Systems and methods for enhanced or improved oil recovery includes injecting a Y-Grade NGL enhanced oil recovery fluid through an injection well into a hydrocarbon bearing reservoir to mobilize and displace hydrocarbons. The Y-Grade NGL enhanced oil recovery fluid comprises an unfractionated hydrocarbon mixture. Simultaneously and/or subsequently, a mobility control fluid is injected into the hydrocarbon bearing formation. Hydrocarbons from the hydrocarbon bearing reservoir are produced through a production well or the same injection well.

A method for simulating a microemulsion system in a chemical enhanced oil recovery process is disclosed. The method includes receiving a geological model of a subsurface reservoir that defines a grid having a plurality of cells, determining a surfactant concentration for each cell based on a volume of surfactant and a volume of water within the cell and independently from a volume of oil in the cell, and simulating fluids flowing in the subsurface reservoir. Results from simulation can be used to optimize a chemical enhanced oil recovery process in a subsurface reservoir.

The present invention relates to methods for recovering hydrocarbons from subterranean formations. One such example embodiment injects a polymer solution into an upper layer of a subterranean formation and, likewise, injects an aqueous solution into a lower layer of the subterranean formation. Hydrocarbons displaced by at least one of the injected polymer and the injected aqueous solution are collected.

Methods and system for modeling wellbore treatment operations in which the flow of treatment fluids may be diverted are provided. In one embodiment, the methods comprise: receiving, at a processing component, one or more treatment operation inputs characterizing a treatment operation for a wellbore system comprising a wellbore penetrating at least a portion of a subterranean formation and a treatment fluid comprising a diverter, wherein at least one of the one or more treatment operation inputs comprises the inlet concentration of the diverter in the treatment fluid; and using the processing component to determine a wellbore system pressure distribution and a wellbore system flow distribution based, at least in part, on the one or more treatment operation inputs and a diversion flow model, wherein the diversion flow model captures an effect of the diverter on fluid flow in the wellbore system.

A method for modifying surface wettability of a surface of a solid substrate may include contacting the surface of the solid substrate with a brine solution containing carbon nanodots. The carbon nanodots may have carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, and hydrogen as constituent elements and may include one or more functional groups disposed at outer surfaces of the carbon nanodots. The brine solution has a salinity of greater than 30,000 TDS. A concentration of carbon nanodots in the brine solution is less than or equal to 500 ppmw. Contacting the solid substrate with the brine solution comprising the carbon nanodots is characterized by a contact duration, a contact volume, or both, that is sufficient to reduce the oil wettability of the surface of the solid substrate by at least 15%, as defined by a contact angle of a crude oil droplet contacted with the surface of the solid substrate.

A method for enhanced oil recovery in a reservoir is provided. The method includes injecting a microsphere suspension, including polymeric microspheres dispersed in seawater, into an injection well in the reservoir and injecting a low salinity tailored water (SmartWater) into the injection well in the reservoir. Oil is produced from a production well in the reservoir.

Apparatuses, systems and methods for controlling production of hydrocarbon material disposed within a subterranean formation are provided. In one aspect, a method is provided for producing hydrocarbon material by displacement via flow communication station of a production well. Working states of the production well are analyzed by setting the flow communication stations in the working state, producing hydrocarbon material while in the working state, and sensing a characteristic of the produced material while in the working state. A working state that optimizes operating parameters of the of the production well is determined based on the sensed characteristic, and the production well is subsequently operated in that working state.

A method, system and apparatus of optimizing operation of one or more tubing strings in a hydrocarbon well are provided. Each tubing string is located in a hydrocarbon well and has a plurality of valves. Each valve is actuatable between a fully open position and a fully closed position and is in communication with a respective zone of a formation defining a reservoir containing hydrocarbon material. The method includes characterizing an injectivity of one or more zones of the formation and determining an optimal operating schedule in accordance with the characterization. The optimal operating schedule comprises one or more valve configurations and an operating duration for each of the one or more valve configurations.

The application is directed to a power system that may be provided in a portable form and operationally configured for use at a work site as a single source of electric power, hydraulic power and pneumatic power for work site operations. In regard to hydraulic fracturing stimulation of a wellbore, the power system is operationally configured as the source of hydraulic power for transportable pumping units of a fracturing operation and for hydraulic power tools, as the source of pneumatic power for pneumatic power tools and as the source of electric power for electric power tools and electronic equipment at a well site.

A conformance improvement method involves injecting, via an injection well, a first water slug into a subsurface reservoir. A second water slug is injected, via the injection well, into the subsurface reservoir. The first and second water slugs have different viscosities, at least one of the first and second water slugs includes a surfactant, and the first and second water slugs combine with oil in the subsurface reservoir to form a microemulsion in a layer of the subsurface reservoir. A fluid is injected, via the injection well, into the subsurface reservoir. Oil is collected, via a production well, from the subsurface reservoir. The injected fluid causes the oil to move into the production well.