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Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Pressure Pulse Technology:
An Innovative Fluid Flow Technique
and Remedial Tool
by
Tim Spanos, Ph.D. and Brett DavidsonWavefront Energy and Environmental Services Inc.
www.onthewavefront.com Trading Symbol: WEE.TSX.V
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
§A proven fundamental fluid-flow development.
§A non-seismic wave propagation process in porous media.
§PPT generates porosity dilation waves in porous media.
§The porosity dilation wave is a slow body wave, predicted by theory, and verified in the laboratory and field.
§PPT transmits dynamic (inertial) energy to the pore liquids.
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Pressure or Strain Perturbations
original state of the porous media
response of porous media dueto a pressure or strain pulse
relaxation of porous mediaafter pulse has dissipated
Repeating of this process yields a synergetic effect
conceptual conceptual conceptual
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Porosity Dilation Wave Mechanics
Compressional Wave, VP
Shear WaveVS ~ 0.6VP
Porosity Dilation Wave
VD ~ 0.05-0.08VP
Type of Body Wave
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Why Should You Be Interested in PPT?
PPT has been shown to:
Significantly increase oil production rate, total production, and fluid injectivity. It is estimated that will yield an additional 7.5 billion barrels of oil.
Mobilize ganglia of contaminants.
PPT is unique. It will become the standard for enhanced fluid flow.
Significantly increase pore scale dispersion.
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
02468
1012141618
0 1 2 3 4 5
Time (s)
Pre
ssur
e (p
si)
Pressure Pulse Waves –The Heart and Wavefront Tooling
Stroke Volume = volume pumped/beat
Stroke Volume = volume affected/down stoke
Cardiac Output = stroke volume x heart rate
Total Output = stroke volume x stroke frequency
Vessel diameter critical to flow
Pore diameter critical to flow
With each beat of the heart:•diastole - relaxation, recharge•systole - contraction, discharge
With each PPT cycle:•diastole - up stoke of piston, cylinder recharge•systole - down stoke of piston, fluid expulsion
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Scales of InteractionMolecular (Micro) Scale - Diffusion
Diffusion is mixing at the molecular-scale and involves chemical reactions. It is independent of fluid flow.
Involves mechanical mixing at the pore scale. It is dispersion and is greatly enhanced by PPT.
Macro (Pore) Scale - Mixing
“Fingering or viscous fingering” describes mega scale mixing. It is a quasi-static phenomena.
Mega (1000’s of Pores) Scale - Mixing
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Properties of Porous Media
The mobility of fluids in porous media is a function of interconnected pore scale pathways.
Rebound or contaminant persistence is related to poor mixing at the pore scale or the inability of fluids to flow in the mainstream.
All porous media is heterogeneousat all scales.
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Parameters Effecting Fluid Flow
Porosity Permeability
Pulse FrequencyPore throat diameter
Phase saturations Viscosity of fluids
Interfacial tension Wettability
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Environment – The Problem
• Natural flow processes inhibit the recovery of contaminants and the uniform distribution of injected remedial amendments.
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
A Tool to Address the Problem
The Adventures of Peter Pulser
Pressure Pulse Technology
Developed to increase ultimate oil recovery, accelerate contaminant extraction, and improve the distribution of in-situ treatment remedies for groundwater contaminants.
The bottom line in the ground….PPT results in greater contact and distribution of injected liquids, and the accelerated recovery of fluids.
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
What is to Gain in Using PPT?
1. Mixing and dispersion of amendments (biotic, or abiotic) at the pore scale.
2. Ability to increase radius of influence hence reducing the number of injection points.
3. Ability to influence distribution of remedial fluids in heterogeneous formations.
4. Ability to reach sensitive or difficult locations.
5. Ability to mobilize trapped ganglia. Optimizing pump-and-treat programs.
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Pressure Injection Pressure Pulse Technology
•Predominance to displacement: no control over dispersion.
•Tailored for displacement or dispersion.
•Injected fluid tends to channel or finger
•Injected fluid tends to disperse or mix at the pore scale
•Injected fluids have tendency to propagate towards regions of low pressure: dominated by high permeability channels.
•Injected fluids have tendency to propagate towards regions of low pressure: less dominance by high permeability channels.
•For a given porous media and fluid, injection rate governed by magnitude of injection pressure.
•For a given porous media and fluid, injection rate governed by injection pressure, rate of change in pressure increase, and dilative capacity.
•A quasi-static process. •A dynamic process.
Comparison of Pressure and PPT Injection
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
The pulsing tool generates a fluid displacement wave in the porous media.
Akin to ripples from a stone thrown in a pond, the wave retains energy as it travels through the porous media.
These ripples generate high liquid acceleration through the pore throat, overcoming capillarity.
The critical factor for pressure pulse technology is generating the correct pulse shape at the optimum frequency.
The best known example of a fluid displacement wave is the Tsunami.
grain
H2O
H2O
contaminant
PPT and Fluid Displacement Waves
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Permeability and PPT Relationship
PPT Tuning Analogy
Low FrequencyHigh Amplitude
High FrequencyLow Amplitude
Medium FrequencyMedium Amplitude
Flow RatePermeability
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
• Where deviation is low, a mechanic-hydraulic system is used to generate the pressure pulses
• The system can be run in casing or tubing provided the ratio of setting ID to minimum ID is not too great
• Ideally, the hole size available should be as large as possible
`
feed lines from surface
fluid by-passvalves to control
influx rate, stroking
fixed body, sealed on belowcasing by packers
moving piston
cable for data
downhole hydraulics/pneumatics
cased andperforated orscreened well
instrumentation
PPT Tool Concept
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
The Importance of Dynamic Flow
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
June 2000 – First Environmental PPT
VugularZones
•Rate of LNAPL recovery significantly increased: greater than 250% quicker.
•Environment and Industry Canada Technology Verification Certificate Received.
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
PPT Waterflood – Queens, NY
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
-0.15
-0.10
-0.05
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
Increase duringtest Increase 24 hrs after test Increase 48 hrs after test
Pro
duct
thi
ckne
ss (
feet
)
quasi-static injection January PPT injection March PPT injection
MW-103A12’ from injector
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
1.2
Increase duringtest
Increase 24 hrs after test Increase 48 hrs after testPro
duct
thi
ckne
ss (
feet
)
MW-20226’ from injector
quasi-static injection January PPT injection March PPT injection
0.00
0.05
0.10
0.15
0.20
0.25
Increase during test Increase 24 hrs after testIncrease 48 hrs after test
Pro
duct
thi
ckne
ss (
feet
)
quasi-static injection January PPT injection
MW–40325’ from injector
IncreaseDuringTest(ft)
InjectedFluid(gal)
Product levelIncrease per
Gallon(ft/gal)
Quasi-static injection 0.54 796.8 68 x 10-5
January PPT injection 0.02 270.0 7.4 x 10-5
March PPT injection 1.13 514.8 220 x 10-5
PPT increase over Quasi-static Injection by 3.2
PPT Waterflood – Queens, NY
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Conformance in a Dual Permeability System
GL
5
10
15
20
25
Dep
th (
ft)
NAPL Contaminated Interval
7.5 ft from PPT well
15 ft from PPT well
PPT Well
• •
••
••
••
••
Monitoring Wells
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Injection Conformance
Formation Pressures 7.5 ft Away from Pulse Well
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
28-Oct-02 00:00 28-Oct-02 02:24 28-Oct-02 04:48 28-Oct-02 07:12 28-Oct-02 09:36 28-Oct-02 12:00 28-Oct-02 14:24 28-Oct-02 16:48
Pre
ssur
e (P
SIG
)
Obs Well A Obs Well B Start Pulsing Stop Pulsing
Static Injection PPT Injection
Pressure data for course grained sand and gravel
Pressure data for fine grained sand
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
EZVI – NASA Pilot Program 2002
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
EZVI – NASA Pilot Program 2004
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Bench Scale Creosote Treatability Study
•Post PPT waterflood creosote saturation 38.9%.
•Initial creosote saturation for each test ~87%.
•Post PPT surfactant flood creosote saturation reduced to <2%.
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors
Summary of PPT
PPT represents a truly effective method for the mobilization and recovery of contaminants and a delivery mechanism for the dispersion of amendments at the pore scale. It is unique.
PPT is an enabling technology. It allows for better controlOf fluid injection.
PPT is a tool in the overall strategy for the remediation of contaminated sites. Proper implementation will aid in reducing long-term liabilities and overall clean-up costs.
Energy and Environmental Services Inc.Advanced Solutions for the Petroleum and Environmental Sectors