TITLE:
Experimental Investigations of Chemical Flooding Using Air Injection Boosters for Improved Oil Recovery in Mature Reservoirs (Brownfields)
AUTHORS:
Fahad Rashid, Godpower Enyi
KEYWORDS:
EOR, Air Injection, Chemical Flooding, Silica Nanoparticles, Polymer Flooding, Arabic Gum, Air-Alternate-Water (AAW), NPAW, Core Flooding, Mature Reservoirs, Brownfields, Oil Displacement Efficiency
JOURNAL NAME:
Engineering,
Vol.17 No.12,
December
23,
2025
ABSTRACT: To recover oil from brownfields, test air booster chemical flooding. Silica nanoparticle-polymer Arabic gum (SP) solution injection with controlled air injection is studied for displacement efficiency synergy. Multiple crude oil-soaked core samples were employed in lab core flooding procedures to approximate reservoir conditions. Performance depended on pressure drop, burst duration, and oil recovery. Study: continuous oxygen air flooding eliminates less oil from the ground than AAW. Results from experiments supported this. Air alternative water (AAW) optimises oil recovery and efficiency by regulating flow. In congested reservoirs, air can replace water. Constant air sealing keeps oil from water. Air alternative water (AAW) systems use polymers like Arabic gum, silica nanoparticles, and a mix of the two to remove oil and prevent water contamination. Nano-polymer-alternating-water (NPAW) creates air alternate water (AAW). Three-phase flow with silica and Arabic gum is studied in this study. A two-phase investigation used combination, silica, and polymer/oil. Water/oil and combination/oil displacement boosted oil output and relative permeability, unlike polymer/oil and nanoparticles. Air and oil have lower surface resistance than water. Air injection sweeps outperform water floods technically. Lab scientists analyse chemical fluid-oil interfacial tension with polymer-silica and NaCl. Air, fluid, and fluid injections recovered 48.6%, 20%, and 16.7% of oil in core flooding testing. This reveals that air, Arabic gum, and silica nanoparticles greatly improve lab core oil recovery. The air boosters increased oil flow, residual saturation, and sweep. Chemicals and air injection improve older deposit EOR.