Análise de viabilidade de injeção de fluidos alternativos ao vapor em reservatórios de óleo pesado

Many of hydrocarbon reserves existing in the world are formed by heavy oils (°API between 10 and 20). Moreover, several heavy oil fields are mature and, thus, offer great challenges for oil industry. Among the thermal methods used to recover these resources, steamflooding has been the main economically viable alternative. Latent heat carried by steam heats the reservoir, reducing oil viscosity and facilitating the production. This method has many variations and has been studied both theoretically and experimentally (in pilot projects and in full field applications). In order to increase oil recovery and reduce steam injection costs, the injection of alternative fluid has been used on three main ways: alternately, co-injected with steam and after steam injection interruption. The main objective of these injection systems is to reduce the amount of heat supplied to the reservoir, using cheaper fluids and maintaining the same oil production levels. This works discusses the use of carbon dioxide, nitrogen, methane and water as an alternative fluid to the steam. The analyzed parameters were oil recoveries and net cumulative oil productions. The reservoir simulation model corresponds to an oil reservoir of 100 m x 100 m x 28 m size, on a Cartesian coordinates system (x, y and z directions). It is a semi synthetic model with some reservoir data similar to those found in Brazilian Potiguar Basin. All studied cases were done using the simulator STARS from CMG (Computer Modelling Group, version 2009.10). It was found that waterflood after steam injection interruption achieved the highest net cumulative oil compared to other fluids injection. Moreover, it was observed that steam and alternative fluids, co-injected and alternately, did not present increase on profitability project compared with steamflooding

Análise paramétrica da injeção de vapor e solvente em reservatórios de óleo pesado

A significant fraction of the hydrocarbon reserves in the world is formed by heavy oils. From the thermal methods used to recovery these resources, Steamflooding has been one of the main economically viable alternatives. In Brazil, this technology is widely used by Petrobras in Northeast fields. Latent heat carried by steam heats the oil in the reservoir, reducing its viscosity and facilitating the production. In the last years, an alternative more and more used by the oil industry to increase the efficiency of this mechanism has been the addition of solvents. When co-injected with steam, the vaporized solvent condenses in the cooler regions of the reservoir and mixes with the oil, creating a low viscosity zone between the steam and the heavy oil. The mobility of the displaced fluid is then improved, resulting in an increase of oil recovery. To better understand this improved oil recovery method and investigate its applicability in reservoirs with properties similar to those found in Potiguar Basin, a numerical study was done to analyze the influence of some operational parameters (steam injection rate, injected solvent volume and solvent type) on oil recovery. Simulations were performed in STARS ("Steam, Thermal, and Advanced Processes Reservoir Simulator"), a CMG ("Computer Modelling Group") program, version 2009.10. It was found that solvents addition to the injected steam not only anticipated the heated oil bank arrival to the producer well, but also increased the oil recovery. Lower cold water equivalent volumes were required to achieve the same oil recoveries from the models that injected only steam. Furthermore, much of the injected solvent was produced with the oil from the reservoir

Avaliação da espécie vegetal Croton cajucara Benth como inibidor de biocorrosão em aço carbono Aisi 1020

Actually in the oil industry biotechnological approaches represent a challenge. In that, attention to metal structures affected by electrochemical corrosive processes, as well as by the interference of microorganisms (biocorrosion) which affect the kinetics of the environment / metal interface. Regarding to economical and environmental impacts reduction let to the use of natural products as an alternative to toxic synthetic inhibitors. This study aims the employment of green chemistry by evaluating the stem bark extracts (EHC, hydroalcoholic extract) and leaves (ECF, chloroform extract) of plant species Croton cajucara Benth as a corrosion inhibitor. In addition the effectiveness of corrosion inhibition of bioactive trans-clerodane dehydrocrotonin (DCTN) isolated from the stem bark of this Croton was also evaluated. For this purpose, carbon steel AISI 1020 was immersed in saline media (3,5 % NaCl) in the presence and absence of a microorganism recovered from a pipeline oil sample. Corrosion inhibition efficiency and its mechanisms were investigated by linear sweep voltammetry and electrochemical impedance. Culture-dependent and molecular biology techniques were used to characterize and identify bacterial species present in oil samples. The tested natural products EHC, ECF and DCTN (DMSO as solvent) in abiotic environment presented respectively, corrosion inhibition efficiencies of 57.6% (500 ppm), 86.1% (500 ppm) and 54.5% (62.5 ppm). Adsorption phenomena showed that EHC best fit Frumkin isotherm and ECF to Temkin isotherm. EHC extract (250 ppm) dissolved in a polar microemulsion system (MES-EHC) showed significant maximum inhibition efficiency (93.8%) fitting Langmuir isotherm. In the presence of the isolated Pseudomonas sp, EHC and ECF were able to form eco-compatible organic films with anti-corrosive properties

Metodologia para avaliação de cinemática de partículas gasosas em fluidos de viscosidade variável com o tempo e sua aplicação na construção de poços de petróleo

Many challenges have been presented in petroleum industry. One of them is the preventing of fluids influx during drilling and cementing. Gas migration can occur as result of pressure imbalance inside the well when well pressure becomes lower than gas zone pressure and in cementing operation this occurs during cement slurry transition period (solid to fluid). In this work it was developed a methodology to evaluate gas migration during drilling and cementing operations. It was considered gel strength concept and through experimental tests determined gas migration initial time. A mechanistic model was developed to obtain equation that evaluates bubble displacement through the fluid while it gels. Being a time-dependant behavior, dynamic rheological measurements were made to evaluate viscosity along the time. For drilling fluids analyzed it was verified that it is desirable fast and non-progressive gelation in order to reduce gas migration without affect operational window (difference between pore and fracture pressure). For cement slurries analyzed, the most appropriate is that remains fluid for more time below critical gel strength, maintaining hydrostatic pressure above gas zone pressure, and after that gels quickly, reducing gas migration. The model developed simulates previously operational conditions and allow changes in operational and fluids design to obtain a safer condition for well construction

Sistema inteligente para estimar a porosidade em sedimentos a partir da análise de sinais GPR

This Thesis presents the elaboration of a methodological propose for the development of an intelligent system, able to automatically achieve the effective porosity, in sedimentary layers, from a data bank built with information from the Ground Penetrating Radar GPR. The intelligent system was built to model the relation between the porosity (response variable) and the electromagnetic attribute from the GPR (explicative variables). Using it, the porosity was estimated using the artificial neural network (Multilayer Perceptron MLP) and the multiple linear regression. The data from the response variable and from the explicative variables were achieved in laboratory and in GPR surveys outlined in controlled sites, on site and in laboratory. The proposed intelligent system has the capacity of estimating the porosity from any available data bank, which has the same variables used in this Thesis. The architecture of the neural network used can be modified according to the existing necessity, adapting to the available data bank. The use of the multiple linear regression model allowed the identification and quantification of the influence (level of effect) from each explicative variable in the estimation of the porosity. The proposed methodology can revolutionize the use of the GPR, not only for the imaging of the sedimentary geometry and faces, but mainly for the automatically achievement of the porosity one of the most important parameters for the characterization of reservoir rocks (from petroleum or water)

Controle aplicado a poços com método de elevação e bombeio centrífugo submerso

The Electrical Submersible Pumping is an artificial lift method for oil wells employed in onshore and offshore areas. The economic revenue of the petroleum production in a well depends on the oil flow and the availability of lifting equipment. The fewer the failures, the lower the revenue shortfall and costs to repair it. The frequency with which failures occur depends on the operating conditions to which the pumps are submitted. In high-productivity offshore wells monitoring is done by operators with engineering support 24h/day, which is not economically viable for the land areas. In this context, the automation of onshore wells has clear economic advantages. This work proposes a system capable of automatically control the operation of electrical submersible pumps, installed in oil wells, by an adjustment at the electric motor rotation based on signals provided by sensors installed on the surface and subsurface, keeping the pump operating within the recommended range, closest to the well s potential. Techniques are developed to estimate unmeasured variables, enabling the automation of wells that do not have all the required sensors. The automatic adjustment, according to an algorithm that runs on a programmable logic controller maintains the flow and submergence within acceptable parameters avoiding undesirable operating conditions, as the gas interference and high engine temperature, without need to resort to stopping the engine, which would reduce the its useful life. The control strategy described, based on modeling of physical phenomena and operational experience reported in literature, is materialized in terms of a fuzzy controller based on rules, and all generated information can be accompanied by a supervisory system

Avaliação do petróleo por termogravimetria para simulação de curva PEV, fator de caracterização e resíduo de carbono

Petroleum evaluation is analyze it using different methodologies, following international standards to know their chemical and physicochemical properties, contaminant levels, composition and especially their ability to generate derivatives. Many of these analyzes consuming a lot of time, large amount of samples , supplies and need an organized transportation logistics, schedule and professionals involved. Looking for alternatives that optimize the evaluation and enable the use of new technologies, seven samples of different centrifuged Brazilian oils previously characterized by Petrobras were analyzed by thermogravimetry in 25-900° C range using heating rates of 05, 10 and 20ºC per minute. With experimental data obtained, characterizations correlations were performed and provided: generation of true boiling point curves (TBP) simulated; comparing fractions generated with appropriate cut standard in temperature ranges; an approach to obtain Watson characterization factor; and compare micro carbon residue formed. The results showed a good chance of reproducing simulated TBP curve from thermogravimetry taking into account the composition, density and other oil properties. Proposed correlations for experimental characterization factor and carbon residue followed Petrobras characterizations, showing that thermogravimetry can be used as a tool on oil evaluation, because your quick analysis, accuracy, and requires a minimum number of samples and consumables

Sistemas de medição de desempenho para projetos de PD&I no Setor de Petróleo e Gás Natural

Organizations are seeking new ideas, tools and methods aiming to improve management process and performance. On the other hand, system performance measurement needs to portray organizational changes and provide managers with a set of true and more appropriate information for the decision-making process. This work aims to propose a performance measurement system in the academic field regarding Research, Development and Innovation (RDI) in the oil and gas industry. The research performed a bibliographic review in a descriptive exploratory manner. A field research was conducted with an expert focus group in order to gather new indicators. As for the validation of these indicators, a survey with experienced professional was also realized. The research surveyed four segments in and outside of the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte-Brazil such as oil and gas project coordinators, staff at Academic Planning Offices, FUNPEC employees as well as coordinators from Petrobrás. The performance measuring system created from this study features three interrelated performance indicators pointed out as: process indicators, outcome indicators and global indicators. The proposal includes performance indicators that seek to establish more appropriate strategies for effective institution management. It might help policy making of university-industry interaction policies

Uma metodologia para a análise do desempenho sustentável dos postos de revenda de combustível na cidade de Natal/RN, com o uso de data envelopment analysis-DEA

The increasing use of fossil fuels in line with cities demographic explosion carries out to huge environmental impact in society. For mitigate these social impacts, regulatory requirements have positively influenced the environmental consciousness of society, as well as, the strategic behavior of businesses. Along with this environmental awareness, the regulatory organs have conquered and formulated new laws to control potentially polluting activities, mostly in the gas stations sector. Seeking for increasing market competitiveness, this sector needs to quickly respond to internal and external pressures, adapting to the new standards required in a strategic way to get the Green Badge . Gas stations have incorporated new strategies to attract and retain new customers whom present increasingly social demand. In the social dimension, these projects help the local economy by generating jobs and income distribution. In this survey, the present research aims to align the social, economic and environmental dimensions to set the sustainable performance indicators at Gas Stations sector in the city of Natal/RN. The Sustainable Balanced Scorecard (SBSC) framework was create with a set of indicators for mapping the production process of gas stations. This mapping aimed at identifying operational inefficiencies through multidimensional indicators. To carry out this research, was developed a system for evaluating the sustainability performance with application of Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) through a quantitative method approach to detect system s efficiency level. In order to understand the systemic complexity, sub organizational processes were analyzed by the technique Network Data Envelopment Analysis (NDEA) figuring their micro activities to identify and diagnose the real causes of overall inefficiency. The sample size comprised 33 Gas stations and the conceptual model included 15 indicators distributed in the three dimensions of sustainability: social, environmental and economic. These three dimensions were measured by means of classical models DEA-CCR input oriented. To unify performance score of individual dimensions, was designed a unique grouping index based upon two means: arithmetic and weighted. After this, another analysis was performed to measure the four perspectives of SBSC: learning and growth, internal processes, customers, and financial, unifying, by averaging the performance scores. NDEA results showed that no company was assessed with excellence in sustainability performance. Some NDEA higher efficiency Gas Stations proved to be inefficient under certain perspectives of SBSC. In the sequence, a comparative sustainable performance and assessment analyzes among the gas station was done, enabling entrepreneurs evaluate their performance in the market competitors. Diagnoses were also obtained to support the decision making of entrepreneurs in improving the management of organizational resources and promote guidelines the regulators. Finally, the average index of sustainable performance was 69.42%, representing the efforts of the environmental suitability of the Gas station. This results point out a significant awareness of this segment, but it still needs further action to enhance sustainability in the long term

Proposta de modelo de interação da Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte e empresas do setor de petróleo

Operational procedures may negatively interfere in negotiation and execution regarding universities and business companies. In some cases it may even derail business interaction. Thus, aiming to overcome this and other barriers a university-industry interaction model was structured. The model enhances the appropriation of technological solutions on behalf of enterprises, as well as aim to improve the quality of teaching and research done at the university. In order to conduct a case study, sampling considering the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN) was made as well as the Oil and Gas sector. For data collection questionnaires, classroom observation, document analysis, semi-structured interviews were used. The study describes the companies as well as the internal organization of UFRN in their interaction context. The diagnosis related to past interactions as well as the expectations of the companies and the university s internal subjects regarding the university-industry relationship were also studied. Thus, specific questionnaires were applied for the three types of groups: researchers, managers and business companies. These subjects pointed out that the great deal of barriers they identified were related to issues regarding the university internal management. Given these barriers, the critical factors were then identified in order to overcome this reality. Among the nine critical factors only one belongs to the macro environment, while the remaining factors are related to organizational issues present in the university context. It was possible to formulate a university-business interaction model one the researched focused on the case study results and contribution from a theoretical framework that was enabled trough literature review. The model considers all business collaboration mechanisms; it focuses on a particular strategic productive sector and provides a co-evolution vision over time, according to the sector´s development strategy. The need for institutionalizing the relationship with the companies involved is pointed out. The proposed model considers all the critical factors identified by the research; it aims long-term relationship with the company and integrates teaching, research and extension actions. The model implementation was also considered. It was seen that it must be done in three phases. The phases will be defined by the level of maturity in the relationship between the university and the companies. Thus, a framework was developed in order to assess the interaction level regarding company institutionalization. Whilst structuring the model was a concern with replication came up. It was pointed out that this model should not only serve to this specific case study situation. So the final result is a model of university-industry relationship appropriate in the first instance, for UFRN, but has applicability, in general, to any Brazilian university

Modelagem matemática para o transporte de partículas sujeitas a múltiplos mecanismos de retenção

Discrepancies between classical model predictions and experimental data for deep bed filtration have been reported by various authors. In order to understand these discrepancies, an analytic continuum model for deep bed filtration is proposed. In this model, a filter coefficient is attributed to each distinct retention mechanism (straining, diffusion, gravity interception, etc.). It was shown that these coefficients generally cannot be merged into an effective filter coefficient, as considered in the classical model. Furthermore, the derived analytic solutions for the proposed model were applied for fitting experimental data, and a very good agreement between experimental data and proposed model predictions were obtained. Comparison of the obtained results with empirical correlations allowed identifying the dominant retention mechanisms. In addition, it was shown that the larger the ratio of particle to pore sizes, the more intensive the straining mechanism and the larger the discrepancies between experimental data and classical model predictions. The classical model and proposed model were compared via statistical analysis. The obtained p values allow concluding that the proposed model should be preferred especially when straining plays an important role. In addition, deep bed filtration with finite retention capacity was studied. This work also involves the study of filtration of particles through porous media with a finite capacity of filtration. It was observed, in this case, that is necessary to consider changes in the boundary conditions through time evolution. It was obtained a solution for such a model using different functions of filtration coefficients. Besides that, it was shown how to build a solution for any filtration coefficient. It was seen that, even considering the same filtration coefficient, the classic model and the one here propposed, show different predictions for the concentration of particles retained in the porous media and for the suspended particles at the exit of the media

Monitoramento da morfologia costeira em setores da bacia potiguar sob influência da indústria petrolífera utilizando geodésia de alta precisão e laser escâner terrestre

The objective of this Doctoral Thesis was monitoring, in trimestral scale, the coastal morphology of the Northeastern coast sections of Rio Grande do Norte State, in Brazil, which is an area of Potiguar Basin influenced by the oil industry activities. The studied sections compose coastal areas with intense sedimentary erosion and high environmental sensitivity to the oil spill. In order to achieve the general objective of this study, the work has been systematized in four steps. The first one refers to the evaluation of the geomorphological data acquisition methodologies used on Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of sandy beaches. The data has been obtained from Soledade beach, located on the Northeastern coast of Rio Grande Norte. The second step has been centered on the increasing of the reference geodetic infrastructure to accomplish the geodetic survey of the studied area by implanting a station in Corta Cachorro Barrier Island and by conducting monitoring geodetic surveys to understand the beach system based on the Coastline (CL) and on DEM multitemporal analysis. The third phase has been related to the usage of the methodology developed by Santos; Amaro (2011) and Santos et al. (2012) for the surveying, processing, representation, integration and analysis of Coastlines from sandy coast, which have been obtained through geodetic techniques of positioning, morphological change analysis and sediment transport. The fourth stage represents the innovation of surveys in coastal environment by using the Terrestrial Laser Scanning (TLS), based on Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR), to evaluate a highly eroded section on Soledade beach where the oil industry structures are located. The evaluation has been achieved through high-precision DEM and accuracy during the modeling of the coast morphology changes. The result analysis of the integrated study about the spatial and temporal interrelations of the intense coastal processes in areas of building cycles and destruction of beaches has allowed identifying the causes and consequences of the intense coastal erosion in exposed beach sections and in barrier islands

Desenvolvimento de metodologias analíticas alternativas por cromatografia gasosa para análise de biodiesel

Since the beginning of the National Program for Production and Use of Biodiesel in Brazil, in 2004, different raw materials were evaluated for biodiesel production, trying to combine the agricultural diversity of the country to the desire to reduce production coasts. To determine the chemical composition of biodiesel produced from common vegetables oils, international methods have been used widely in Brazil. However, for analyzing biodiesel samples produced from some alternative raw materials analytical problems have been detected. That was the case of biodiesel from castor oil. Due the need to overcome these problems, new methodologies were developed using different chromatographic columns, standards and quantitative methods. The priority was simplifying the equipment configuration, realizing faster analyses, reducing the costs and facilitating the routine of biodiesel research and production laboratories. For quantifying free glycerin, the ethylene glycol was used in instead of 1,2,4-butanetriol, without loss of quality results. The ethylene glycol is a cheaper and easier standard. For methanol analyses the headspace was not used and the cost of the equipment used was lower. A detailed determination of the esters helped the deeper knowledge of the biodiesel composition. The report of the experiments and conclusions of the research that resulted in the development of alternative methods for quality control of the composition of the biodiesel produced in Brazil, a country with considerable variability of species in agriculture, are the goals of this thesis and are reported in the following pages

Projeto, construção e análise de um prototipo vibracional em escala de bancada aplicável ao tratamento de água de produção de petróleo bruto, mediante inovadora operação híbrida de adsorção e auto-flotação

A self-flotator vibrational prototype electromechanical drive for treatment of oil and water emulsion or like emulsion is presented and evaluated. Oil production and refining to obtain derivatives is carried out under arrangements technically referred to as on-shore and off-shore, ie, on the continent and in the sea. In Brazil 80 % of the petroleum production is taken at sea and area of deployment and it cost scale are worrisome. It is associated, oily water production on a large scale, carrier 95% of the potential pollutant of activity whose final destination is the environment medium, terrestrial or maritime. Although diversified set of techniques and water treatment systems are in use or research, we propose an innovative system that operates in a sustainable way without chemical additives, for the good of the ecosystem. Labyrinth adsor-bent is used in metal spirals, and laboratory scale flow. Equipment and process patents are claimed. Treatments were performed at different flow rates and bands often monitored with control systems, some built, other bought for this purpose. Measurements of the levels of oil and grease (OGC) of efluents treaty remained within the range of legal framework under test conditions. Adsorbents were weighed before and after treatment for obtaining oil impregna-tion, the performance goal of vibratory action and treatment as a whole. Treatment technolo-gies in course are referenced, to compare performance, qualitatively and quantitatively. The vibration energy consumption is faced with and without conventional flotation and self-flotation. There are good prospects for the proposed, especially in reducing the residence time, by capillary action system. The impregnation dimensionless parameter was created and confronted with consecrated dimensionless parameters, on the vibrational version, such as Weber number and Froude number in quadratic form, referred to as vibrational criticality. Re-sults suggest limits to the vibration intensity

Uso da tecnologia de troca iônica no tratamento de águas contaminadas com Nitrato do Aqüífero Dunas-Barreiras, Natal/RN-Brasil

The city of Natal comprises an area of about 170 km² (65,63 squares miles). The Dunas-Barreiras Aquifer is the most important reservoir of the coastal basin of RN. It is being responsible for the water supplying of about 70% of the population, however, due to the sewage disposal system by cesspools and drains, it is presently affected in a great extent by nitrates contamination. Thus, the present work proposes to research the utilization of contaminated water by nitrates of this fountainhead and find cost of the potable water through the ionic exchange technology. This technology consists in the removal of mineral salts by the exchange of cations for one ion of hydrogen (H+), through the passage of water by cationic resin bed and, secondly, by the exchange of the anions for hydroxyl ions (OH-) through a anionic resin bed. The obtained results have showed the waters derived from fountains, big water holes and shallow wells were microbiologically contaminated, while the waters derived from deep wells (above 70 m 76,58 yards) were free of contamination. Thus, only these ones are suitable to the use of ionic technology. The experiments were conducted with the resin IMAC-HP-555 such as kinetic, thermodynamic, and adsorption by fixed bed studies, being obtained several project variables for the experimental column, as follow: work temperature of 25oC; resin maximum capacity maximum e mean of adsorption ==0,01692 g NO3-1/g R e 0,0110 g NO3-1/g R, respectively. On the experimental column were performed breakthrough tests which pointed for an average ideal average speed of work of 13.2 m / h, with an average efficiency of 45% of adsorption, an optimal concentration of NaCl desorption of 8%, and an ideal desorption time of 80 minutes for the equilibrium conditions of water from the Dunas-Barreiras aquifer. Scale projection for ion-exchange column for denitrification, for these variables, using a computer modeling programme, to project the column of ion exchange ROREX-420/2000, obtained a cost for the drinking water denitrified by this system of R$ 0,16 / m3