Noble Field, 31.1 million m 3 (196 million barrels) of oil is estimated to be recoverable using the 80-acre blanket WAG development strategy (which favors EOR and economic metrics, but is carbon positive) whereas 21.3 million m 3 (144 million barrels) of oil is estimated to be recoverable using the 40-acre high CO 2 injection rate development strategy (which favors storage and economic metrics and results in net carbon negative oil production). Storage of CO 2 associated with EOR in these ROZ prospects alone, not accounting for associated main pay zones, underlying brine formation, or intervals adjacent to or between prospects, is estimated to be up to 10.4 billion tonnes using the latter development strategy.

02 PETROLEUM↗
NASA NTRS2021

Oil Spill Thickness Determination from L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar

Efficient and effective oil spill response requires accurate information regarding slick location, extent, and thickness to direct remediation activities. Of these three, the most challenging to determine is thickness. Ideally, the needed information would be provided by remote sensing instruments, particularly those operating from space. In this study we consider the capability of L-band synthetic aperture radar (SAR) for identifying oil layer thickness for slicks in open water given the range of oil properties and environmental conditions typical in this setting. The goal is to determine layer thickness with precision equivalent to that of the Bonn Agreement Oil Appearance Code. Here we report preliminary results of an ongoing study to determine whether either relative or absolute slick thickness can be determined from L-band SAR. The study has an experimental component, which uses low noise airborne SAR data acquired over slicks to evaluate the capability to determine relative thickness, i.e., to differentiate sheen from zones of varying thicker oil within a slick. The component of the study to evaluate whether absolute thickness can be determined from SAR uses backscatter simulations within a physics- based model of electromagnetic scattering from slicked and unslicked ocean surfaces accounting for oil properties, meteorological conditions, and sea state. As part of the theoretical component of the study, we evaluate the backscatter sensitivity to oil characteristics to determine which properties most influenced the SAR measurements. These results are used to determine whether the oil-to-water ratio or the oil thickness can be quantified with reasonable accuracy based upon SAR backscatter intensities alone or whether it requires calibration to go from relative to absolute thickness. The ratio of the backscatter contrast between clean and slicked ocean surfaces is shown to be sensitive to variations within slicks that well correlate with the oil layer thickness. Determination of absolute thickness is much more challenging given the variation of oil properties as the oil weathers on the sea surface.

Holt, Benjamin↗
DOE OSTI2017

Experimental investigation on oil migration and accumulation in tight sandstones

Here, this study presents an experimental investigation to simulate and analyze the physical processes of oil migration and accumulation with 19 tight sandstone cores. Characteristic curves of oil migration were obtained by using the experimental results. It shows that the curve variations were mainly influenced by two factors: the permeability of the core and the viscosity of the injected oil. Based on the experimental results, we introduced three important parameters to quantitatively characterize and determine the processes of oil migration and accumulation in tight sandstones. The apparent permeability was introduced to describe the level of oil migration during experiments. The minimum migration pressure gradient (MMPG) and the terminal oil saturation were proposed to evaluate the features of the beginning and final stages of the migration, respectively. The relationships between MMPG, terminal oil saturation and mobility were analyzed, all showed strong linear relationships in the double logarithmic coordinate system. Furthermore, a prediction map of tight oil accumulation was plotted according to the measured oil saturation data, which could be used for estimating the scale and size of oil accumulation in tight reservoirs. Lastly, the concepts and results in this study provide valuable insight for understanding and quantitatively analyzing the processes of oil migration and accumulation in tight sandstones.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗