Reservoir laboratory
Since 1977, SINTEF Petroleum Research has performed flooding experiments and fluid studies related to petroleum production. Our laboratory holds high technological standards. We use advanced equipment both in standard experiments for service work, as well as in completely new set-ups for research.
Our laboratory is particularly well equipped for reservoir condition services within special core analysis, pVT characterisation and fluid studies. Numerical and analytical modelling can increase the value of laboratory experiments. This is also offered as a service.
Services
Special core analysis (SCAL)
- relative permeability measurements
- HC gas, CO2
- equilibrium gas injection
- water flooding
- WAG
- gravity segregation
- horizontal and vertical flooding
- wettability conditioning
- analysis of experiments, simulation
- in situ saturation measurements
- capillary pressure
Fluid behaviour (pVT analysis)
- general pVT
- constant mass expansion
- differential liberation
- test separation
- miscibility (slim tube)
- pVTx, extraction and swelling
- IFT (down to 10-5 mN/m)
- molecular diffusion
- molecular mass
- analysis, numerical simulation
- asphaltene precipitation
Facilities
Our laboratory facilities and experimental equipment is based on commercial components, but we continuously improve the precision and reliability of our measurements by improving the equipment itself, and the methods applied.
Core flood experiments
Reservoir and ambient conditions core flood with pressure and temperature up to 700 bar and 150°C (up to 1000bar and 180°C in some units):
- three high pressure flooding rigs
- low pressure three phase flooding rig with gamma attenuation saturation measurement
- auxiliary flooding rigs
- in situ saturation measurements (x-ray CT, gamma attenuation)
- whole and composite cores with lengths up to 120 cm
- Quizix and HPLC high pressure pumps
- injection rates 0.1- 900 ml/h
- working pressure up to 700 bar (1000 bar in some cases)
- working temperature up to 180°C
- atmospheric and high pressure separators
- compositional analyses of produced fluids
- other chemical analyses
- piston bottles with high-precision volume monitoring system
- Quizix and HPLC high pressure pumps
- numerical modelling of experiments
- pVT and fluid behaviour equipment
Reservoir conditions pVT equipment, with pressure and temperature up to 700 bar and 150°C (up to 1000bar and 180°C in some units):
- two automated pVT-cells (Jeffri), mercury free
- automated slim tube apparatus
- sapphire high pressure cell
- special designed cells
- IFT cells (pendant drop, spinning drop, light scattering)
- rolling ball viscometer
- diffusion cell (T and comp. grad.)
- densiometers
- gas chromatography
- molecular weight
- Chemical and support analyses
Karl Fisher water analysis
- Chloride analysis
- Surfactant analysis with HPLC and two phase titration
- Quantitative analysis of fluorosurfactants
- Molecular weight determination by freezing point depression
- Liquid density (Anton Paar)
- Surface tension with ring tensiometer and spinning drop tensiometer
- Viscosity for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids, polymers, gelling fluids, gels, at temperatures up to 90 degC and ambient pressure. Bohlin VOR rheometer and
- Ubbelohde viscosimeters
- Gas and oil chromatography
