BASF Group: Chemical Intermediates: Glyoxal in enhanced oil recovery

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	Glyoxal in enhanced oil recovery

Glyoxal enhances efficiency of oil recovery


Effective enhanced oil recovery with glyoxal

In most oil wells, nearly two thirds of the crude oil remains in the reservoir unextracted after the application of conventional oil recovery techniques.

These reserves can be largely recovered by means of glyoxal. Glyoxal is used in a process called “fracturing,” a process that is becoming increasingly important as the worldwide demand for energy keeps rising.

In this process high-viscosity fluids free the crude that is trapped in the rock and allow it to flow freely in the reservoir so that it can be recovered.

Fracturing process with glyoxal in brief:

1. Glyoxal makes aqueous solution viscous


	Polymers crosslinked by glyoxal to increase the viscosity of water applied in enhanced oil recovery

In the first step, glyoxal turns large quantities of aqueous solution into a highly viscous fluid by crosslinking molecule chains into rigid compounds. This is a vital prerequisite for the “fracturing” process.

2. “Proppant” solution

This fluid is then completed with sand or ceramic particles, so-called “proppants.” Unable to settle in the viscous fluids, these proppants can accordingly act in a homogeneous medium.

3. Crude oil release from the pores of the rock

	$Graphics: By raising the viscosity of fracturing fluids, glyoxal helps to infiltrate the sediment pores and release the crude - Please click on the image to see a larger view of this picture - Link opens in a new window$
	By raising the viscosity of fracturing fluids, glyoxal helps to infiltrate the sediment pores and release the crude (Click to zoom)

High pressure is applied to inject this proppant solution into the rock formation containing the trapped crude oil. The proppants are forced into the pores of the rock, causing them to crack and keeping open these cracks so that the trapped crude oil can flow freely.

4. Oil recovery

The crude oil released in this way is brought to the surface through a well bore by means of pump equipment.

BASF is a leading manufacturer of glyoxal with an annual output of 80,000 metric tons. Apart from its applications in oil recovery, glyoxal is used in the gas industry, where it helps to prevent corrosion as a so-called sulfur scavenger.