Systems and methods for carbonated water flooding of hydrocarbon reservoirs
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsSubhash Chandrabose Ayirala, Ali Abdallah Al-Yousef, Sultan Al-Enezi, Ahmed Al-Eidan
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Abstract
The present disclosure relates to the recovery of oil from an underground hydrocarbon reservoir, and more particularly to systems and methods for carbonated water flooding of an underground reservoir for enhanced oil recovery.
Claims25
A method for carbonated water flooding of an underground hydrocarbon reservoir, the method including a step of introducing a volume of carbonated injection water that is saturated with carbon dioxide into an underground hydrocarbon reservoir via an injection well, where the volume of carbonated injection water is introduced into the injection well at a temperature less than 50° C. and a carbon dioxide pressure greater than 1450 psi, where the carbonated injection water includes one or more salts at a total combined salt concentration of 5,000 to 7,000 ppm.
A system for carbonated water flooding of an underground hydrocarbon reservoir including:
- a pressurized and temperature-controlled vessel that includes a volume of carbonated injection water that is saturated with carbon dioxide, at a temperature less than 50° C. and a carbon dioxide pressure greater than 1450 psi, where the carbonated injection water includes one or more salts at a total combined salt concentration of 7,000 ppm or less, where the vessel includes an outlet;
- and
- an injection well which is in fluid communication with the outlet of the vessel and an underground hydrocarbon reservoir.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.