Open AccessEffect of mechanical stirring on CO2 foaming in petroleum
Author(s) -
Shuhao Zhang,
Hongtao Ma,
Yuxing Li
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
iop conference series. earth and environmental science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1755-1307
pISSN - 1755-1315
DOI - 10.1088/1755-1315/680/1/012082
Subject(s) - separator (oil production) , cabin pressurization , materials science , petroleum engineering , composite material , separation process , waste management , chromatography , chemistry , geology , engineering , physics , thermodynamics
CO 2 flooding is an effective technology to improve oil recovery. However, because the foam layer produced in the actual production may affect the gas-liquid separation effect and cause damage to downstream devices. Therefore, it is necessary to study the defoaming technology in the separator. This paper mainly studies the influence of different stirring speeds on the death of the foam layer during the depressurization process and after the depressurization is stopped. The stirring blade can accelerate the formation and disappearance of foam, and the final result is to reduce the time required for defoaming. During the whole process, the survival time of large bubbles is short, but stirring has less influence on small bubbles. Stirring will increase the height of the foam layer, which will affect the gas-liquid separation efficiency in severe cases. Therefore, if the fluid entering the separator has good foam-ability, it is not recommended to directly use mechanical stirring to eliminate foam in the gas-liquid separation process.