Normal Stresses and Interface Displacement: Influence of Viscoelasticity on Enhanced Oil Recovery Efficiency

Normal Stresses and Interface Displacement: Influence of Viscoelasticity on Enhanced Oil Recovery Efficiency — One of chemical Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods consists in injecting aqueous solutions of polymers into the reservoir in order to improve mobility ratio between the injected fluid and the remaining oil. This “polymer flooding” process is usually only characterized with the low shear viscosity of the injected fluid, even if these aqueous solutions are strongly shear thinning and may show high elastic properties evidenced by normal stresses appearance. In order to study the mechanisms at the interface level, we develop simple model experimentations with the goal of quantifying the influence of viscoelastic properties on fluid displacement in a simple geometry. For this purpose, we propose and characterize a model fluid formulation, for which elastic and viscous effects can be tuned systematically. We study then the displacement of a viscous oil by a Newtonian non Oil & Gas Science and Technology – Rev. IFP Energies nouvelles Copyright © 2013, IFP Energies nouvelles DOI: 10.2516/ogst/2012063 Challenges and New Approaches in EOR Défis et nouvelles approches en EOR Do s s i e r Oil & Gas Science and Technology – Rev. IFP Energies nouvelles 2