Ultrasonic Assisted Enhanced Oil Recovery Process: Numerical Analysis

Research topic: One of the new methods in the processes of increasing oil recovery from hydrocarbon reservoirs is the method of using ultrasonic waves. In this research, using ultrasonic waves and their application in a large-scale sample tank, its effect on increasing oil extraction by the numerical method is investigated.

In this research, the modeling process has been performed using MATLAB software. First, by determining the porous environment, the amount of pressure increases due to ultrasonic waves due to solving the sound equations (Helmholtz) by MATLAB k-waves toolbox is investigated. Finally, considering the cumulative production at a specific time from the production well and determining the oil recovery from the reservoir in the presence of a wave, to examine the effect of well location parameters and its distance from the wave generation source, wave production starts time, wave application methods (Pulsed and continuous), is performed at an optimal frequency and power.

According to the modeling results, the closer the wave start time is to the first days of production, the higher the oil recovery rate; So that by starting the application of ultrasonic wave under the power of 5 kW and frequency 20 kHz simultaneously with the production of well oil from the first day, oil recovery compared to oil recovery in the case of starting the wave from the fifty and ninety days, respectively 4/5% and 8% more. Oil recovery is 1.8% higher if the wave is applied continuously to the reservoir at a given time than when pulsed at the same time. The modeling results show that the shorter the distance between the wave source and the production well, the lower the pressure drop in the reservoir area and the higher the oil recovery. According to the results, if the source of wave production is located at a distance of 200 feet from the production well, it will increase by 7.1% compared to the distance of 1800 feet from the oil recovery well.