2016 AIChE Spring Meeting and 12th Global Congress on Process Safety

(63aq) A Combined Rheology and Stability Study on Emulsified Acid for High Temperature Applications

Authors

Sultan, A. S. - Presenter, King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
Sidaoui, Z., King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals
HCl emulsion has been a popular formulation to stimulate carbonate reservoirs due to the various advantages that emulsified HCl has over ordinary HCl; including but not limited to deeper penetration and less corrosion damages. Emulsified HCl has even more potential advantages if utilized properly. The reaction kinetics, stability and rheology of emulsified HCl plays a significant role on achieving successful acidizing treatment.

The objective of this paper is to experimentally study the factors affecting the stability of emulsified HCl. The emulsion was prepared using 15wt% HCl and diesel with cationic emulsifier. The acid solution-to-diesel ratio was 70:30. The effect of stirring intensity, concentration of the emulsifier, addition of corrosion inhibitor, temperature, addition rate of acid phase to oil phase and mixing time of the emulsion have been studied. Stirring intensity was varied from 600 to 1500 rpm. Emulsifier dosage ranged between 5 to 20 gpt. Temperature used for heating, to mimic reservoir condition, was as high as 120˚C.

The results showed that there is an optimum condition for emulsifier dosage and for mixing time of the emulsion. The optimum emulsifier dosage was found to be 10 gpt with 5 minutes of mixing time. As for the addition rate of acid phase to oil phase, 1.4 ml/min of drop-wise addition was found to give a very stable emulsion. The effect of stirring intensity on the emulsion stability was proportional, the higher the rpm speed the better the stability.  Corrosion inhibitor, on the other hand, played a role as a destabilizer. With regards to heating temperature, it was found out that the higher the temperature, the faster the emulsion breaks.

The novelty of this study is the comprehensive approach in combining stablity and rheology of emulsified acid for high temperature applications. The particle size analysis and solution morphology help in better understanding HCl emulsion and how it works.