INVESTIGATING THE APPLICATION OF ADVANCED RESERVOIR SIMULATION TECHNIQUES FOR OPTIMIZING ENHANCED OIL RECOVERY PROCESSES IN NIGERIAN OIL FIELDS, FOCUSING ON SURFACTANT FLOODING METHODS

It was discovered from investigations that a single surfactant cannot reach ultra-low interfacial tension (IFT) and strong water-wet conditions, the oil recovery potential of surfactant flooding is limited. Surfactant combinations are used to overcome these restrictions and provide the intended enhanced oil recovery (EOR) characteristics. This study looked at the effectiveness of a system that combines synthetic and biosurfactants as a possible way to improve oil recovery in conjunction with the application of a reservoir simulation technique using MATLAB RESERVOIR SIMULATION TOOL(MRST). We looked into the surface, interfacial, and wettability change characteristics of glycerol, synthetic surfactant, biosurfactant, and their mixed mixture. The findings showed that, in comparison to the individual solutions used separately, the combined surfactant system had a more noticeable impact on oil-water IFT and wettability alteration. A very low IFT of 0.005 mN/m was achieved using the mixed surfactant system. The core flooding tests that were carried out on sandstone cores with properties related to That of Nigerian oil fields. An extra 15–20% of original oil in place (OOIP) may be recovered utilizing the combined surfactant system in sandstone cores using crude oil characteristics similar to those of Nigerian oil fields. Furthermore, simulated studies demonstrated that, depending on the injection strategy, a field-scale incremental oil recovery of 12–15% OOIP might be achieved. Therefore, the study showed that a competent EOR fluid may be created by combining glycerol with a special blend of synthetic and biosurfactants.