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Theoretical investigation of the effect of membrane properties of nanoporous reservoirs on the phase behavior of confined light oil
Zhu, Ziming
Zhu, Ziming
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2016
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Abstract
This theoretical study is an effort to probe the effect of semi-permeable membrane properties of a nanoporous medium on hydrocarbon phase behavior in tight-oil reservoirs. It is assumed that the fluids stored in a nanoporous reservoir are divided into two parts: one part that is already filtered and can flow to a production well without compositional change, and another part that replenishes the filtered fluid according to the filtration efficiency of the nanoporous medium and the prevailing filtration pressure. This selective hydrocarbon transport leads to a pressure difference between the unfiltered and filtered parts of the porous medium as well as significant compositional changes in the filtered and unfiltered parts. The compositional change, fluid density, viscosity and interfacial tension are calculated as functions of pressure when the depletion pressure decreases below the bubble point pressure of the filtered part. Through simulating a pressure depletion of a porous medium with internal filtration, we find that membrane filtration makes the produced hydrocarbon mixture lighter, and traps the heavier components in the reservoir. These findings and results can help us better understand and characterize the behavior of reservoir fluids during pressure depletion, and may provide us new perspectives for potential EOR applications.
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