Abstract: Surfactant flooding is one of the various methods used in the oil and gas industry to improve oil recovery from the hydrocarbon reservoir. It involves the injection of surfactants which are chemicals to displace residual oil in the reservoir by reducing the interfacial tension between the displacing and displaced fluids thereby maximizing oil production. Surfactant is a surface-active agent that aids to improve oil recovery via changing the rock properties from oil-wet to water-wet. Synthetic surfactant is mostly used chemical enhanced oil recovery method but its vulnerability to high temperature and salinity reservoir pose a challenge to its application. In this study, Thevetia Peruviana oil was used as a precursor for surfactant formulation via saponification reaction. Soxhlet extraction technique was used to extract the oil from the seeds. Physicochemical properties of the extracted oil were investigated. Characterization using Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) was carried out on the formulated surfactant to determine the functional groups. The results of this study showed that the Thevetia Peruviana seed have percentage of oil yield (61.3%), saponification value (218.79mg/100g), acid value (28.05mg/g), free fatty acid (14.03 mg/L), iodine value (9.39mg/L), specific gravity (0.90 g/cm3) and pH (4.04). The FTIR test results on the formulated surfactant showed the presence of the hydroxyl (OH) and carboxyl (COOH) functional groups. This indicate that the surfactant is anionic and have hydrophilic behavior which will be effective for use in enhanced oil recovery.
Abstract: Surfactant flooding is one of the various methods used in the oil and gas industry to improve oil recovery from the hydrocarbon reservoir. It involves the injection of surfactants which are chemicals to displace residual oil in the reservoir by reducing the interfacial tension between the displacing and displaced fluids thereby maximizing oil produ...Show More
Abstract: In this study, a two-dimensional numerical analysis is made of the waves at the interface between the core and the annulus of a laminar core-annular flow in a vertical pipe. The Reynolds number did not exceed 600. The volume-of-fluid method in the interFoam solver from the OpenFOAM software package (version 2.1) was used. This solver employs finite volume discretization, and cell face interpolated variables play a major role in the solution algorithm. The influences on the waves of the pressure drop along the pipe, the buoyancy due to the density difference between the core liquid and annular liquid, the thickness of the annular layer, the viscosity of the core liquid, and the pipe length were considered. The surface tension at the interface in relation to several of these factors was also considered. In addition, theoretical and experimental results of previous studies were compared with our numerical results. Novel results were obtained that indicated the effects of the surface tension, pipe length, and thickness of the annular layer on the waves in laminar core-annular flow. Possible fouling of the pipe wall by the core liquid was also considered. The study and practical application of core-annular flow were found to be possible using numerical analysis.Abstract: In this study, a two-dimensional numerical analysis is made of the waves at the interface between the core and the annulus of a laminar core-annular flow in a vertical pipe. The Reynolds number did not exceed 600. The volume-of-fluid method in the interFoam solver from the OpenFOAM software package (version 2.1) was used. This solver employs finite...Show More
Abstract: Polymer flooding is a chemical enhanced oil recovery where polymer is injected into the reservoir to recover oil that remained in the reservoir after the primary and secondary recovery mechanisms, improves oil recovery by reducing the water mobility ratio and increases the viscosity of the displacing fluids for sweep displacement efficiency of the reservoir. Synthetic polymers are widely used chemical enhanced oil recovery. However, there is a big concern about the high cost of these polymers which can result to high cost of oil production and environmental concerns due to the toxic nature of these polymers. Hence, there is need to source for local polymers that can be environmentally friendly, less expensive and can serve as a mobility control agent in enhanced oil recovery. In this study, experimental analysis was carried out to improve hydrocarbon productivity using local polymers such as Afzelia Africana, Colocasian esculenta and compared with synthetic polymer Hydroxyethyl cellulose. Characterization (FTIR and SEM) of these polymers were carried out to determine the functional groups and the morphology. Rheological behavior of these polymers was investigated. Core-flooding experiment was conducted on the local polymers and the synthetic polymer to examine the potential of these polymers in enhanced oil recovery. The results of the study showed that the samples contained hydroxyl group (OH), carboxyl group (COOH), and amine (NH3) based on the functional groups. The scanning electron microscopy test showed that the samples are mesoporous and crystalline in nature. The rheology test results showed that the samples exhibit shear thinning behavior and a non-Newtonian fluid. The core-flooding experiment showed that Afzelia Africana had oil recovery of 8.4%, 14.4% and 17.6%. More so, Colocasian esculenta had oil recovery of 6.8%, 14.0% and 17.2% while the synthetic polymer had oil recovery of 9.6%, 14.8% and 19.2% for different polymer concentrations of 0.2wt%, 0.3wt% and 0.4wt% respectively. The results from this study showed that the local polymers compared favorably with the synthetic polymer in enhanced oil recovery.
Abstract: Polymer flooding is a chemical enhanced oil recovery where polymer is injected into the reservoir to recover oil that remained in the reservoir after the primary and secondary recovery mechanisms, improves oil recovery by reducing the water mobility ratio and increases the viscosity of the displacing fluids for sweep displacement efficiency of the ...Show More
Abstract: In recent years, natural gas utilisation has seen a considerable increase because, it presents an alternative energy source that is reliable, economical and environmentally friendly for consumers. In Ghana, natural gas consumption has over the years increased due to mainly the rise in industrial and residential demands. Accurate prediction of natural gas consumption will provide stakeholders with vital information needed for planning and making informed policy decisions. This paper explores the Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) and Seasonal Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (SARIMA) to predict Ghana's daily natural gas consumption. The data employed for the study is daily natural gas consumption in Ghana from 2020 to 2022. The results show that both ARIMA and SARIMA models can predict the consumption of natural gas in Ghana with a good degree of accuracy. The SARIMA model slightly outperforms the ARIMA model, with a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 22.25 and a Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) of 6.96%, compared to an RMSE of 23.27 and a MAPE of 7.29% for the ARIMA model. The model forecast suggests a steady natural gas consumption in Ghana but with some intermittent fluctuations.
Abstract: In recent years, natural gas utilisation has seen a considerable increase because, it presents an alternative energy source that is reliable, economical and environmentally friendly for consumers. In Ghana, natural gas consumption has over the years increased due to mainly the rise in industrial and residential demands. Accurate prediction of natur...Show More