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Review
. 2024 Oct 30;10(21):e39919.
doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e39919. eCollection 2024 Nov 15.

Impact of the Marangoni phenomenon on the different Enhanced Oil Recovery methods

Arash Ebrahimi  1 , Yousef Kazemzadeh  1 , Ali Akbari  1
Affiliations
Review

Impact of the Marangoni phenomenon on the different Enhanced Oil Recovery methods

Arash Ebrahimi et al. Heliyon. .

Abstract

The occurrence of the Marangoni phenomenon is due to the surface tension gradient within a system, resulting in the creation of a convective flow from low surface tension to high surface tension points. This phenomenon arises from changes in solvent concentration, temperature and electric charge. In the context of the enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process, changing solvent concentration at the interface of two fluids in matrix fracturing systems caused by gas injection (in immiscible, immiscible and near-miscible conditions) and surfactant flooding, can enhance oil recovery by increasing the Marangoni effect. This article presents a comprehensive overview of the Marangoni phenomenon in oil recovery and the first investigation of this effect in conjunction with other related phenomena. The findings demonstrate that the Marangoni flow is not only present but also significantly impacts bypass oil recovery. The magnitude of the Marangoni effect is directly proportional to the absolute value of the temperature and concentration gradient at the interface. Despite being less recognized in petroleum engineering, this phenomenon has the potential to recover bypassed oil in both the matrix and low permeability zones. Experimental data indicates that under favorable conditions, the Marangoni phenomenon can increase the amount of EOR by approximately 35 %.

Keywords: Enhance oil recovery; Gas injection; Marangoni; Surface tension; Surfactant injection.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Tears of wine and the marangoni effect.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Variation of ultimate recovery factor and calculated Marangoni number divided by characteristic length in test 8, test 11, test 16, and test 19, where Marangoni flow does occur within the system [3].
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Marangoni effect on foam stability [40].
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Effect of electrical field on Marangoni effect and propulsion force [51].
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Effect of pressure and temperature on Marangoni effect [64].
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Marangoni effect during basic solution flooding a) at brine surface b) in pore structure [4].
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Khosravi et all's setup for investigated the effect of Marangoni on residual oil production [26].
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Changes the in recovery factor between three and two components system and Marangoni number versus PR [26].
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Schematic of Masoudi et all's setup for gas injection in low temperature [3].
Fig. 10
Fig. 10
Variation of “capillary to viscous force (Ncv)” and recovery factor for different injectants and pressures, with or without Marangoni flow [3].
Fig. 11
Fig. 11
based on a simple geometry.
Fig. 12
Fig. 12
Marangoni convection with a temperature difference of 0.001 K.
Fig. 13
Fig. 13
Marangoni convection with a temperature difference of 0.05 K.
Fig. 14
Fig. 14
Marangoni convection with a temperature difference of 2 K.
Fig. 15
Fig. 15
Schematic of multiple flow facets within the framework of a droplet evaporation.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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    1. Zhang D., et al. vol. 23. 2018. pp. 831–840. (Application of the Marangoni Effect in Nanoemulsion on Improving Waterflooding Technology for Heavy-Oil Reservoirs). 03.
    1. Masoudi M., Khosravi M., Rostami B., Abolhosseini P., Engineering . vol. 178. 2019. pp. 1067–1078. (Effect of Bénard-Marangoni Flow on the Bypassed Oil Recovery: Micromodel Study).
    1. Palizdan S., Abbasi J., Riazi M., Malayeri M.R.J.P.S. vol. 17. 2020. pp. 1298–1317. (Impact of Solutal Marangoni Convection on Oil Recovery during Chemical Flooding).
    1. Bazazi P., Hejazi S.H. Retarding spreading of surfactant drops on solid surfaces: interplay between the Marangoni effect and capillary flows. 2020;5(8)

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