Abstract :

Polymer flooding is a chemical enhanced oil recovery method that improves the recovery of oil by controlling the mobility of water to oil phase. It uses polymer solutions to increase the viscosity of the displacing water thereby decreasing water/oil mobility ratio (Speight, 2013). The volumetric and displacement sweep efficiencies are positively affected by polymer flooding. The viscosity of the aqueous phase is increased due to the molecular size and structure of the polymer used. The main objective of this research was to study the ability of cornstarch (local polymer) to recover additional oil after conventional water flooding. The objective was successfully achieved by injecting four different unconsolidated samples (sand pack) with cornstarch solution at varying concentration of 500ppm, 1000ppm, 3000ppm, and 9000ppm. From the results of the experiment conducted, it was deduced that Cornstarch has the ability to recover an additional volume of oil about half the volume of oil recovered during conventional water flooding (i.e. if 50% of oil initially in place was recovered during water flooding, cornstarch can recover an additional 25% of the residual oil after water flooding). Also, higher concentrations of cornstarch reduce the recovery factor due to polymer adsorption on the rock surfaces which alters the rock wettability. To reduce the adsorption effect of Cornstarch, it is recommended that the concentration of Cornstarch be measured after the flooding experiments for a better understanding of the adsorption mechanism of cornstarch.

---

Keywords :

Concentration, Corn Starch, Enhanced Oil Recovery, Mobility Ratio, Polymer Flooding, Recovery Factor, Sweep Efficiency, Unconsolidated Samples, Viscosity, Water Flooding

---

References :

1. Alvarado, V. & Manrique, E. (2010). Enhanced oil recovery: Field planning and Development strategies. Oxford, UK: Gulf professional publishing.
2. Speight, J. G. (2013). Heavy oil production processes. Sciencedirect. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-401720-7.00004-6
3. López, O. V., Castillo, L. A., Ninago, M., D., Ciolino, A. E., & Villar. M. A. (2017). Modified Starches Used as Additives in Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR). Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319083538
4. Pereira, T, & Carvalho M, S. (2019). Polymer flooding in sandstone: adsorption and oil displacement. Retrieved from: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335365202
5. Ogolo N. A., Wobo M. A., & Onyekonwu M. O. (2017). Prospects of EOR Using CO2 in Reservoirs of the Niger Delta. SPE Nigeria Annual International Conference and Exhibition. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.2118/189124-MS
6. Chaalal, O. (2018). Innovation in enhanced oil recovery.Recent advances in petrochemical science, 5(2), p1.
7. Kumar, S., Tiwari, R., Husein, M., Kumar, N., & Yadav, U. (2020). Enhancing the Performance of HPAM Polymer Flooding Using Nano CuO/Nanoclay Blend. Processes, 8, 907. Retrieved from: https://doi:10.3390/pr8080907
8. Agi, A., Junin, R., Gbonhinbor, J., & Onyekonwu, M (2017) .Natural polymer flow behaviour in porous media for enhanced oil recovery applications: a review. Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology (2018) 8:1349–1362. Retrieved from: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13202-018-0434-7
9. Al-Hajri, S., Mahmood, S., M., Abdulelah, H., & Akbari, S. (2018).An overview on polymer retention in porous media. Energies. Retrieved from: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/11/10/2751/htm
10. Firozjaii, A., M., & Saghafi, H., R. (2020).Review on chemical enhanced oil recovery using polymer floding: Fundamentals, experimental and numerical simulation. Keaipublishing, p.115-122. Retrieved
from:https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405656119300434
11. Scott, A., J., Romero-Zerón, L., & Penlidis, A. (2020).Evaluation of polymeric materials for chemical enhanced oil recovery.Processes 8(3), 361; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr8030361
12. Gbonhinbor, J., R., & Onyekonwu, M., O. (2015).Experimental and simulation study on aqueous protein to improve oil recovery. International Journal of Petroleum Engineering 1(4).DOI:10.1504/IJPE.2015.073536
13. Raffa, P., Broekhuis, A., A.,& Picchioni, F. (2016).Polymeric surfactants for enhanced oil recovery: A review. Journal of Petroleum Science and Engineering, p.723–733, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.petrol.2016.07.007
14. Jang, H., Y., Zhang, K., Chon, B., Y., & Choi, H., J (2015).Enhanced oil recovery performance and viscosity characteristics of polysaccharide xanthan gum solution.Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, volume 21, p.741-745
15. Sun, C., Guo, H., Li, Y., & Song., K. (2020).Recent advances of surfactant-polymer (SP) flooding enhanced oil recovery field tests in China. Hindawi Geofluids. https://doi.org/10.1155/2020/8286706