EOGRRC research group at the University of Alberta led by Dr. Babadagli work on problems related to the efficiency of enhanced oil and gas
recovery in fractured and non-fractured reservoirs, and characterization of this kind of reservoirs.
Currently, the group consists of a number of graduate students at MSc and PhD levels involved in
different projects. The problems we deal with can be outlined as follows:
ENHANCED OIL AND GAS RECOVERY (EOGR):
LEFT: Water displacing air (lighter color) by co-current capillary imbibition at 80 C and RIGHT: Pentane (red color) displacing mineral oil by counter-current diffusion in a matrix, both in upward direction
- Development of mature oil fields (light-oil) through EOR (Dilute surfactant and nitrogen
injection as tertiary oil recovery). Tertiary recovery (miscible, CO2) potential of mature oil/heavy-oil fields.
- Modeling matrix-fracture interaction during waterflooding, thermal (steam and hot-water),
chemical (surfactants and polymers), and miscible (solvent) injection applications in oil/heavy-oil reservoirs.
- Optimal use of CO2 in enhanced oil recovery and sequestration.
- Heavy oil-bitumen recovery: Efficiency of SAGD, VAPEX, CSS processes.
- Modeling fluid flow in 2-D fractal porous media.
- Understanding the mechanics of spontaneous imbibition (co- and counter-current) of gas-liquid and
liquid-liquid systems at elevated temperatures and low interfacial tension.
- Heat, mass and volume transfers between fracture and matrix in fractured reservoirs.
- Effect of ultrasonic waves on capillary and viscous displacement in porous media.
- Flow of loss control and well stimulation chemicals/materials in fractures and porous media.
- Modeling multiphase flow in a single fracture considering the effect of surface roughness.
Viscous fingering during mineral oil displacement by kerosene with (RIGHT) and without ultrasonic energy (LEFT)
RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION (RC):
- Characterization of fracture surfaces and networks through fractal and percolation theories.
- Fracture network mapping.
- Permeability–porosity correlations for carbonates using conventional and NMR logs.
- Permeability-distribution assessment through well test analysis.
- Up-scaling of permeability using fractal concept.
- Fracture patterns of hot dry rocks and their effects on heat transport.
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