Air injection method in oil recovery

Authors: V.A. Klinchev, V. V. Zatsepin, A. S. Ushakova, (Zarubezhneft JSC, RF, Moscow), S.V. Telyshev (JV Rusvietpetro Ltd., RF, Moscow)

Key words: in-situ combustion, high pressure air injection, screening, laboratory research.

In the present paper three possible ways of air injection process development are shown: the method of pushing oil with air without combustion front occurrence, in-situ combustion (ISC), and thermogas treatment, or, using the American terminology, high pressure air injection (HPAI). The field’s properties that determine which way in-situ combustion process will develop are identified. One way to determine in which of these three ways the process will develop is to study the oxidation characteristics using the pressurised differential scanning calorimetry (PDSC). For the improved study of the combustion process DSC experiments of oil samples oxidation reactivity, oil-saturated core and other actively reactive substances establishment are necessary. It is shown how oil can change its reaction activity in the presence of the reservoir core samples. The unsteady type of oil (tarry light oil) has been studied, oxidation of which is accompanied by transition of resins to secondary asphaltenes, which in the presence of core significantly increases the amount of fuel.
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