TY - JOUR

T1 - Investigating the Potential of a Transparent Xanthan Polymer for Enhanced Oil Recovery

T2 - A Comprehensive Study on Properties and Application Efficacy

AU - Hublik, Gerd

AU - Kharrat, Riyaz

AU - Mirzaalian Dastjerdi, Ali

AU - Ott, Holger

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 by the authors.

PY - 2024/3/6

Y1 - 2024/3/6

N2 - This study delThis study delves into the properties and behavior of xanthan TNCS-ST, a specialized variant designed for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) purposes. A notable aspect of this polymer is its transparency and capability to dissolve in high salt concentrations, notably up to 18% total dissolved solids. Various laboratory methods are employed to assess the polymer’s distinctive traits, including transparency, salt tolerance, and high pyruvylation. These methods encompass preparing xanthan solutions, conducting filtration tests, assessing energy consumption, and measuring rheological properties. The findings highlight the influence of salt concentration on xanthan’s filterability, indicating increased energy requirements for dissolution with higher salt and xanthan concentrations. Additionally, this study observes temperature-dependent viscosity behavior in different solutions and evaluates the shear stability of xanthan. A significant and novel characteristic of TNCS-ST is its high salt tolerance, enabling complete dissolution at elevated salt concentrations, thus facilitating the filterability of the xanthan solution with sufficient time and energy input. Core flooding experiments investigate fluid dynamics within porous rock formations, particularly sandstone and carbonate rocks, while varying salinity. The results underscore the substantial potential of the new xanthan polymer, demonstrating its ability to enhance oil recovery in sandstone and carbonate rock formations significantly. Remarkably, the study achieves a noteworthy 67% incremental recovery in carbonate rock under the high salinity level tested, suggesting promising prospects for advancing enhanced oil recovery applications.

AB - This study delThis study delves into the properties and behavior of xanthan TNCS-ST, a specialized variant designed for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) purposes. A notable aspect of this polymer is its transparency and capability to dissolve in high salt concentrations, notably up to 18% total dissolved solids. Various laboratory methods are employed to assess the polymer’s distinctive traits, including transparency, salt tolerance, and high pyruvylation. These methods encompass preparing xanthan solutions, conducting filtration tests, assessing energy consumption, and measuring rheological properties. The findings highlight the influence of salt concentration on xanthan’s filterability, indicating increased energy requirements for dissolution with higher salt and xanthan concentrations. Additionally, this study observes temperature-dependent viscosity behavior in different solutions and evaluates the shear stability of xanthan. A significant and novel characteristic of TNCS-ST is its high salt tolerance, enabling complete dissolution at elevated salt concentrations, thus facilitating the filterability of the xanthan solution with sufficient time and energy input. Core flooding experiments investigate fluid dynamics within porous rock formations, particularly sandstone and carbonate rocks, while varying salinity. The results underscore the substantial potential of the new xanthan polymer, demonstrating its ability to enhance oil recovery in sandstone and carbonate rock formations significantly. Remarkably, the study achieves a noteworthy 67% incremental recovery in carbonate rock under the high salinity level tested, suggesting promising prospects for advancing enhanced oil recovery applications.

KW - enhanced oil recovery (EOR)

KW - filtration

KW - rheological properties

KW - salt tolerance

KW - xanthan

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85187489850&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.3390/en17051266

DO - 10.3390/en17051266

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85187489850

VL - 17.2024

JO - Energies

JF - Energies

SN - 1996-1073

IS - 5

M1 - 1266

ER -