Method for estimating dissolution of salt
AssigneeSaudi Arabian Oil Company
InventorsYanhui Han, Younane Abousleiman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of estimating dissolution progress of a salt in construction of a salt cavern includes: defining, for each of a plurality of parameters, an operable range of respective parameter and an average value of the operable range of respective parameter; performing a plurality of flooding tests, by varying one particular parameter among the plurality of parameters from a lowest value to a highest value in the operable range of the one particular parameter and keeping all other parameters at the average value of respective parameter; and obtaining an analytical relationship of a mass of dissolved salt versus the one particular parameter.
Claims8
A method of estimating dissolution progress of a salt in construction of a salt cavern, comprising:
- defining, for each of a plurality of parameters, an operable range of respective parameter and an average value of the operable range of respective parameter;
- performing a plurality of flooding tests, by varying one particular parameter among the plurality of parameters from a lowest value to a highest value in the operable range of the one particular parameter and keeping all other parameters at the average value of respective parameter;
- wherein each of the flooding tests is performed by:
- injecting a dissolving fluid into the salt disposed in a core flooding apparatus, producing a brine containing dissolved salt;
- and
- calculating the mass of the dissolved salt in the brine,
- obtaining an analytical relationship of a mass of dissolved salt versus the one particular parameter;
- varying each of the parameters while keeping all other parameters at their average values to obtain a plurality of the analytical relationships for each of the parameters;
- and
- combining the plurality of the analytical relationships to obtain a total relationship between the mass of dissolved salt and all of the parameters, the parameters include flow rate, injection frequency, and salt concentration of the dissolving fluid.
A method for constructing a salt cavern, comprising:
- injecting a dissolving fluid into a salt formation, producing a brine containing dissolved salt;
- and
- controlling a plurality of parameters during the injecting to control a shape and/or size of the salt cavern by controlling at least one of an injection location, injection frequency, flow rate, and salt concentration of the dissolving fluid,
- wherein each of the analytical relationships for respective parameter is obtained by:
- defining, for each of the plurality of parameters, an operable range of respective parameter and an average value of the operable range of respective parameter;
- performing a plurality of flooding tests, by varying one particular parameter among the plurality of parameters from a lowest value to a highest value in the operable range of the one particular parameter and keeping all other parameters at the average value of respective parameter;
- wherein each of the flooding tests is performed by:
- injecting a dissolving fluid into the salt disposed in a core flooding apparatus, producing a brine containing dissolved salt;
- and
- calculating the mass of the dissolved salt in the brine,
- obtaining an analytical relationship of a mass of dissolved salt versus the one particular parameter;
- varying each of the parameters while keeping all other parameters at their average values to obtain a plurality of the analytical relationships for each of the parameters;
- and
- combining the plurality of the analytical relationships to obtain a total relationship between the mass of dissolved salt and all of the parameters, the parameters include flow rate, injection frequency, and salt concentration of the dissolving fluid.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.