Enhancing oil recovery by Smart Water Injection. A Post-Doc-H/F

Job description

LACQ-PERL(FRA)
Description du poste

Enhancing oil recovery by Smart Water Injection:
New methods to determine the zeta potential on crude oil / water interfaces. A Post-Doc-H/F

About the project:

The rate of primary and secondary oil recovery is typically lower than 40%, and further production relies on Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) methods. Smart Water Injection Methods (SWIM, also known as low salinity or controlled salinity water flooding) is a promising low-cost EOR technique, whose underlying mechanisms are still debated, and the results of SWIM are not easily predictable.
The working hypothesis in SWIM is that the pore-scale electrostatic interactions between liquid-liquid (LL) and liquid-solid (LS) interfaces alter the wettability of the rock and that the SWIM strategy can be optimized if the zeta potential of the interfaces can be determined for a given brine composition.
Recently the technology for the assessment of the LS interfaces via streaming potential measurements in core flooding [1] was made available in PERL. At the same time the assessment of the LL interfaces remains a challenge. The method described in [1] is insufficient since measuring streaming potential of a heterogeneous surface suggests that the distribution of the LL and LS surfaces is known, which is not the case in core flooding.
Applying standard zetametry to crude oil emulsions is often not straightforward, mainly due to the instability of crude oil emulsions, fast creaming and the high salinity of the relevant brines. The two former problems can be addressed with microfluidics, however this technology still needs to be tested in the relevant spectrum of parameters.
The limit of high salinity remains a challenge for electrophoresis, which implies that other electrokinetic phenomena should be considered.

 
The goals of the postdoc will be the following:

1. To continue the testing of the microfluidic solutions.
2. To explore the feasibility of using acousto-phoresis or sedimentation potential for measuring the zeta potential of oil emulsions.
3. To devise a setup in which the LL interface can be isolated from SL in a way that would enable measurement of streaming potential.

 
References :
[1] M. D. Jackson , D. Al-Mahrouqi and J.Vinogradov : Zeta potential in oil-watercarbonate systems and its impact on oil recovery during controlled salinity water-flooding, Scientific RepoRts | 6:37363 | DOI: 10.1038/srep37363
[2] S. Uddin, M. Mirnezami and J.A. Finch : A surface charge characterization device using sedimentation potential for single and mixed particle systems, Colloids and Surfaces A: Physicochem. Eng. Aspects 371 (2010) 64–70
[3] R.Greenwood : Review of the measurement of zeta potentials in concentrated aqueous suspensions using electroacoustics, Advances in Colloid and Interface Science 106 (2003) 55–81

 
Réfèrence

22722BR
Pays

France
Durée du contrat

24
A propos de nous/Profil de l'entreprise

BETTER ENERGY NEEDS YOU

Give your best to better energy and make the commitment with Total. With over 500-plus professions in 130 countries, we offer high safety and environmental standards, strong ethical values, an innovation culture and wide-ranging career development. Be part of the global team whose mission is already shared by 100,000 employees: to make energy better each and every day.  

Desired profile

Profil recherché

Candidate’s profile:
·  PhD in physics, physical chemistry, chemistry, mechanical engineering or chemical engineering.
·  Excellent technical skills, good knowledge of microfabrication and image analyses.
·  Solid professional background in electrochemistry and electrokinetics is an advantage.
·  The successful candidate should be excellent in working independently, should have strong problems solving skills and thinking out-of-the box attitude. 
Métier

R&D Sciences des Matériaux
Intitulé du poste

Enhancing oil recovery by Smart Water Injection. A Post-Doc-H/F
Unité de temps

Mois
Branche

Exploration-Production
Région, département, localité

64 - Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Domaine professionnel

Recherche Innovation&Développt
Niveau d’expérience requis

0- 3 ans
Type d’emploi

CDD
Contexte et Environnement