INERT GAS INJECTION

By :
Septoratno Siregar
 INERT GAS INJECTION

General

◼ Advantages of inert gas injection:

◼ Inert gas injection into gas cap will prevent oil
migration into gas cap
◼ Inert gas injection will give higher recovery than
water drive in tight reservoirs

◼ Disadvantages of inert gas injection:

◼ Corrosion problems when using boiler
 INERT GAS INJECTION

General

◼ Inert Gas Characteristics:

◼ Inert gas injection is an immiscible displacement agent
◼ Requires extremely high pressure to be miscible with oil
(multiple contact miscible)

◼ Processes that can produce inert gas for injection fluid:

◼ Boiler using gas as fuel
◼ Engine exhaust gas
◼ N2 cryogenic air separation
 INERT GAS INJECTION

General

◼ Inert Gas Injection criteria:

◼ Miscible displacement by inert gas can be applied in
small range of fluid composition, pressure, volume
and temperature.
◼ Pressure maintenance in condensate reservoir to
prevent fluid loss (liquid drop out) due to
condensation
◼ Low permeability reservoir
◼ Prevention of fluid migration into gas cap, causing
oil loss
 INERT GAS INJECTION

General

◼ Inert Gas criteria:

◼ Gravity drainage by the use of light density N2 which
tends to move upward compared to CO2 at high
pressure which tends to move downward.
◼ Oil gravity ≥ 35o API
◼ Deep reservoir (to ensure effective process without
causing fracture in the reservoir)
 INERT GAS INJECTION

Hawkins Field, Texas (USA)

◼ 24o API oil density

◼ Sand formation
◼ Depth = 4350 ft
◼ Ф = 28%
◼ 3400 mD
◼ Trapped between strong water drive and gas cap
◼ 3 train inert plant and it’s operated parallel
 INERT GAS INJECTION

Hawkins Field, Texas (USA)

◼ Each train has 2 inert gas generator (steam boiler)

◼ Each train has 2 catalyst reactor, cooler, dry gas
dehydration unit, 20000 hp compressor that run by
steam turbine.
◼ Every train is designed to produce 44 MMscfd inert
gas.
 NITROGEN INJECTION

ONE DIMENSIONAL IMMISCIBLE

DISPLACEMENT
OGRINDO RESEARCH

By :
Septoratno Siregar
 N2 INJECTION

Objectives

◼ TO STUDY EFFECTIVITY OF NITROGEN

INJECTION IN OIL DISPLACEMENT

◼ TO DETERMINE EFFECT OF CONTACT

BETWEEN OIL AND NITROGEN

◼ TO STUDY INJECTION OF NITROGEN IN

NUMERICAL SIMULATION
 N2 INJECTION

Methods

◼ LABORATORY EXPERIMENT
1. Slimtube Apparatus
2. Rolling Ball Viscometer

◼ BUCKLEY-LEVERETT

◼ NUMERICAL SIMULATION
 N2 INJECTION

Equipments

◼ SLIM TUBE RBV

 N2 INJECTION

Results

◼
No. Sample Injection Laboratory 1-D Buckley-
Pressure Experiment Leverett
(psia)
1 X-1 1500 45 % 44 %
2000 48 % 46 %
2500 55 % 55 %
2 X-2 1500 51 % 49 %
2000 56 % 55 %
2500 65 % 64 %
3 X-3 1500 51 % 50 %
2000 58 % 58 %
2500 70 % 69 %
 N2 INJECTION

Methods

◼ without N2
Pressure Temp, ρo, contact
N2 contact
No Sample 0C
(psia) gr/cc
μo, cp
1 1500 113 0.720 0.836 1.154
2 X-1 2000 0.722 0.709 1.105
3 2500 0.731 0.709 1.064
4 1500 93 0.701 0.597 0.924
5 X-2 2000 0.707 0.616 0.927
6 2500 0.716 0.636 0.907
7 1500 63 0.679 0.612 1.345
8 X-3 2000 0.689 0.657 1.254
9 2500 0.697 0.712 1.199
 N2 INJECTION

Conclusions

◼ The displacement efficiency of immiscible nitrogen injection

increased with increasing injection pressure
◼ The displacement efficiency of immiscible nitrogen injection
increased when the oil viscosity decreases
◼ At the first contact between oil and nitrogen decreasing oil
viscosity depends on fluid properties of oil and system
properties such as temperature, pressure and rock properties
◼ The displacement efficiency of immiscible nitrogen injection
increased with increasing oil API Gravity value
 N2 INJECTION

Curves

◼
Sample X-1

60%

55%
Ed, fraction

50%

45%

40%
lab X-1
35%
B-L X-1
30%
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400

Pressure,psia
 N2 INJECTION

Methods

◼
Sample X-2

70%
65%
60%
Ed, fraction

55%
50%
45%
40%
lab X-2
35% B-L X-2
30%
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400

Pre s s ure ,ps ia

 N2 INJECTION

Methods

◼
Sample X-3

75%
70%
65%
Ed, fraction

60%
55%
50%
45%
40% lab X-3
35% B -L X-3
30%
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400

Pre s s ure ,ps ia

 N2 INJECTION

Methods

◼
RBV sample X-1

1. 2

1. 1

0. 9

0. 8

0. 7

0. 6 no co ntact N2 X-1
co ntact N2 X-1
0. 5

0. 4
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600

P re s s ure ,ps i
 N2 INJECTION

Methods

◼
RBV sample X-2

1
0.9
viskosity, cp

0.8

0.7
0.6
0.5 no co ntact N2 X-2
co ntact N2 X-2
0.4
1000 1500 2000 2500 3000
Pressure,psi
 N2 INJECTION

Methods

◼
RBV sample X-3

1.4

1.2
viskosity, cp

1 no contact N2 X-3
contact N2 X-3
0.8

0.6

0.4
1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600
Pressure,psi
 N2 INJECTION

Methods

◼ Oil Flow Equation

(
  o Po −  o Z = )   So 
  + qo
t  Bo 

◼ Gas Flow Equation

( ) (
  g Pg −  g Z + Rs o Po −  o Z = )
   Sg

t   Bg
+ Rs
So  
Bo  
+ qfg + Rs qo
 

◼ 1 dimensional linear flow, fully implicit method

INERT GAS INJECTION
The End
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