Polymer Mechanical Degradation CFD Simulation in EOR

Abstract

The injection of polymer solutions in EOR's projects has increased during the last ten years in Argentina. The polymeric solution has a higher viscosity than water, increasing the efficiency of the oil recovery process. The macromolecules of the polymers commonly used in EOR are very sensitive to mechanical degradation. Polymer molecules can break due to the high injection rates and the extensional and shear stresses generated in pipes and fittings, resulting in a loss of their physical and chemical properties, especially on viscosity. Then, this viscosity decrease generates a loss of efficiency in the recovery of crude oil. Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) is a well-known discipline to simulate different types of flows. However, the software’s available on the market (whether commercial or open source) does not contain built-in models to address mechanical degradation of polymers, as this is a very particular and specific characteristic of this type of fluid. Y-TEC and Laboratorio de Fluidodinámica UBA/CONICET (LFD) developed a model consisting of analysis methods and CFD models to simulate the mechanical degradation of polymeric solutions typically used in injection wells in EOR projects. This work shows a specific application of this model to predict mechanical degradation in perforated liners used in EOR.