Abstract: A computer-implemented method for determining one or more operating modes for a crude oil displacement system is provided. The crude oil displacement system is arranged to inject an aqueous displacement fluid into one or more reservoirs, each reservoir comprising a porous and permeable rock formation, wherein crude oil and formation water are contained within a pore space of the rock formation. The crude oil displacement system is for use in displacing crude oil from the pore space of the rock formation. The computer-implemented method comprises the steps of receiving measurement data associated with one or more chemical characteristics of the displacement fluid and one or more chemical characteristics of the rock formation, the crude oil and the formation water of the one or more reservoirs, and inputting the measurement data and data representing a predetermined volume of oil into a computer-implemented predictive model.

Abstract: A method of storing CO2 in a porous and permeable hydrocarbon reservoir having at least one injection well and at least one production well penetrating the reservoir, by recovering a produced fluid stream including produced hydrocarbons, produced water, and produced CO2 from the production well; passing the produced fluid stream to a production facility where a produced vapor stream of carbon dioxide and volatile hydrocarbons is separated from the produced fluid stream; compressing the produced vapor stream to above the cricondenbar for the produced vapor stream; cooling the compressed stream to form a cooled stream that in a dense phase state; importing a CO2 stream to an injection facility wherein the imported CO2 is either in a liquid state or a supercritical state; mixing the cooled stream with the imported CO2 stream thereby forming a co-injection stream; and injecting the co-injection stream into the hydrocarbon bearing reservoir from said injection well.

Abstract: The invention relates to an apparatus for simultaneously injecting fluids into a plurality of samples of porous media, comprising: a plurality of holders for the samples of porous media, each holder comprising a sleeve and first and second platens, the first platen having an inlet for an injection fluid and the second platen having an outlet for a produced fluid, and the samples of porous media being arranged, in use, in each of the holders such that the first platen and second platen of each holder contact a first and second end of the sample of porous medium respectively, the inlet of each first platen being in fluid communication with an injection line for injecting fluid into the sample of porous medium arranged in the holder, the outlet of each second platen being in fluid communication with a dedicated effluent line for removing fluid produced from the sample of porous medium arranged in the holder, on-line and/or off-line analytical means for analyzing the fluids injected into each of the samples of po

Abstract: Hydrocarbons are recovered from subterranean formations by waterflooding. The method comprises passing an aqueous displacement fluid via an injection well through a porous and permeable sandstone formation to release oil and recovering said released oil from a production well spaced from said injection well, wherein (a) the sandstone formation comprises at least one mineral having a negative zeta potential under the formation conditions; (b) oil and connate water are present in the pores of the formation; and (c) the fraction of the divalent cation content of the said aqueous displacement fluid to the divalent cation content of said connate water is less than 1.

Abstract: A method of comparing a secondary oil recovery process with a tertiary oil recovery process, the secondary oil recovery process and the tertiary oil recovery process being applied to a substantially fluid-saturated porous medium containing an oil phase and an aqueous phase, the method comprising using relaxation time measurements in the calculation of a wettability index modification factor for the oil phase or the aqueous phase, thereby comparing the tertiary oil recovery process with the secondary oil recovery process.

Abstract: A computer-implemented method for determining one or more operating modes for a crude oil displacement system is provided. The crude oil displacement system is arranged to inject an aqueous displacement fluid into one or more reservoirs, each reservoir comprising a porous and permeable rock formation, wherein crude oil and formation water are contained within a pore space of the rock formation. The crude oil displacement system is for use in displacing crude oil from the pore space of the rock formation. The computer-implemented method comprises the steps of receiving measurement data associated with one or more chemical characteristics of the displacement fluid and one or more chemical characteristics of the rock formation, the crude oil and the formation water of the one or more reservoirs, and inputting the measurement data and data representing a predetermined volume of oil into a computer-implemented predictive model.

Abstract: A method of storing CO2 in a porous and permeable hydrocarbon reservoir having at least one injection well and at least one production well penetrating said reservoir, which method comprises the steps of: (a) recovering a produced fluid stream comprising produced hydrocarbons, produced water, and produced CO2 from the production well; (b) passing the produced fluid stream to a production facility where a produced vapour stream comprising carbon dioxide and volatile hydrocarbons is separated from the produced fluid stream; (c) compressing the produced vapour stream to above the cricondenbar for the composition of the produced vapour stream; (d) cooling the compressed stream thereby forming a cooled stream that is in a dense phase state; (e) importing a CO2 stream to an injection facility wherein the imported CO2 is either in a liquid state or a supercritical state; (f) mixing the cooled stream from step (d) with the imported CO2 stream thereby forming a co-injection stream; and (g) injecting the co-injection s

Abstract: Hydrocarbons are recovered from subterranean formations by waterflooding. The method comprises passing an aqueous displacement fluid via an injection well through a porous and permeable sandstone formation to release oil and recovering said released oil from a production well spaced from said injection well, wherein (a) the sandstone formation comprises at least one mineral having a negative zeta potential under the formation conditions; (b) oil and connate water are present in the pores of the formation; and (c) the fraction of the divalent cation content of the said aqueous displacement fluid to the divalent cation content of said connate water is less than 1.

Abstract: Method for increasing the recovery of crude oil from a reservoir containing at least one porous and permeable subterranean formation wherein the formation includes sandstone rock and at least one mineral that has a negative zeta potential under the reservoir conditions and wherein crude oil and connate water are present within the pores of the formation. The method is carried out by (A) injecting into the formation a slug of an aqueous displacement fluid that displaces crude oil from the surface of the pores of the formation wherein the pore volume (PV) of the slug of the aqueous displacement fluid is at least 0.

Abstract: A method of recovering hydrocarbons from a porous subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation by: (a) reducing the salinity of a saline source water by reverse osmosis using a membrane having a first surface and a second surface by (i) feeding the saline source water to the first surface of the membrane, and (ii) removing treated water of reduced salinity from the second surface of the membrane; and (b) injecting the treated water into the formation; wherein the membrane is selectively permeable to water over dissolved solids such that when (i) the saline source water has a total dissolved solids content of at least 17,500 ppm, and (ii) the applied pressure across the membrane is greater than the osmotic pressure across the membrane and lies within the range 45 to 90 bar (4.5 to 9.0 M Pa), the total dissolved solids content of the treated water is in the range 500 to 5000 ppm.

Abstract: Hydrocarbons are recovered from subterranean formations by waterflooding. The method comprises passing an aqueous displacement fluid via an injection well through a porous and permeable sandstone formation to release oil and recovering said released oil from a production well spaced from said injection well, wherein (a) the sandstone formation comprises at least one mineral having a negative zeta potential under the formation conditions; (b) oil and connate water are present in the pores of the formation; and (c) the fraction of the divalent cation content of the said aqueous displacement fluid to the divalent cation content of said connate water is less than 1.

Abstract: A scale inhibition method comprising: (a) injecting a dispersion of seed particles of an insoluble mineral salt in an aqueous medium into a formation through an injection well wherein the seed particles have an equivalent spherical diameter of 100% less than 100 nm, preferably 100% less than 50 nm, more preferably 100% less than 25 nm and the aqueous medium has dissolved therein precipitate precursor ions that form a precipitate of the insoluble mineral salt when contacted with resident ions in the formation; (b) allowing the dispersion to percolate through the subterranean formation towards production well and producing the dispersion from the production well; and (c) controllably precipitating the insoluble mineral salt onto the seed particles so as to reduce the deposition of the insoluble mineral salt onto the walls of the porous formation and/or onto the surface in the production well and/or onto the surface downstream of the production well.

Abstract: A method of recovering hydrocarbons from a porous subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation comprising the steps of: a) feeding to at least on reverse osmosis unit of a desalination assembly a high salinity water feed stream having a total dissolved solids content (total salinity) of at least 10,000 ppm; b) driving a portion of the high salinity water feed stream across a membrane in the reverse osmosis unit of the desalination assembly at a pressure above the osmotic pressure of the high salinity water feed stream while excluding at least a portion of the dissolved solids from crossing said membrane to produce a treated low salinity water product stream having a total salinity of less than 5,000 ppm and a concentrated waste brine stream wherein the hydrostatic head exerted by the high salinity water feed stream on the feed side of the membrane provides at least a major component of the pressure required to overcome the osmotic pressure; c) injecting the low salinity water product stream into the hydrocarbon

Abstract: A method of recovering hydrocarbons from a porous subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation by: (a) reducing the salinity of a saline source water by reverse osmosis using a membrane having a first surface and a second surface by (i) feeding the saline source water to the first surface of the membrane, and (ii) removing treated water of reduced salinity from the second surface of the membrane; and (b) injecting the treated water into the formation; wherein the membrane is selectively permeable to water over dissolved solids such that when (i) the saline source water has a total dissolved solids content of at least 17,500 ppm, and (ii) the applied pressure across the membrane is greater than the osmotic pressure across the membrane and lies within the range 45 to 90 bar (4.5 to 9.0 MPa), the total dissolved solids content of the treated water is in the range 500 to 5000 ppm. Increased oil recovery can be achieved.

Abstract: A method of recovering hydrocarbons from a porous subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation comprising: (a) feeding a first stream comprising a high salinity water to a first side of a semipermeable membrane of at least one forward osmosis unit of a desalination plant and feeding a second stream comprising an aqueous solution of a removable solute to a second side of the semipermeable membrane wherein the solute concentration of the aqueous solution of the removable solute is sufficiently greater than the solute concentration of the high salinity water that water passes through the semipermeable membrane from the high salinity water into the aqueous solution of the removable solute to form a diluted aqueous solution of the removable solute; (b) withdrawing a third stream comprising a concentrated brine and a fourth stream comprising a diluted aqueous solution of the removable solute from the first and second sides respectively of the semipermeable membrane of the forward osmosis unit; (c) substantially separ

Abstract: A method of treating a subterranean formation, the method comprising: (A) injecting down a well bore into the formation an admixture of (a) an emulsion having an internal aqueous phase comprising a water-soluble oil or gas field chemical or an aqueous dispersion of a water-dispersible oil or gas field chemical and an external oil phase comprising a liquid hydrocarbon and an oil-soluble surfactant and (b) a demulsifier comprising a solution of a surfactant having a cloud point temperature of above 40° C.; or (B) separately injecting down a well bore into the formation emulsion (a) and demulsifier (b) and generating an admixture of emulsion (a) and demulsifier (b) within the formation.

Abstract: A method of treating a subterranean formation, the method comprising: (A) injecting down a well bore into the formation an admixture of (a) an emulsion having an internal aqueous phase comprising a water-soluble oil or gas field chemical or an aqueous dispersion of a water-dispersible oil or gas field chemical and an external oil phase comprising a liquid hydrocarbon and an oil-soluble surfactant and (b) a demulsifier comprising a solution of a surfactant having a cloud point temperature of above 40° C.; or (B) separately injecting down a well bore into the formation emulsion (a) and demulsifier (b) and generating an admixture of emulsion (a) and demulsifier (b) within the formation.

Abstract: A method of recovering hydrocarbons from a porous subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation comprising the steps of : a) feeding to at least on reverse osmosis unit of a desalination assembly a high salinity water feed stream having a total dissolved solids content (total salinity) of at least 10,000 ppm; b) driving a portion of the high salinity water feed stream across a membrane in the reverse osmosis unit of the desalination assembly at a pressure above the osmotic pressure of the high salinity water feed stream while excluding at least a portion of the dissolved solids from crossing said membrane to produce a treated low salinity water product stream having a total salinity of less than 5,000 ppm and a concentrated waste brine stream wherein the hydrostatic head exerted by the high salinity water feed stream on the feed side of the membrane provides at least a major component of the pressure required to overcome the osmotic pressure; c) injecting the low salinity water product stream into the hydrocarbo

Abstract: A method of inhibiting scale formation in a subterranean formation comprising: (a) injecting a suspension comprising particles of a controlled release scale inhibitor suspended in an aqueous medium into a formation through an injection well wherein the particles have a mean diameter of less than 10 microns, preferably less than 5 microns, more preferably less than 1 micron; (b) allowing the suspension to percolate through the subterranean formation towards a production well; and (c) controllably releasing the scale inhibitor from the particles in the near well bore region of the production well. Suitably, the particles of the controlled release scale inhibitor comprise an esterifiable scale inhibitor cross-linked with a polyol via ester cross-links.

Abstract: A method of introducing an oil field or gas field production chemical into a hydrocarbon-bearing porous subterranean formation penetrated by a wellbore comprising: injecting a gelling composition comprising an aqueous liquid, an oil field or gas field production chemical, and a gellable polymer through the wellbore into the porous subterranean formation wherein the gellable polymer forms a gel within the pores of the subterranean formation thereby encapsulating the production chemical in the gel; and controllably releasing the production chemical from the gel into a formation fluid.