WO2008069698A2 - Method for producing solid samples to study electric properties of water-oil mixtures - Google Patents

Method for producing solid samples to study electric properties of water-oil mixtures Download PDF

Info

Publication number
WO2008069698A2
WO2008069698A2 PCT/RU2007/000667 RU2007000667W WO2008069698A2 WO 2008069698 A2 WO2008069698 A2 WO 2008069698A2 RU 2007000667 W RU2007000667 W RU 2007000667W WO 2008069698 A2 WO2008069698 A2 WO 2008069698A2
Authority
WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
water
oil
mixture
component
gas
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/RU2007/000667
Other languages
French (fr)
Other versions
WO2008069698A3 (en
Inventor
Mikhail Yurevich Levchenko
Roman Vladimirovich Korkin
Original Assignee
Schlumberger Canada Limited
Services Petroliers Schlumberger
Schlumberger Holdings Limited
Schlumberger Technology B.V.
Prad Research And Development N.V.
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Schlumberger Canada Limited, Services Petroliers Schlumberger, Schlumberger Holdings Limited, Schlumberger Technology B.V., Prad Research And Development N.V. filed Critical Schlumberger Canada Limited
Publication of WO2008069698A2 publication Critical patent/WO2008069698A2/en
Publication of WO2008069698A3 publication Critical patent/WO2008069698A3/en

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
    • G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
    • G01N33/26—Oils; Viscous liquids; Paints; Inks
    • G01N33/28—Oils, i.e. hydrocarbon liquids
    • G01N33/2835—Specific substances contained in the oils or fuels
    • G01N33/2847—Water in oils

Definitions

  • This invention relates to the materials examination through determination of their physical properties, in particular, electric properties, and can be used in developing engineering solutions for multiphase metering of oil and gas flows by producing solid samples which simulate water-oil and oil-gas-water mixtures suitable for calibration of instrumentation applied for measuring electric properties of the said mixtures.
  • the suggested method allows preparation of samples simulating water- in-oil mixtures (water content of 0 to 25%) as well as oil-in-water mixtures (water content of 75% to 100%).
  • the engineering solution which can be implemented by the suggested engineering approach, calls for the development of a method for producing oil-gas- water mixture samples to simulate their electric properties.
  • the engineering solution to be achieved through the implementation of the developed method, makes it possible to cut costs and expedite the process of calibration & verification of electrical measuring instruments, which are used in the hydrocarbons production and processing equipment metrology.
  • the developed method for producing solid samples for the examination of electric properties of water-oil mixtures For obtaining the above-mentioned engineering solution, it is suggested to use the developed method for producing solid samples for the examination of electric properties of water-oil mixtures.
  • the major component of the analyzed multi-phase mixture in the given measurement interval is determined; then, a substance, which is similar to the selected component in terms of electric properties and which is capable of transforming into a gel state, is placed in a vessel; after the substance is thickened, a second component simulating the second phase of the mixture is added into it.
  • a required amount of gas preferably, air, is additionally added into the system.
  • the volume of phases is selected in way allowing to ensure the compliance between the water content of the obtained sample and the water content of the system under study.
  • An additional thickening material can be used for thickening of the first component.
  • a sample with known and fixed ratio of two (or three) phases is obtained; the said sample is then used as a calibration sample with the known water content and gas volume ratio.
  • the developed method is based on the possibility of producing solid or gel samples with a stable structure (within the period sufficient for taking the required number of measurements) and electromagnetic properties which are close to the properties of water-oil and oil-gas- water mixtures.
  • Liquid silicone polymers e.g., Viksint PK-68 (Surel company, Russia), Pentelast 712 (Penta company, Russia) or SILGARD 182 (Dow Corning company, USA) can be used as an oil substitute component for producing the "water-in-oil" samples.
  • These substances have a high electrical resistivity (not less than 10 13 Ohm x cm) and a low dielectric permittivity (2 to 4), which virtually corresponds to electrical parameters of crude oil.
  • these substances could withstand high temperatures (up to +300 0 C) and vibration impacts; this fact broadens physical ranges of experiments.
  • Optical transparency of the materials also simplifies the sample preparation process.
  • an agar gel or any other thickening agent could be selected as a water simulating agent.
  • Different solid matters e.g., size-calibrated glass balls (e.g., Ornella company, Czech Republic) can be used in this particular case as an oil simulating substance.
  • size-calibrated glass balls e.g., Ornella company, Czech Republic
  • the size of applied glass balls can be selected in the range from 1 mm to 10 mm.
  • Inner walls of a glass to be used for the sample production are evenly covered with a lubricant (e.g., mineral jelly) for the convenience of removal of the finished sample.
  • a lubricant e.g., mineral jelly
  • the glass must be transparent (e.g., made of organic glass) to allow the monitoring over the sample preparation process.
  • a thickening agent (catalyst) in a certain proportion is added to the silicone polymer.
  • the received mixture is poured in the glass.
  • a certain amount of the second component is introduced by a measuring syringe; the amount of the second component is calculated based on the oil-to-water phase ratio in the finished sample.
  • the syringe needle should be long (for convenient filling over the sample entire volume) and thin (not to disturb the sample structure).
  • the SPINOCAN 88 mm x 0.46 mm tool which is used in the surgery for intra-spinal anesthesia can be employed as a needle.
  • NaCl water solution is the second component in the sample.
  • the size of water droplets in the polymer can be selected from 1 to 10 mm.
  • volumes of the added water (or gas) are easy to control by using a measuring syringe; thus, the control over the final volume fractions of all three phases is provided.
  • This technology can be implemented to produce samples with water content (total gas and water volume fraction) of up to 25%. The sample produced in such a way is rather strong and endurable to be used in further experiments. Time required for the preparation of a set of samples is about 24 hours; service life of the prepared samples exceeds 1 year.
  • An agar gel or any other thickening agent can be used as a water-simulating substance to prepare the "oil-in-water” samples.
  • Various solid matters e.g., glass balls calibrated by size (Ornella, Czech Republic) can be used in this particular case as an oil-simulating matter. Meanwhile, it's important that glass and oil have similar electric resistances and the glass-to-agar gel dielectric permittivity ratio is rather high (which is the basis for dielectric measurement methods).
  • the size of glass balls to be used can vary from 1 to 10 mm.
  • the technology for producing the "oil-in- water” samples slightly differs from the technology applied for producing the "water-in-oil” samples.
  • Vessel is filled with the Pentelast 712 polymer until the level of the liquid reaches a mark of 80% of the volume of the sample being prepared. Then, the K- 18 thickening agent (Penta company, Russia) is added in the volume of 20% of the sample volume. After that, it's necessary to wait for 60 minutes to allow the fluid to gel. Using a syringe with a long (10 cm) and thin (0.4 mm) needle, add water droplets. The full volume of the added water is the production of water content to be obtained per volume of the sample being prepared. When the sample is ready, its upper part (surpluses formed due to the presence of water and air droplets) could be cut off.

Landscapes

  • Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Medicinal Chemistry (AREA)
  • Biochemistry (AREA)
  • General Chemical & Material Sciences (AREA)
  • Food Science & Technology (AREA)
  • Chemical Kinetics & Catalysis (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Analytical Chemistry (AREA)
  • Oil, Petroleum & Natural Gas (AREA)
  • General Health & Medical Sciences (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Immunology (AREA)
  • Pathology (AREA)
  • Sampling And Sample Adjustment (AREA)
  • Investigating Or Analyzing Materials By The Use Of Electric Means (AREA)

Abstract

This invention relates to the materials examination through determination of their physical properties, in particular, electric properties, and can be used in developing engineering solutions for multiphase metering of oil and gas flows by producing solid samples which simulate water-oil and oil-gas-water mixtures suitable for calibration of instrumentation applied for measuring electric properties of the said mixtures. The suggested method calls for the determination of the basic component in the analyzed multi-phase mixture in the given range of measurement; selection of a substance whose electrical properties are similar with those for the selected component and which is capable of turning into a gel state, with a follow-up placement of the selected substance in a vessel; addition of the second component, which simulates the second phase of the mixture, in the thickened substance.

Description

Method for producing solid samples to study electric properties of water- oil mixtures
This invention relates to the materials examination through determination of their physical properties, in particular, electric properties, and can be used in developing engineering solutions for multiphase metering of oil and gas flows by producing solid samples which simulate water-oil and oil-gas-water mixtures suitable for calibration of instrumentation applied for measuring electric properties of the said mixtures.
The suggested method allows preparation of samples simulating water- in-oil mixtures (water content of 0 to 25%) as well as oil-in-water mixtures (water content of 75% to 100%).
There is a problem of measuring a well fluid composition, which is a complex mixture of water, oil and gas, in the oil and gas industry.
Known methods and devices for measuring the composition of oil and gas are based on the phase separation, using radiometric tools as well as tools detecting the composition by electric properties of the mixture. At present, different devices for measuring parameters of oil-gas- water mixtures with the application of electromagnetic methods which are typically based on the measurement of the conductivity and dielectric permittivity of the mixture. While developing similar devices, it's often necessary to conduct a series of calibration experiments with oil-gas-water mixtures in a wide range of the water/ oil/ gas ratio. The most precise method for testing and calibration of the said instrumentation is based on the application of expensive pouring units (P. Mehdazadeh, in Proceeding of Deep Offshore Technology international Conference, New Orleans, November 30 - December 2, 2004) with a precise measurement of oil, gas and water flows (in case of three-phase mixtures) or oil and water (in case of two-phase mixtures). Despite these units allow experiments under conditions which are very close to actual downhole conditions, the application of flow-through units is restricted due to their high price and a large size of these units; moreover, these experiments are time- consuming. Therefore, there is a need to develop a method and device for producing stable and cheap samples, which could be used as oil-gas-water mixture models for calibration of dielectric permittivity metering devices.
The engineering solution, which can be implemented by the suggested engineering approach, calls for the development of a method for producing oil-gas- water mixture samples to simulate their electric properties.
The engineering solution, to be achieved through the implementation of the developed method, makes it possible to cut costs and expedite the process of calibration & verification of electrical measuring instruments, which are used in the hydrocarbons production and processing equipment metrology.
For obtaining the above-mentioned engineering solution, it is suggested to use the developed method for producing solid samples for the examination of electric properties of water-oil mixtures. In accordance with the developed method, the major component of the analyzed multi-phase mixture in the given measurement interval is determined; then, a substance, which is similar to the selected component in terms of electric properties and which is capable of transforming into a gel state, is placed in a vessel; after the substance is thickened, a second component simulating the second phase of the mixture is added into it. For simulating a three-phase mixture, a required amount of gas, preferably, air, is additionally added into the system. The volume of phases is selected in way allowing to ensure the compliance between the water content of the obtained sample and the water content of the system under study. An additional thickening material can be used for thickening of the first component. Upon complete hardening, a sample with known and fixed ratio of two (or three) phases is obtained; the said sample is then used as a calibration sample with the known water content and gas volume ratio.
The applicant is not aware of engineering solutions which could be applied as analogues of the developed method.
The developed method is based on the possibility of producing solid or gel samples with a stable structure (within the period sufficient for taking the required number of measurements) and electromagnetic properties which are close to the properties of water-oil and oil-gas- water mixtures.
Liquid silicone polymers, e.g., Viksint PK-68 (Surel company, Russia), Pentelast 712 (Penta company, Russia) or SILGARD 182 (Dow Corning company, USA) can be used as an oil substitute component for producing the "water-in-oil" samples. These substances have a high electrical resistivity (not less than 1013 Ohm x cm) and a low dielectric permittivity (2 to 4), which virtually corresponds to electrical parameters of crude oil. Besides, these substances could withstand high temperatures (up to +3000C) and vibration impacts; this fact broadens physical ranges of experiments. Optical transparency of the materials also simplifies the sample preparation process.
For preparation of the "oil-in- water" samples, an agar gel or any other thickening agent (gelatin, guar, etc.) could be selected as a water simulating agent. Different solid matters, e.g., size-calibrated glass balls (e.g., Ornella company, Czech Republic) can be used in this particular case as an oil simulating substance. Meanwhile, it's not important that the electric resistance of glass is close to that for oil, and that the glass-to-agar gel dielectric permittivity ratio is rather high (which is the basis for dielectric measurement methods). The size of applied glass balls can be selected in the range from 1 mm to 10 mm. The below-described procedure is applied for producing a solid "water- in-oil" mixture model:
1. Inner walls of a glass to be used for the sample production are evenly covered with a lubricant (e.g., mineral jelly) for the convenience of removal of the finished sample. The glass must be transparent (e.g., made of organic glass) to allow the monitoring over the sample preparation process.
2. A thickening agent (catalyst) in a certain proportion is added to the silicone polymer. The received mixture is poured in the glass.
3. Upon expiration of time, sufficient enough for increasing the viscosity of the polymer to allow the introduction of the second component (water) in the sample, a certain amount of the second component is introduced by a measuring syringe; the amount of the second component is calculated based on the oil-to-water phase ratio in the finished sample. The syringe needle should be long (for convenient filling over the sample entire volume) and thin (not to disturb the sample structure). The SPINOCAN 88 mm x 0.46 mm tool, which is used in the surgery for intra-spinal anesthesia can be employed as a needle. For simulating formation water with a high salinity, NaCl water solution is the second component in the sample. The size of water droplets in the polymer can be selected from 1 to 10 mm.
4. Upon complete hardening (about 24 hours for the Pentelast 712 polymer), the samples are removed from the glass and are marked in accordance with the water salinity (in mg/liter) and water content (in percent).
By creating a disordered distribution of water droplets throughout the volume, it's possible to produce a polymer sample simulating water-oil mixture by electrical properties. By varying the volume of water droplets added, the distance among the water droplets as well as the degree of order, the mixtures simulating different flow behaviors can be produced. After water is added, a similar method can be applied for adding the amount of gas bubbles (e.g., air) calculated based on the required composition of the sample, to produce a three-phase mixture. To visually distinguish gas bubbles from water bubbles in the polymer, water can be colored with a water-soluble colorant (change in the colored water conductivity shall be monitored).
Volumes of the added water (or gas) are easy to control by using a measuring syringe; thus, the control over the final volume fractions of all three phases is provided. This technology can be implemented to produce samples with water content (total gas and water volume fraction) of up to 25%. The sample produced in such a way is rather strong and endurable to be used in further experiments. Time required for the preparation of a set of samples is about 24 hours; service life of the prepared samples exceeds 1 year.
An agar gel or any other thickening agent (gelatin, guar, etc.) can be used as a water-simulating substance to prepare the "oil-in-water" samples. Various solid matters, e.g., glass balls calibrated by size (Ornella, Czech Republic) can be used in this particular case as an oil-simulating matter. Meanwhile, it's important that glass and oil have similar electric resistances and the glass-to-agar gel dielectric permittivity ratio is rather high (which is the basis for dielectric measurement methods). The size of glass balls to be used can vary from 1 to 10 mm. The technology for producing the "oil-in- water" samples slightly differs from the technology applied for producing the "water-in-oil" samples.
The following procedure is implemented to produce a gel model of the "oil-in-water" mixture:
1. Add a thickening agent to water (proportion - in accordance with application manual) and stir it evenly. 2. Add required volume of glass balls into the said mixture.
3. Heat entire mixture in a water bath up to a certain temperature over a period sufficient enough for complete dissolution of the thickening agent.
4. Remove the vessel with the mixture from the water bath and, as far as it cools down, shake it to keep the sample structure homogeneity.
Therefore, it's possible to obtain samples with a water content of 75% to 100%. If the method is implemented as stated above, it's hard to produce the third phase of the mixture (gas bubbles) due to a high porosity of the agar polymer and uncontrolled solubility of the air in the polymer. However, it's possible to use the preliminary prepared droplets of another thickening agent whose dielectric properties are similar to those for air. The droplets are introduced in the cooling-down sample in a way which is similar to the introduction of glass balls. Time required for preparation of a set of samples is about 24 hours; service life of the samples is about 2 months.
Different embodiments of the developed method are described below.
1. Vessel is filled with the Pentelast 712 polymer until the level of the liquid reaches a mark of 80% of the volume of the sample being prepared. Then, the K- 18 thickening agent (Penta company, Russia) is added in the volume of 20% of the sample volume. After that, it's necessary to wait for 60 minutes to allow the fluid to gel. Using a syringe with a long (10 cm) and thin (0.4 mm) needle, add water droplets. The full volume of the added water is the production of water content to be obtained per volume of the sample being prepared. When the sample is ready, its upper part (surpluses formed due to the presence of water and air droplets) could be cut off.
2. 50 grams of agar, grade 900 (with a gelling capacity of 900 g/cm), is mixed with 200 grams of warm water and are held intact within 2 hours until the intumescences. Then, the fluid volume is increased to 1 liter and is heated by a slow fire until complete dissolution of the agar (the process occurs at a temperature of about 900C). The vessel is then filled with the agar water solution in the volume which the finished sample must have. After that, glass balls are added to the hot solution. If it's necessary to produce 1 cm3 of the oil phase, 239 balls should be added. For convenience of the sample production process, balls can be weighed: 2.5 grams of glass balls are equivalent to the 1 cm3 volume. For producing a homogenous structure, the mixture shall be stirred thoroughly.

Claims

Claims
1. Method for producing solid samples of examination of electrical properties of water-oil mixtures, which is characterized by the following: basic component in the analyzed multi-phase mixture is determined in the given range of measurement; a substance with the similar electrical properties, which is capable of turning into a gel state, is selected and placed in a vessel; when thickened, the second component simulating the second phase of the mixture is added to the substance.
2. Method as per Item 1, with the difference that a required amount of gas is additionally introduced in the obtained system to simulate a three-phase mixture.
3. Method as per Item 1, with the difference that a thickening agent is additionally introduced to gel the first component.
PCT/RU2007/000667 2006-12-06 2007-11-29 Method for producing solid samples to study electric properties of water-oil mixtures WO2008069698A2 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
RU2006143048/28A RU2328726C1 (en) 2006-12-06 2006-12-06 Method of creation of solid specimens for examination of electric properties of borehole fluid
RU2006143048 2006-12-06

Publications (2)

Publication Number Publication Date
WO2008069698A2 true WO2008069698A2 (en) 2008-06-12
WO2008069698A3 WO2008069698A3 (en) 2008-11-13

Family

ID=39492756

Family Applications (1)

Application Number Title Priority Date Filing Date
PCT/RU2007/000667 WO2008069698A2 (en) 2006-12-06 2007-11-29 Method for producing solid samples to study electric properties of water-oil mixtures

Country Status (2)

Country Link
RU (1) RU2328726C1 (en)
WO (1) WO2008069698A2 (en)

Families Citing this family (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
RU2477394C1 (en) * 2011-07-08 2013-03-10 Министерство образования и науки Российской Федерации Государственное образовательное учреждение высшего профессионального образования "Московский автомобильно-дорожный государственный технический университет (МАДИ)" Multicomponent working liquid - simulator of borehole liquid for calibration bench

Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SU1249606A1 (en) * 1984-10-19 1986-08-07 Западно-Сибирское отделение Всесоюзного научно-исследовательского института геофизических методов разведки Method of determining electrical specific resistance of water in oil-gas-contaning strata
EP0508894A1 (en) * 1991-04-11 1992-10-14 Schlumberger Limited A method of locally determining the nature of a phase in a three-phase fluid, and application for determining flow parameters of the fluid
RU2243510C2 (en) * 1999-01-11 2004-12-27 Флоусис Ас Multiphase flow measurements in pipeline

Patent Citations (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
SU1249606A1 (en) * 1984-10-19 1986-08-07 Западно-Сибирское отделение Всесоюзного научно-исследовательского института геофизических методов разведки Method of determining electrical specific resistance of water in oil-gas-contaning strata
EP0508894A1 (en) * 1991-04-11 1992-10-14 Schlumberger Limited A method of locally determining the nature of a phase in a three-phase fluid, and application for determining flow parameters of the fluid
RU2243510C2 (en) * 1999-01-11 2004-12-27 Флоусис Ас Multiphase flow measurements in pipeline

Also Published As

Publication number Publication date
RU2328726C1 (en) 2008-07-10
WO2008069698A3 (en) 2008-11-13

Similar Documents

Publication Publication Date Title
Culligan-Hensley et al. Environmental geomechanics and transport processes
Milliken et al. The viscosity-volume fraction relation for suspensions of rod-like particles by falling-ball rheometry
Mustafa et al. Dye diffusion in isotropic and liquid-crystalline aqueous (hydroxypropyl) cellulose
Shah Proppant settling correlations for non-Newtonian fluids under static and dynamic conditions
Hammami et al. Asphaltenic crude oil characterization: an experimental investigation of the effect of resins on the stability of asphaltenes
Hu et al. NMR study on the network structure of a mixed gel of kappa and iota carrageenans
Bahia Low-temperature isothermal physical hardening of asphalt cements
Zheng et al. Fundamental investigation of wax diffusion characteristics in water-in-oil emulsion
Ghahfarokhi et al. Characterization of asphaltene deposition process in flow loop apparatus; An experimental investigation and modeling approach
Kett Asphalt materials and mix design manual
BR112013020883B1 (en) THERMAL PHASE SEPARATION SIMULATOR AND METHOD FOR USING THE THERMAL PHASE SEPARATION SIMULATOR
Holtz et al. The effects of silica and water on the viscosity of hydrous quartzofeldspathic melts
Huff et al. Micellization and Phase Separation for Triblock Copolymer 17R4 in H2O and in D2O
Watanabe et al. Rheodielectric behavior of entangled cis-polyisoprene under fast shear
WO2008069698A2 (en) Method for producing solid samples to study electric properties of water-oil mixtures
Chen et al. Experimental investigation of solute transport across transition interface of porous media under reversible flow directions
Kalogianni et al. A multi-probe non-intrusive electrical technique for monitoring emulsification of hexane-in-water with the emulsifier C10E5 soluble in both phases
Li et al. Infinite dilution diffusion coefficients of several alcohols in water
Newling et al. Concentration profiles in creaming oil-in-water emulsion layers determined with stray field magnetic resonance imaging
Boutelier et al. Density and visco-elasticity of Natrosol 250 HH solutions: Determining their suitability for experimental tectonics
Schaertl et al. FRS study of diffusional processes in block copolymer/homopolymer blends containing glassy spherical micelles
Kamali Zarch et al. Contributions of particle–fluid, collisional, and colloidal interactions to rheological behavior of soil–water mixtures
Haukalid et al. Impact of gas hydrate formation/dissociation on water-in-crude oil emulsion properties studied by dielectric measurements
Pelletier et al. Dilute polyacrylamide solutions under uniaxial extensional flow
Wistuba et al. Adhesion of bitumen: Screening and evaluating laboratory testing techniques

Legal Events

Date Code Title Description
NENP Non-entry into the national phase in:

Ref country code: DE

122 Ep: pct application non-entry in european phase

Ref document number: 07861069

Country of ref document: EP

Kind code of ref document: A2