Fast-Slim Tube: A Reliable and Rapid Technique for the Laboratory Determination of MMP in CO2 - Light Crude Oil Systems

Abstract

Abstract We present a technique that enables the determination of the minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) of a CO2 – oil system using a short 20 ft slim tube in less than two weeks, about a third of what it normally takes using the conventional 80 ft slim tube. MMP is a crucial parameter in designing a CO2 enhanced oil recovery project and its value needs to be known with a degree of accuracy that cannot be provided by the use of equations of state or correlations, and therefore, needs to be determined experimentally. The slim tube technique is recognized to be the most accurate experimental method for determining the MMP, however its use has not been favored because it is time consuming. We determined the MMP for five CO2 – crude oil systems from the North Burbank Unit and the Oklahoma/Texas Panhandle. The reduction in the length of the slim tube from 80 ft to 20 ft resulted in a decrease in the total time of the experiment. The validity of our technique was proven with performing recovery factor measurements using a conventional 80 ft long slim tube. The MMP values obtained are valid when the length of the slim tube is sufficient to host the mixing zone and the velocity of the displacement is slow enough to enable the transverse dispersion to eliminate viscous fingering. In the case of light oil, the use of the 20 ft slim tube is justified as the length of the mixing zone is shorter. We support our results with the use of numerical simulation. The reduction in the time required for slim tube experiments results in a fast, economic and accurate technique for the determination of MMP in CO2 – light crude oil systems. Taking into account that CO2 flooding is the most applied EOR technique in the US and that it is mainly applied to light oil reservoirs, this work can be of great impact by providing a rapid and reliable method to determine the MMP for designing a CO2 enhanced oil recovery project.