This is a past event
Post-graduate students will present their work mainly from the field of Geology and Petroleum Geology.
All welcome
Performing asphaltene assay on an optically integrated microfluidic platform
Abstract
The asphaltene fraction of petroleum contains high molecular weight components defined by their solubility class. The asphaltene fraction is precipitated from petroleum by the addition of excess volumes of liquid n-alkanes. Petroleum asphaltene is likely to precipitate during production, transport and refining when there is a sudden change in temperature or pressure. This creates problems with flow assurance within these systems. Standard methods to determine asphaltene content of petroleum present limitations for application in day to day problem solving and research. Limitations may include variability in asphaltene data for similar oils across laboratories and long turnaround times (assays usually require days to complete). Here, we show that using a microfluidic device integrated with an optical spectroscopy unit, we can perform accurate asphaltene measurements in minutes. The results of asphaltene content measurement obtained using a microfluidic device integrated with a spectroscopic unit (on-chip measurement) is similar to those obtained using an off-chip technique; where spectroscopic measurements are made on eluents from the microfluidic device collected in a vial. Both results correlate well with the more established gravimetric method (ASTM D4124) and show high sensitivity for the sample suite studied. The correlation of asphaltene values from both microfluidic techniques (i.e. on-chip and off-chip techniques) shows that they produce highly repeatable asphaltene measurements in comparison to the ASTM D4124 method with significantly lower turnaround times. This on-chip microfluidic method is a breadboard implementation of an asphaltene device that can potentially provide high end geochemical data which is highly resolved in respect to analysis times and range of oil types.
Alabi Oluwarotimi PhD Researcher, Geo-Fluid Research Group, Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology
GEOLOGICAL STORAGE OF CO2: SUITABILITY ANALYSIS AND POTENTIAL IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES IN THE NIGER DELTA BASIN, NIGERIA
Abstract
The Niger delta basin is an actively producing oil and gas region, which has potential to develop into a new CO2 geological storage hub. With an estimated 180 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) of proven reserves, the delta is regarded as having the largest natural gas reserve in Africa making Nigeria the ninth largest natural gas reserve holder in the whole world. However, analysis has shown that large volumes of the gas produced are released annually into the atmosphere from the flaring of natural gas in the basin.
Statistical analysis carried out on more than 100 fields indicates the amount produced at each field and the proportion flared. The high amount of gas obtained from a good number of fields has shown that the basin has abundant gas that could serve as potential source for the application of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology in order to reduce greenhouse gas emission.
Basin wide assessment conducted has shown that the basin has a proven petroleum play system with excellent reservoir-seal pairs and stable geological environment. Also, a combination of a very large basin size, suitable reservoir depth, good maturity, moderate faulting intensity and availability of giant hydrocarbon fields generally makes it an excellent environment for Geological storage of CO2 (CCS).
Further assessment has shown that a number of potential limitations and challenges to the deployment of (CCS) technology in the basin include: a limited number of appropriate reservoirs conducive for gas re-injection/storage, the economies of reinjection, a limited regional and international gas market, inadequate fiscal and gas pricing policies to encourage investment and difficult terrain in the Niger delta which hinders the gas gathering process.
My research is aimed at carrying out a detailed field assessment of the Otumara oilfield. At present, I am using 3D seismic data to determine the likely implications of the structural setting of the field as regards to CO2 storage. Petrophysical analysis will also be conducted to find out how efficient the reservoir rocks are in terms of porosity and permeability. At the end, a comparative study with active storage sites e.g. In Salah, Weyburn and Sleipner will be carried out.
Umar A. Bappah
PhD Researcher, Department of Geology and Petroleum Geology,
Use of microbial cultures for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic wastes
Abstract
Bioethanol, considered the cleanest liquid fuel alternative to fossil fuels, is produced primarily from sucrose (sugarcane or beets) or starchy feedstock (corn) with the use of Saccharomyces yeasts. Starchy feedstocks constitute the main food for humans and feed for animals, making their conversion to ethanol uneconomical. Lignocellulosic biomass (energy crops) and wastes (forests, agricultural, and municipal) represent an alternative unlimited resource with an enormous potential for ethanol production. Bioethanol produced from lignocellulosic biomass is gaining increasing interests, since it is capable of avoiding the fuel versus food competition. Production of bioethanol from lignocellulosic materials comes with significant technical and economic challenges and is so far limited to laboratory studies, and or a few demonstration plants.
Our research investigates a feasible alternative process for bioethanol production from lignocellulosic biomass, entirely or almost entirely based on microbial processes – physical contact of microorganisms with substrate. The three process stages involved in the conversion of lignocellulosic biomass to ethanol; lignin hydrolysis, cellulose/hemicellulose hydrolysis, glucose and other sugars fermentation are carried out by different microorganisms which co-exist in same reactor, or could be present in different reactors in sequence, constituting an open (undefined) mixed culture. The microorganisms responsible for the various processes leading to ethanol production are selected from a mixed culture inoculum due to applied process conditions such as nature of feedstock, residence time, pH, temperature. This contribution will give a general overview of bioethanol production from lignocellulosic wastes in particular, focussing on microbial processes.
Keywords: bioethanol; cellulose; mixed cultures; microbial processes; lignocellulose
Victor Igwe
PhD Researcher, Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, College of Life Sciences and Medicine
Investigation of Liquid Loading Phenomenon in Gas Wells
Abstract
Liquid loading in gas wells is the accumulation of liquids (water or condensate or both) in the wellbore as pressure declines during production. It occurs in both vertical and deviated wells from condensation of flowing gas streams up the production conduit. Liquid accumulation could also occur if there is direct incursion of the liquids (condensate & water) into the wellbore either offshore or onshore. The degree of liquid accumulation is strongly dependent on the composition of the natural gas stream and the nature of the adjacent aquifer, temperature, pressure and the well configuration. Since every reservoir is unique and has water; both water vapour and intermediate hydrocarbons can condense out of the stream at any given temperature and pressure within the wellbore.
In this work we are investigating how the liquids accumulate in the wellbore using the conservation equations (mass, momentum and energy) with the most renown equation states (EoS) along with other constitutive equations to properly characterize condensation in the wellbore.
The outcome is expected to give a better understanding of how liquids accumulate in the wellbore and guide the oil and gas industry on best practices to manage liquid loading when it occurs.
Amieibibama Joseph
PhD Researcher, Petroleum Engineering, College of Physical Sciences
- Speaker
- Various see programme
- Hosted by
- CSID Nigeria Research Group
- Venue
- MacRobert 0.28
- Contact
-
sola.kasim@abdn.ac.uk