Speaker: Tianping (Tim) Huang, Ph.D., Petroleum engineering consultant, Aramco Beijing Research Center

Time: 15:00-16:30 pm, April 7, 2023, GMT+8

Venue: The Lecture Hall, King Abdulaziz Public Library Branch in Peking University (阿卜杜勒·阿齐兹国王公共图书馆北京大学分馆, 地下一层报告厅)

Abstract:

Waterflooding is a conventional improved-oil-recovery method. When water flows into pores of the media in formations occupied by hydrocarbons, clays and other formation fines are released and flow with the injection water. The released formation particles can accumulate and plug the pore throats in the flow channels, causing lower water sweep efficiency and reduced oil recovery. The solution to this problem is adding additives into the injection water to stabilize formation clays and fine particles at their sources during waterflooding operations. This study presents the use of select nanoparticles in waterflooding to significantly improve oil recovery in reservoirs susceptible to formation fines migration. The research shows the unique ability of select nanoparticles in stabilizing formation clays and fines in waterflooding operations. The lab results demonstrate a much higher performance of the new nanoparticle-blended waterflooding than the currently used technology of stabilizers for formation clays and fine particles. A simulation result shows that 95% more oil is produced in nanoparticle waterflooding than regular waterflooding in a given reservoir scenario. Similar nanoparticles are added into viscoelastic surfactant (VES) fracturing fluids to significantly increase fluids’ performances, including viscosity and thermal stability.

Biography:

Tianping (Tim) Huang is a petroleum engineering consultant at Aramco Beijing Research Center. He currently leads a research group of advanced oilfield chemicals at the center. Tim has over 35 years R&D and operation experience in oil industry at production enhancement and completion area. Including new product developments, fracturing fluids & acidizing fluids, drilling & completion fluids, downhole water management, formation damage control, sand control, EOR, and nanotechnology applications. He is an SPE senior member, and has served as an SPE technical editor and on numerous SPE committees. Tim has authored more than 30 technical papers and holds 80+ US patents. He holds a PhD degree in petroleum engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

Acknowledgement:

PKU ES Seminar Series is financially supported by the Promotion Plan of“NICE”(Network of International Centers of Education in China), initiated by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs and the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China. Thanks to the King Abdulaziz Public Library Branch in Peking University for the venue support.

Source: College of Engineering