Problem statement: Nanotech applications in the oil industry are not completely new: nanoparticles have been successfully used in drilling muds for the past 50 years. Only recently all the other key ...areas of the oil industry, such as exploration, primary and assisted production, monitoring, refining and distribution, are approaching nanotechnologies as the potential Philosopher's stone for facing critical issues related to remote locations (such as ultra-deep water and artic environments), harsh conditions (high-temperature and high-pressure formations), nonconventional reservoirs (heavy oils, tight gas, tar sands). The general aim is to bridge the gap between the oil industry and nanotechnology community using various initiatives such as consortia between oil and service companies and nanotechnology excellence centres, networking communities, workshops and conferences and even dedicated research units inside some oil companies. Quite surprisingly, even if a lot of discussion is taking place, no substantial research on these topics is currently being undertaken around the world by the petroleum industry. A very different attitude is demonstrated by other industries and the advances they achieved are outstanding. Approach: This study provides an overview of the most interesting nanotechnology applications and critically highlights the potential benefits that could come from transposing the same-or adapted-solutions to the oil industry. Results/Conclusion: As extensively illustrated, some technologies which are already available off-the-shelf can offer real improvements in dealing with some specific issues of the oil industry. Other technologies can require further elaboration before direct use, but their potential is enormous.
H
produced from renewable energies will play a central role in both greenhouse gas reduction and decarbonization by 2050. Nonetheless, to improve H
diffusion and utilization as a fuel, large storage ...capacity systems are needed. Underground storage of natural gas in depleted reservoirs, aquifers and salt caverns is a well-established technology. However, new challenges arise when it comes to storing hydrogen due to the occurrence and activity of indigenous microbial populations in deep geological formations. In a previous study, four Italian natural gas reservoirs were characterized both from a hydro-chemical and microbiological point of view, and predictive functional analyses were carried out with the perspective of underground hydrogen storage (UHS). In the present work, formation waters from the same reservoirs were used as inoculant during batch cultivation tests to characterize microbial activity and its effects on different gas mixtures. Results evidence a predominant acidogenic/acetogenic activity, whilst methanogenic and sulfate reducing activity were only marginal for all tested inoculants. Furthermore, the microbial activation of tested samples is strongly influenced by nutrient availability. Obtained results were fitted and screened in a computational model which would allow deep insights in the study of microbial activity in the context of UHS.
The development of an underground gas storage (UGS) project and its subsequent management must ensure technical feasibility, commercial value and long-term efficiency. The UGS industry has borrowed ...much of its knowledge from other disciplines (primarily oil and gas reservoir engineering), but it has also developed its own technology. This paper provides a methodological approach based on current practices and available methods for designing and safely operating a UGS (including the so-called “delta-pressure” option to enhance UGS performance) and highlights what is special in UGS compared to oil and gas reservoirs.
Underground Hydrogen Storage (UHS) provides a large-scale and safe solution to balance the fluctuations in energy production from renewable sources and energy consumption but requires a proper and ...detailed characterization of the candidate reservoirs. The scope of this study was to estimate the hydrogen diffusion coefficient for real caprock samples from two natural gas storage reservoirs that are candidates for underground hydrogen storage. A significant number of adsorption/desorption tests were carried out using a Dynamic Gravimetric Vapor/Gas Sorption System. A total of 15 samples were tested at the reservoir temperature of 45 °C and using both hydrogen and methane. For each sample, two tests were performed with the same gas. Each test included four partial pressure steps of sorption alternated with desorption. After applying overshooting and buoyancy corrections, the data were then interpreted using the early time approximation of the solution to the diffusion equation. Each interpretable partial pressure step provided a value of the diffusion coefficient. In total, more than 90 estimations of the diffusion coefficient out of 120 partial pressure steps were available, allowing a thorough comparison between the diffusion of hydrogen and methane: hydrogen in the range of 1 × 10−10 m2/s to 6 × 10−8 m2/s and methane in the range of 9 × 10−10 m2/s to 2 × 10−8 m2/s. The diffusion coefficients measured on wet samples are 2 times lower compared to those measured on dry samples. Hysteresis in hydrogen adsorption/desorption was also observed.
The numerical simulation of phenomena such as subsurface fluid flow or rock deformations are based on geological models, where volumes are typically defined through stratigraphic surfaces and faults, ...which constitute the geometric constraints, and then discretized into blocks to which relevant petrophysical or stress-strain properties are assigned.
This paper illustrates the process by which it is possible to reconstruct the triangulation of 3D geological surfaces assigned as point clouds. These geological surfaces can then be used in codes dedicated to volume discretization to generate models of underground rocks.
The method comprises the following:
- Characterization of the best fitting plane and identification of the concave hull of the point cloud which is projected on it
- Triangulation of the point cloud on the plane, constrained to the Planar Straight Line Graph constituted by the concave hull
The algorithm, implemented in C++, depends exclusively on two parameters (nDig, maxCut) which allow one to easily evaluate the optimal refinement level of the hull on a case by case basis.
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Methanogenic archaea stand out as multipurpose biocatalysts for different applications in wide-ranging industrial sectors due to their crucial role in the methane (CH 4 ) cycle and ubiquity in ...natural environments. The increasing demand for raw materials required by the manufacturing sector (i.e., metals-, concrete-, chemicals-, plastic- and lubricants-based industries) represents a milestone for the global economy and one of the main sources of CO 2 emissions. Recovery of critical raw materials (CRMs) from byproducts generated along their supply chain, rather than massive mining operations for mineral extraction and metal smelting, represents a sustainable choice. Demand for lithium (Li), included among CRMs in 2023, grew by 17.1% in the last decades, mostly due to its application in rechargeable lithium-ion batteries. In addition to mineral deposits, the natural resources of Li comprise water, ranging from low Li concentrations (seawater and freshwater) to higher ones (salt lakes and artificial brines). Brines from water desalination can be high in Li content which can be recovered. However, biological brine treatment is not a popular methodology. The methanogenic community has already demonstrated its ability to recover several CRMs which are not essential to their metabolism. Here, we attempt to interconnect the well-established biomethanation process with Li recovery from brines, by analyzing the methanogenic species which may be suitable to grow in brine-like environments and the corresponding mechanism of recovery. Moreover, key factors which should be considered to establish the techno-economic feasibility of this process are here discussed.
Nowadays, sustainable and renewable energy production is a global priority. Over the past decade, several Power-to-X (PtX) technologies have been proposed to store and convert the surplus of ...renewable energies into chemical bonds of chemicals produced by different processes. CO2 is a major contributor to climate change, yet it is also an undervalued source of carbon that could be recycled and represents an opportunity to generate renewable energy. In this context, PtX technologies would allow for CO2 valorization into renewable fuels while reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. With this work we want to provide an up-to-date overview of biomethanation as a PtX technology by considering the biological aspects and the main parameters affecting its application and scalability at an industrial level. Particular attention will be paid to the concept of CO2-streams valorization and to the integration of the process with renewable energies. Aspects related to new promising technologies such as in situ, ex situ, hybrid biomethanation and the concept of underground methanation will be discussed, also in connection with recent application cases. Furthermore, the technical and economic feasibility will be critically analyzed to highlight current options and limitations for implementing a sustainable process.
Reservoir heterogeneities can severely affect the effectiveness of waterflooding because displacing fluids tend to flow along high-permeability paths and prematurely breakthrough at producing wells. ...A Proof-of-Concept (PoC) study is presented while discussing the experimental results of a research on “core-shell” technology to improve waterflooding in heterogeneous oil reservoirs. The proposed methodology consists in injecting a water dispersion of nanocapsules after the reservoir has been extensively flushed with water. The nanocapsules are made of a “core” (either polymeric or siliceous materials), protected by a “shell” that can release its content at an appropriate time, which activates through gelation or aggregation thus plugging the high permeability paths. Additional flooding with water provides recovery of bypassed oil. The initial conceptual screening of possible materials was followed by extensive batch and column lab tests. Then, 3D dynamic simulations at reservoir scale were performed to compensate for the temporary lack of pilot tests and/or field applications. Les hétérogénéités de réservoir peuvent gravement affecter l’efficacité de l’injection d’eau parce que les fluides de déplacement ont tendance à couler le long des chemins de haute perméabilité et à parvenir prématurément au puits de production. Une étude de preuve de concept est présentée tout en discutant les résultats expérimentaux d’une recherche sur la technologie « core-shell » pour améliorer l’injection d’eau dans les réservoirs de pétrole hétérogènes. La méthode proposée consiste à injecter une dispersion aqueuse de nanocapsules après que le réservoir ait été abondamment rincé à l’eau. Les nanocapsules sont faites d’un « noyau » (matériaux polymères ou siliceux), protégé par une « coquille » qui peut libérer son contenu à un moment approprié ; ensuite le contenu peut s’activer par gélification ou agrégation ainsi que les chemins de haute perméabilité. Un rinçage supplémentaire avec de l’eau permet une récupération d’huile contournée. La projection conceptuelle initiale de matériaux possibles a été suivie par de nombreux tests de lots et de la colonne de laboratoire. Ensuite, des simulations dynamiques 3D à l’échelle du réservoir ont été effectuées pour compenser le manque temporaire de tests pilotes et/ou applications industrielles.
The Discovery tool is a growing organism Bardelli, Annalisa; Verga, Francesca
JLIS.it : Italian journal of library and information science,
09/2019, Volume:
10, Issue:
3
Journal Article
Peer reviewed
Open access
This article sums up two years of work selecting, configuring and promoting a discovery tool. Our choices were based on our circumstances and might not be right for every library. However, they led ...us to a state of things which we find satisfactory, and which we are going to improve further. That is why we wish to share them with colleagues who face the same challenges daily, hoping our experience can be of help. Publisher's text
Underground porous media are complex multiphase systems, where the behavior at the macro-scale is affected by physical phenomena occurring at the pore(micro)-scale. The understanding of pore-scale ...fluid flow, transport properties, and chemical reactions is fundamental to reducing the uncertainties associated with the dynamic behavior, volume capacity, and injection/withdrawal efficiency of reservoirs and groundwater systems. Lately, laboratory technologies were found to be growing along with new computational tools, for the analysis and characterization of porous media. In this context, a significant contribution is given by microfluidics, which provides synthetic tools, often referred to as micromodels or microfluidic devices, able to mimic porous media networks and offer direct visualization of fluid dynamics. This work aimed to provide a review of the design, materials, and fabrication techniques of 2D micromodels applied to the investigation of multiphase flow in underground porous media. The first part of the article describes the main aspects related to the geometrical characterization of the porous media that lead to the design of micromodels. Materials and fabrication processes to manufacture microfluidic devices are then described, and relevant applications in the field are presented. In conclusion, the strengths and limitations of this approach are discussed, and future perspectives are suggested.
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