Experimental Investigation of the Effect of Injected Water Salinity on Oil Recovery and IFT Using Carbonate Rocks

Abstract

Low salinity water flooding is an emerging
technology that can improve oil recovery. The
attraction is due to its simplicity and relatively low cost.
As a matter of fact, the incremental recoveries are in
quite promising range of stock tank oil initially in place.
Being a natural extension of the conventional water
flooding, low salinity water flooding is easier to
implement than any other enhanced oil recovery (EOR)
methods. However, the processes of screening,
designing, and implementing of this project require an
increase operator capability and management focus
compared to the conventional water flooding. The
purpose of this work is to study the effect of injected
water salinity during water-flooding on oil recovery and
Interfacial Tension (IFT). The scope of work is
achieved by conducting a series of core flooding
experimental. Carbonate cores, different
concentrations of water salinity, and oil samples of 30.4
API° are used to conduct the experiments. The study
was further expanded to examine the heat effect by
verifying temperature between 25 oC to 52 oC. The
results showed that oil recovery was significantly
increased to 26.47 % by low-salinity compared to
higher salinity brine floods as a result of 11.47 %
decrease in IFT.