"Local Oil, I'm a chemist and although I do not know specifics about oil drilling, the thought and theory is interesting.
Qusetion, Are the chemicals used in the ground designed to increase separtion or in my area of chemistry "precipitation" or as you described are they surface modifiers designed to decrease surface tension of both the water and oil to make flow greater or both?"
The chemistry is that of a specially modified surfactant, non-ionic typically, that decreases the IFT so significantly that that spontaneous inbibition occurs, ie, disrupting the IFT so significantly causes the formation to "drink" in the compound so there is some element of kinetic energy associated with spreading the compound and not just that it is spreading down along its concentration gradient. The net effect is to allow the microscopic bits of oil, water and gas to combine, each with their own kind and, in the process, to transform oil wet surfaces into water wet surfaces. This sidesteps the question of whether the sand grains are water or oil wet, wrapped in an inverse immulsion.
"How do you determine the depth of the equipment to get just the desired oil removal?"
The pump is dropped into the middle of the static fluid column. First you get the "dead oil", ie oil with no native gas, and it is quite thick for that reason, in addition to it's being "cold", (not fresh out of the formation) and the lighter fractions have evaporated over time. After this oil is produced out you get a very good stream at a faster rate of warm, "live oil". Then, when it is apparent (due to a drop in the amp load the motor is showing the operator) that the pump is then pumping water, the pump is raised, still pumping, until all of the oil is produced out of the casing.
"What time factor is involved with the separation of oil and water underneath the surface and are the chemicals used helping the process(as above) and does the increased desired flow hinder separation due to a mixing effect?"
Trials are underway with two different compounds in search of the simplest application methodology. I'm not sure I'm really understanding the question but my understanding is that the chemistry just basically radically speeds up the downhole oil/water separation process. The key point is that by removing equipment and quitting producing the well for a while nature does the separation, via gravity, downhole, in a manner similar to what would happen in an above ground OWS system but in this case you are handling 1000 times less water, thus much less pumping to get the same oil.
"If any of the questions are off base, my apologies for lack of Knowledge in the industry."
Surfactants are not new, see links on the website to Oil Chem Technologies and read a few of the papers. What is new is combining the chemistry to beneficially upset the downhole equilibrium in a way that fits so naturally with the new production system. Reynolds paid for his first system 2X in the first week. I'm no financial whiz, but a 2.5 day payback seems pretty good.
"Thanks, makes me want to buy an oil well, @#$%, I did and I hope it becomes available for your theory and methods."
At the conclusion of the field trials the production system will be released for worldwide distribution. As far as the theory and methods are concerned, the system is in use on a daily basis and contact info is up. I have had my field visit and highly recommend it. It's a straight up, no BS, what you see is what you get deal.
LO
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