George V. Chilingar - Acoustic and Vibrational Enhanced Oil Recovery

The results of vibro-stimulation tests for enhanced oil recovery, using powerful surface-based vibro seismic sources, indicate that the rate of displacement of oil by water increases and percentage of non-recoverable residual oil decreases if the vibroenergy is applied to the porous medium containing oil (Kuznetsov et al ., 2021 [68]). Tests on sandpacks showed an increase of degassing rate due to application of vibro-energy. Results of both laboratory and field tests of the proposed enhanced oil recovery method showed an increase in the recovery of oil and oil-water ratio. Decrease in water cut is caused by the reduction in the oil-water interfacial tension and increase in the relative permeability to oil and to water.

This proposed vibro-seismic methodology will serve as an additional enhanced oil production recovery technique. Vibro-energy reduces interfacial tension, increases the relative permeability to oil, and increases the produced oil-water ratio. Possibly, this technique can be used in conjunction with other methods, such as thermal recovery, application of direct electric current, and chemical floods.

In the, 1980s, Donaldson, Chilingar, and Yen published two books on Enhanced Oil Recovery (I: Fundamental and Analyses and II: Processes and Operations) (Donaldson et al. , 1985 [57]; Donaldson et al. , 1989 [58]).

Inasmuch as both acoustic/vibrational and EEOR technologies are used by the authors in revitalizing abandoned oil fields, decision was made to invite the foremost experts on EEOR (Professor’s Donald Hill and Muhammad Haroun) to make contribution to this book.

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