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Acoustic Well Stimulation Study

This project investigates a new acoustic well stimulation technique to enhance oil production with less environmental impact than chemical stimulation. To optimize the acoustic source, the physical mechanism causing increased oil flow needs to be understood and how it depends on reservoir properties. A mathematical model analyzed the "peristaltic transport" mechanism whereby an acoustic wave deforms pore walls and induces flow. The model demonstrates this mechanism can produce flow, but borehole conditions result in much smaller flows than conventional pressure-driven flow. Optimization of frequency and power is needed to maximize commercially viable acoustic stimulation.

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Cristian Barbuceanu
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460 views2 pages

Acoustic Well Stimulation Study

This project investigates a new acoustic well stimulation technique to enhance oil production with less environmental impact than chemical stimulation. To optimize the acoustic source, the physical mechanism causing increased oil flow needs to be understood and how it depends on reservoir properties. A mathematical model analyzed the "peristaltic transport" mechanism whereby an acoustic wave deforms pore walls and induces flow. The model demonstrates this mechanism can produce flow, but borehole conditions result in much smaller flows than conventional pressure-driven flow. Optimization of frequency and power is needed to maximize commercially viable acoustic stimulation.

Uploaded by

Cristian Barbuceanu
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd

Acoustic Well Stimulation

In this project a new technique for the enhancement of oil production is investigated. This new technique comprises the stimulation of wells by means of an acoustic source down in the wellbore. The advantage of acoustic well stimulation in contrast to conventional well stimulation by means of chemicals, is the drastically reduced impact on the environment. In order to commercialize acoustic well stimulation the acoustic source needs to be optimized, in terms of for instance frequency and power. To that end, the physical phenomenon responsible for the increase oil flow needs to be understood, as well as its dependence on the oil and reservoir properties. Introduction: It has been observed in laboratory experiments as well as in the field that an acoustic source was able to stimulate the flow of oil through a porous medium. This observation has triggered oil companies to develop a new acoustic tool for the stimulation of oil wells. However, the mechanism responsible for the increase in flow rate is not understood. Therefore, various mechanisms, amongst which peristaltic transport, which might have induce additional flow have been investigated. By means of a mathematical model the increase of flow rate has been predicted, as well as its dependence on the various parameters like reservoir properties, acoustic frequency and power.

Pow. P freq. f

Fig. 1: Schematic of an acoustic tool in a borehole of an oil reservoir.

Aim of Project:

Determine whether the 'peristaltic transport mechanism' is responsible for the enhancement of oil by acoustics.

Determine the dependence on reservoir properties, fluid properties, acoustic frequency and power.

Model and Results: In the peristaltic transport mechanism a pore in the reservoir is modeled as a long capillary with its wall deformed by means of a traveling wave induced by the acoustic field. By means of a perturbation analysis in terms of the ratio of the traveling wave amplitude to the pore radius it has been demonstrated that the traveling wave at the pore wall induces a net flow. R(t)=R0[1+ cos( (z-t))] z

Fig. 2: A schematic of a pore with its wall deformed in the shape of a traveling wave caused by an acoustic field.

The net flow rate is analyzed in terms of the fluid viscosity and compressibility, the shear modulus and compressibility of the reservoir and the acoustic frequency. It is demonstrated that the net flow rate is optimal under certain operating conditions. Nevertheless, the results also show that under borehole conditions the net flow induced by peristaltic transport is small compared to a conventional Poiseuille flow.
Optimum flow rate
0.30
<Q>max [mm^3/s]

0.25 0.20 0.15 0.10 0.05 0.00 0 4 8 12 16 20 Power P [kW]

soft sandstone (G = 0.36 Gpa) medium sandstone (G = 0.80 Gpa) hard sandstone (G = 1.82 Gpa)

Fig. 3: The maximum achievable net flow rate as function of applied acoustic power, for various types of sandstone.

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