Texas A&M Case Study

At the Harold Vance Department of Petroleum Engineering, researchers investigate enhanced oil recovery by flooding oil reservoirs with surfactants and gases such as CO₂. CO₂ injection increases reservoir pressure while reducing oil viscosity as the gas partially dissolves into the oil.

Water flooding alone is often inefficient because adhesion forces between water and oil prevent the two from mixing effectively. Surfactants reduce surface tension, allowing oil droplets to deform more easily and disperse into the flood water. The efficiency of surfactant flooding depends on several factors, including:

• Temperature
• Salt concentration
• Rock absorptive capacity
• Reservoir pressure
• Rock porosity (Iglauer S., 2009)

Gas injection may occur under miscible or immiscible conditions. Miscible flooding is more effective because the gas completely mixes with the oil, improving displacement toward producing wells. Under immiscible conditions, partial mixing still occurs, allowing some oil components to vaporize into the gas while some gas dissolves into the oil. Pressure, temperature, and oil composition determine whether miscibility can be achieved.

Controlled Conditions for Reliable Testing

Researchers perform experimental core flooding tests that simulate enhanced oil recovery under reservoir conditions of pressure and temperature. Oil-bearing rock samples are stored in high-pressure metal cylinders while syringe pumps inject fluids with precision. Measuring equipment monitors permeability, pressure drop across the rock core, and incremental oil recovery throughout each experiment.

Memmert heating ovens maintain the stable temperatures required for testing, typically ranging from 65°C to 120°C. The ovens are connected to external pumps and instrumentation through side access ports, allowing researchers to evaluate both established and emerging EOR technologies, including gas, surfactant, foam, and nanoparticle flooding.

Sample Preparation & Storage

Before testing, core samples undergo solvent extraction and are vacuum dried using a Memmert VO vacuum drying oven. Unconventional core samples, including oil-bearing shales, are particularly susceptible to moisture loss and the formation of microcracks. To preserve sample integrity, they are stored under controlled humidity and temperature in a Memmert HCP humidity chamber.

Memmert Equipment Supporting the Research

Several Memmert temperature control solutions play an important role throughout the testing process:

• Heating Ovens provide precise temperature control for core flooding experiments.
• Vacuum Drying Oven VO is used to vacuum dry rock samples following solvent extraction.
• Humidity Chamber HCP stores moisture-sensitive shale samples under controlled humidity and temperature, helping prevent the formation of microcracks before testing.

Together, these systems help researchers produce reliable, repeatable results while evaluating new enhanced oil recovery technologies.