Efeito da incorporação de diatomita na estabilidade e permeabilidade de compósitos cimentíceos espumados aplicados a poços de petróleo

Lightweight oilwell cement slurries have been recently studied as a mean to improve zonal isolation and sheath-porous formation adherence. Foamed slurries consisting of Portland cement and air-entraining admixtures have become an interesting option for this application. The loss in hydrostatic pressure as a consequence of cement hydration results in the expansion of the air bubbles entrapped in the cement matrix, thus improving the sheath-porous formation contact. Consequently, slurries are able to better retain their water to complete the hydration process. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of an air-entraining admixture on the density, stability and permeability of composite slurries containing Portland cement and diatomite as light mineral load. Successful formulations are potential cementing materials for low fracture gradient oilwells. The experimental procedures used for slurry preparation and characterization were based on the American Petroleum Institute and ABNT guidelines Slurries containing a pre-established concentration of the air-entraining admixture and different contents of diatomite were prepared aiming at final densities of 13 to 15 lb/gal. The results revealed that the reduction of 15 to 25% of the density of the slurries did not significantly affect their strength. The addition of both diatomite and the air-entraining admixture increased the viscosity of the slurry providing better air-bubble retention in the volume of the slurry. Stable slurries depicted bottom to top density variation of less than 1.0 lb/gal and length reduction of the stability sample of 5.86 mm. Finally, permeability coefficient values between 0.617 and 0.406 mD were obtained. Therefore, lightweight oilwell cement slurries depicting a satisfactory set of physicochemical and mechanical properties can be formulated using a combination of diatomite and air-entraining admixtures for low fracture gradient oilwells

Influência das tensões tectônicas na permeabilidade da formação Açu - Bacia Potiguar

The behavior of the fluid flux in oil fields is influenced by different factors and it has a big impact on the recovery of hydrocarbons. There is a need of evaluating and adapting the actual technology to the worldwide reservoirs reality, not only on the exploration (reservoir discovers) but also on the development of those that were already discovered, however not yet produced. The in situ combustion (ISC) is a suitable technique for these recovery of hydrocarbons, although it remains complex to be implemented. The main objective of this research was to study the application of the ISC as an advanced oil recovery technique through a parametric analysis of the process using vertical wells within a semi synthetic reservoir that had the characteristics from the brazilian northwest, in order to determine which of those parameters could influence the process, verifying the technical and economical viability of the method on the oil industry. For that analysis, a commercial reservoir simulation program for thermal processes was used, called steam thermal and advanced processes reservoir simulator (STARS) from the computer modeling group (CMG). This study aims, through the numerical analysis, find results that help improve mainly the interpretation and comprehension of the main problems related to the ISC method, which are not yet dominated. From the results obtained, it was proved that the mediation promoted by the thermal process ISC over the oil recovery is very important, with rates and cumulated production positively influenced by the method application. It was seen that the application of the method improves the oil mobility as a function of the heating when the combustion front forms inside the reservoir. Among all the analyzed parameters, the activation energy presented the bigger influence, it means, the lower the activation energy the bigger the fraction of recovered oil, as a function of the chemical reactions speed rise. It was also verified that the higher the enthalpy of the reaction, the bigger the fraction of recovered oil, due to a bigger amount of released energy inside the system, helping the ISC. The reservoir parameters: porosity and permeability showed to have lower influence on the ISC. Among the operational parameters that were analyzed, the injection rate was the one that showed a stronger influence on the ISC method, because, the higher the value of the injection rate, the higher was the result obtained, mainly due to maintaining the combustion front. In connection with the oxygen concentration, an increase of the percentage of this parameter translates into a higher fraction of recovered oil, because the quantity of fuel, helping the advance and the maintenance of the combustion front for a longer period of time. About the economic analysis, the ISC method showed to be economically feasible when evaluated through the net present value (NPV), considering the injection rates: the higher the injection rate, the higher the financial incomes of the final project

Modelo Estocástico para bloqueio de poros e redução de permeabilidade

Modeling transport of particulate suspensions in porous media is essential for understanding various processes of industrial and scientific interest. During these processes, particles are retained due to mechanisms like size exclusion (straining), adsorption, sedimentation and diffusion. In this thesis, a mathematical model is proposed and analytical solutions are obtained. The obtained analytic solutions for the proposed model, which takes pore and particle size distributions into account, were applied to predict the particle retention, pore blocking and permeability reduction during dead-end microfiltration in membranes. Various scenarios, considering different particle and pore size distributions were studied. The obtained results showed that pore blocking and permeability reduction are highly influenced by the initial pore and particle size distributions. This feature was observed even when different initial pore and particle size distributions with the same average pore size and injected particle size were considered. Finally, a mathematical model for predicting equivalent permeability in porous media during particle retention (and pore blocking) is proposed and the obtained solutions were applied to study permeability decline in different scenarios

Análise da recuperação em reservatório de gás com baixa permeabilidade (TIGHT GAS) através do fraturamento hidráulico

With the increasing of energetic consumption in the worldwile, conventional reservoirs, known by their easy exploration and exploitation, are not being enough to satisfy this demand, what has made necessary exploring unconventional reservoirs. This kind of exploration demands developing more advanced technologies to make possible to exploit those hydrocarbons. Tight gas is an example of this kind of unconventional reservoir. It refers to sandstone fields with low porosity, around 8%, and permeabilities between 0.1 and 0.0001 mD, which accumulates considerable amounts of natural gas. That natural gas can only be extracted by applying hydraulic fracturing, aiming at stimulating the reservoir, by creating a preferential way through the reservoir to the well, changing and making easier the flow of fluids, thus increasing the productivity of those reservoirs. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is analyzing the recovery factor of a reservoir by applying hydraulic fracturing. All the studies were performed through simulations using the IMEX software, by CMG (Computer Modelling Group), in it 2012.10 version

Simulação de fluxo de fluidos em meios porosos desordenados uma análise de efeito de escala na estimativa da permeabilidade e do coeficiente de arrasto

The present study provides a methodology that gives a predictive character the computer simulations based on detailed models of the geometry of a porous medium. We using the software FLUENT to investigate the flow of a viscous Newtonian fluid through a random fractal medium which simplifies a two-dimensional disordered porous medium representing a petroleum reservoir. This fractal model is formed by obstacles of various sizes, whose size distribution function follows a power law where exponent is defined as the fractal dimension of fractionation Dff of the model characterizing the process of fragmentation these obstacles. They are randomly disposed in a rectangular channel. The modeling process incorporates modern concepts, scaling laws, to analyze the influence of heterogeneity found in the fields of the porosity and of the permeability in such a way as to characterize the medium in terms of their fractal properties. This procedure allows numerically analyze the measurements of permeability k and the drag coefficient Cd proposed relationships, like power law, for these properties on various modeling schemes. The purpose of this research is to study the variability provided by these heterogeneities where the velocity field and other details of viscous fluid dynamics are obtained by solving numerically the continuity and Navier-Stokes equations at pore level and observe how the fractal dimension of fractionation of the model can affect their hydrodynamic properties. This study were considered two classes of models, models with constant porosity, MPC, and models with varying porosity, MPV. The results have allowed us to find numerical relationship between the permeability, drag coefficient and the fractal dimension of fractionation of the medium. Based on these numerical results we have proposed scaling relations and algebraic expressions involving the relevant parameters of the phenomenon. In this study analytical equations were determined for Dff depending on the geometrical parameters of the models. We also found a relation between the permeability and the drag coefficient which is inversely proportional to one another. As for the difference in behavior it is most striking in the classes of models MPV. That is, the fact that the porosity vary in these models is an additional factor that plays a significant role in flow analysis. Finally, the results proved satisfactory and consistent, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the referred methodology for all applications analyzed in this study.

Membranas de quitosana micro e macroporosas : preparo, caracterização e estudos de permeabilidade

Two methodologies were proposed to obtain micro and macroporous chitosan membranes, using two different porogenic agents. The methodologies proved to be effective in control the porosity as well as the pore size. Thus, microporous membranes were obtained through the physical blend of chitosan and polyethylene oxide (PEO) on an 80:20 (m/m) ratio, respectively, followed by the partial PEO solubilization in water at 80 ◦C. Macroporous chitosan membranes with asymmetric morphology were obtained using SiO2 as the porogenic agent. In this case, chiotsan-silica ratios used were 1:1, 1:3 and 1:5 (m/m). Membranes characterization were carried out by SEM (scanning electronic microscopy), X-ray diffraction, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Thermal analysis (TG, DTG , DSC and DMTA). Permeability studies were performed using two model drugs: sodium sulfamerazine and sulfametoxipyridazine. By transmission FTIR it was possible to confirm the complete removal of SiO2. The SEM images confirmed the porous formation for both micro and macroporous membranes and also determined their respective sizes. By thermal analysis it was possible to show differences related with water sorption capacity as well as thermal stability for both membranes. DTG and DSC allowed evidencing the PEO presence on microporous membranes. The absorbance x time curves obtained on permeability tests for micro and macroporous membranes showed a linear behavior for both drugs in all range of concentration used. It was also observed, through P versus C curves, an increase in permeability of macroporous membranes according to the increase in porosity and also a decrease on P with increase in drug concentration. The influences of the drug molecular structure, as well as test temperatures were also evaluated

Iinterpretação conjunta de dados de GPR e medidas de permeabilidade sobre um análogo de reservatório siliciclástico falhado na bacia de Tucano, no NE do Brasil

It is presented an integrated geophysical investigation of the spatial distribution of faults and deformation bands (DB´s) in a faulted siliciclastic reservoir analogue, located in Tucano Basin, Bahia State, northeastern Brazil. Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) and permeability measurements allowed the analysis of the influence of DB´s in the rock permeability and porosity. GPR data were processed using a suitable flow parametrization in order to highlight discontinuities in sedimentary layers. The obtained images allowed the subsurface detection of DB´s presenting displacements greater that 10 cm. A good correlation was verified between DB´s detected by GPR and those observed in surface, the latter identified using conventional structural methods. After some adaptations in the minipermeameter in order to increase measurement precision, two approaches to measure permeabilities were tested: in situ and in collected cores. The former approach provided better results than the latter and consisted of scratching the outcrop surface, followed by direct measurements on outcrop rocks. The measured permeability profiles allowed to characterize the spatial transition from DB´s to undeformed rock; variation of up to three orders of magnitude were detected. The permeability profiles also presented quasi-periodic patterns, associated with textural and granulometric changes, possibly associated to depositional cycles. Integrated interpretation of the geological, geophysical and core data, provided the subsurface identification of an increase in the DB´s number associated with a sedimentary layer presenting granulometric decrease at depths greater than 8 m. An associated sharp decrease in permeability was also measured in cores from boreholes. The obtained results reveal that radagrams, besides providing high resolution images, allowing the detection of small structures (> 10 cm), also presented a correlation with the permeability data. In this way, GPR data may be used to build upscaling laws, bridging the gap between outcrop and seismic data sets, which may result in better models for faulted reservoirs

Criação de zonas de alta permeabilidade em fraturas: modelagem numérica do Lajedo de Soledade, Formação Jandaíra, Bacia Potiguar

The fracturing in carbonate rocks has been attracting increasingly attention due to new oil discoveries in carbonate reservoirs. This study investigates how the fractures (faults and joints) behave when subjected to different stress fields and how their behavior may be associated with the generation of karst and consequently to increased secondary porosity in these rocks. In this study I used satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicle UAV images and field data to identify and map faults and joints in a carbonate outcrop, which I consider a good analogue of carbonate reservoir. The outcrop comprises rocks of the Jandaíra Formation, Potiguar Basin. Field data were modeled using the TECTOS software, which uses finite element analysis for 2D fracture modeling. I identified three sets of fractures were identified: NS, EW and NW-SE. They correspond to faults that reactivate joint sets. The Ratio of Failure by Stress (RFS) represents stress concentration and how close the rock is to failure and reach the Mohr-Coulomb envelopment. The results indicate that the tectonic stresses are concentrated in preferred structural zones, which are ideal places for carbonate dissolution. Dissolution was observed along sedimentary bedding and fractures throughout the outcrop. However, I observed that the highest values of RFS occur in fracture intersections and terminations. These are site of karst concentration. I finally suggest that there is a relationship between stress concentration and location of karst dissolution in carbonate rocks.

Criação de zonas de alta permeabilidade em fraturas: modelagem numérica do Lajedo de Soledade, Formação Jandaíra, Bacia Potiguar

The fracturing in carbonate rocks has been attracting increasingly attention due to new oil discoveries in carbonate reservoirs. This study investigates how the fractures (faults and joints) behave when subjected to different stress fields and how their behavior may be associated with the generation of karst and consequently to increased secondary porosity in these rocks. In this study I used satellite imagery and unmanned aerial vehicle UAV images and field data to identify and map faults and joints in a carbonate outcrop, which I consider a good analogue of carbonate reservoir. The outcrop comprises rocks of the Jandaíra Formation, Potiguar Basin. Field data were modeled using the TECTOS software, which uses finite element analysis for 2D fracture modeling. I identified three sets of fractures were identified: NS, EW and NW-SE. They correspond to faults that reactivate joint sets. The Ratio of Failure by Stress (RFS) represents stress concentration and how close the rock is to failure and reach the Mohr-Coulomb envelopment. The results indicate that the tectonic stresses are concentrated in preferred structural zones, which are ideal places for carbonate dissolution. Dissolution was observed along sedimentary bedding and fractures throughout the outcrop. However, I observed that the highest values of RFS occur in fracture intersections and terminations. These are site of karst concentration. I finally suggest that there is a relationship between stress concentration and location of karst dissolution in carbonate rocks.

Efeito da incorporação de diatomita na estabilidade e permeabilidade de compósitos cimentíceos espumados aplicados a poços de petróleo

Lightweight oilwell cement slurries have been recently studied as a mean to improve zonal isolation and sheath-porous formation adherence. Foamed slurries consisting of Portland cement and air-entraining admixtures have become an interesting option for this application. The loss in hydrostatic pressure as a consequence of cement hydration results in the expansion of the air bubbles entrapped in the cement matrix, thus improving the sheath-porous formation contact. Consequently, slurries are able to better retain their water to complete the hydration process. The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of the addition of an air-entraining admixture on the density, stability and permeability of composite slurries containing Portland cement and diatomite as light mineral load. Successful formulations are potential cementing materials for low fracture gradient oilwells. The experimental procedures used for slurry preparation and characterization were based on the American Petroleum Institute and ABNT guidelines Slurries containing a pre-established concentration of the air-entraining admixture and different contents of diatomite were prepared aiming at final densities of 13 to 15 lb/gal. The results revealed that the reduction of 15 to 25% of the density of the slurries did not significantly affect their strength. The addition of both diatomite and the air-entraining admixture increased the viscosity of the slurry providing better air-bubble retention in the volume of the slurry. Stable slurries depicted bottom to top density variation of less than 1.0 lb/gal and length reduction of the stability sample of 5.86 mm. Finally, permeability coefficient values between 0.617 and 0.406 mD were obtained. Therefore, lightweight oilwell cement slurries depicting a satisfactory set of physicochemical and mechanical properties can be formulated using a combination of diatomite and air-entraining admixtures for low fracture gradient oilwells

Influência das tensões tectônicas na permeabilidade da formação Açu - Bacia Potiguar

The behavior of the fluid flux in oil fields is influenced by different factors and it has a big impact on the recovery of hydrocarbons. There is a need of evaluating and adapting the actual technology to the worldwide reservoirs reality, not only on the exploration (reservoir discovers) but also on the development of those that were already discovered, however not yet produced. The in situ combustion (ISC) is a suitable technique for these recovery of hydrocarbons, although it remains complex to be implemented. The main objective of this research was to study the application of the ISC as an advanced oil recovery technique through a parametric analysis of the process using vertical wells within a semi synthetic reservoir that had the characteristics from the brazilian northwest, in order to determine which of those parameters could influence the process, verifying the technical and economical viability of the method on the oil industry. For that analysis, a commercial reservoir simulation program for thermal processes was used, called steam thermal and advanced processes reservoir simulator (STARS) from the computer modeling group (CMG). This study aims, through the numerical analysis, find results that help improve mainly the interpretation and comprehension of the main problems related to the ISC method, which are not yet dominated. From the results obtained, it was proved that the mediation promoted by the thermal process ISC over the oil recovery is very important, with rates and cumulated production positively influenced by the method application. It was seen that the application of the method improves the oil mobility as a function of the heating when the combustion front forms inside the reservoir. Among all the analyzed parameters, the activation energy presented the bigger influence, it means, the lower the activation energy the bigger the fraction of recovered oil, as a function of the chemical reactions speed rise. It was also verified that the higher the enthalpy of the reaction, the bigger the fraction of recovered oil, due to a bigger amount of released energy inside the system, helping the ISC. The reservoir parameters: porosity and permeability showed to have lower influence on the ISC. Among the operational parameters that were analyzed, the injection rate was the one that showed a stronger influence on the ISC method, because, the higher the value of the injection rate, the higher was the result obtained, mainly due to maintaining the combustion front. In connection with the oxygen concentration, an increase of the percentage of this parameter translates into a higher fraction of recovered oil, because the quantity of fuel, helping the advance and the maintenance of the combustion front for a longer period of time. About the economic analysis, the ISC method showed to be economically feasible when evaluated through the net present value (NPV), considering the injection rates: the higher the injection rate, the higher the financial incomes of the final project

Modelo Estocástico para bloqueio de poros e redução de permeabilidade

Modeling transport of particulate suspensions in porous media is essential for understanding various processes of industrial and scientific interest. During these processes, particles are retained due to mechanisms like size exclusion (straining), adsorption, sedimentation and diffusion. In this thesis, a mathematical model is proposed and analytical solutions are obtained. The obtained analytic solutions for the proposed model, which takes pore and particle size distributions into account, were applied to predict the particle retention, pore blocking and permeability reduction during dead-end microfiltration in membranes. Various scenarios, considering different particle and pore size distributions were studied. The obtained results showed that pore blocking and permeability reduction are highly influenced by the initial pore and particle size distributions. This feature was observed even when different initial pore and particle size distributions with the same average pore size and injected particle size were considered. Finally, a mathematical model for predicting equivalent permeability in porous media during particle retention (and pore blocking) is proposed and the obtained solutions were applied to study permeability decline in different scenarios

Análise da recuperação em reservatório de gás com baixa permeabilidade (TIGHT GAS) através do fraturamento hidráulico

With the increasing of energetic consumption in the worldwile, conventional reservoirs, known by their easy exploration and exploitation, are not being enough to satisfy this demand, what has made necessary exploring unconventional reservoirs. This kind of exploration demands developing more advanced technologies to make possible to exploit those hydrocarbons. Tight gas is an example of this kind of unconventional reservoir. It refers to sandstone fields with low porosity, around 8%, and permeabilities between 0.1 and 0.0001 mD, which accumulates considerable amounts of natural gas. That natural gas can only be extracted by applying hydraulic fracturing, aiming at stimulating the reservoir, by creating a preferential way through the reservoir to the well, changing and making easier the flow of fluids, thus increasing the productivity of those reservoirs. Therefore, the objective of this thesis is analyzing the recovery factor of a reservoir by applying hydraulic fracturing. All the studies were performed through simulations using the IMEX software, by CMG (Computer Modelling Group), in it 2012.10 version

Simulação de fluxo de fluidos em meios porosos desordenados uma análise de efeito de escala na estimativa da permeabilidade e do coeficiente de arrasto

The present study provides a methodology that gives a predictive character the computer simulations based on detailed models of the geometry of a porous medium. We using the software FLUENT to investigate the flow of a viscous Newtonian fluid through a random fractal medium which simplifies a two-dimensional disordered porous medium representing a petroleum reservoir. This fractal model is formed by obstacles of various sizes, whose size distribution function follows a power law where exponent is defined as the fractal dimension of fractionation Dff of the model characterizing the process of fragmentation these obstacles. They are randomly disposed in a rectangular channel. The modeling process incorporates modern concepts, scaling laws, to analyze the influence of heterogeneity found in the fields of the porosity and of the permeability in such a way as to characterize the medium in terms of their fractal properties. This procedure allows numerically analyze the measurements of permeability k and the drag coefficient Cd proposed relationships, like power law, for these properties on various modeling schemes. The purpose of this research is to study the variability provided by these heterogeneities where the velocity field and other details of viscous fluid dynamics are obtained by solving numerically the continuity and Navier-Stokes equations at pore level and observe how the fractal dimension of fractionation of the model can affect their hydrodynamic properties. This study were considered two classes of models, models with constant porosity, MPC, and models with varying porosity, MPV. The results have allowed us to find numerical relationship between the permeability, drag coefficient and the fractal dimension of fractionation of the medium. Based on these numerical results we have proposed scaling relations and algebraic expressions involving the relevant parameters of the phenomenon. In this study analytical equations were determined for Dff depending on the geometrical parameters of the models. We also found a relation between the permeability and the drag coefficient which is inversely proportional to one another. As for the difference in behavior it is most striking in the classes of models MPV. That is, the fact that the porosity vary in these models is an additional factor that plays a significant role in flow analysis. Finally, the results proved satisfactory and consistent, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the referred methodology for all applications analyzed in this study.

Adequação bioclimática para os espaços urbanos abertos do centro de Fortaleza, CE

This research presents a study investigating the correlation between the environmental-physycal charcateristics of cities and the formation of its micro-climates. The study was conducted in the central area of Fortaleza characterized as a stable and consolidated area, where the city originated and currently faces serious problems in its urban dynamics. The points of measurements were determined by the elaboration and analysis of topography maps, height of buildings, land use, type of surface coating and vegetation, following the methodology of Katzschner (1997). A zoning map was then determined, according to common morphological characteristics of the 12 measurement points, which were based on a set of Romero s (2001) bioclimatic criteria. Air measurements, temperature, humidity, intensity and direction of winds were made in transect form in two different circuits in the study area, with six points of data collection in each area, in three different times: 6:00 am, 1:00pm and 7:00pm, during two periods of the year: August 2008 and March 2009. The results verified the influence of different environmental-physical types in the behavior of the climatic variables that were collected. A verticalização tão condenada em algumas situações se bem equilibrada e controlada pode reduzir as temperaturas do ar através do sombreamento dos espaços urbanos e possibilidade de maior permeabilidade a ventilação natural. The highest average air temperature and lower humidity were recorded at the point I at all times. This situation may have been in result of the high density, poor vegetation and extended paving of the ground. According to the results, it s clear the positive influence vegetation has on easing air temperature. Another indicator observed that areas with a greater variation in building heights tend to present decreased average air temperature. High rise structure, planned in accordance to urban air quality parameters, can reduce air temperatures by the shading of urban spaces and the possibility of greater penetration of natural ventilation