Electrochemically Enhanced Deposition of Minerals from Synthetic Reservoir Brine
Edvardsen, Laura; Emmel, Benjamin Udo; Bhuiyan, Mohammad Hossain; Wenner, Sigurd; Gawel, Kamila; Torsæter, Malin
Chapter, Peer reviewed, Conference object
Published version
Date
2021Metadata
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- SINTEF Industri [1484]
- SINTEF Proceedings [402]
Abstract
In this paper we ask the question whether or not electrochemically enhanced deposition of minerals can be utilized to repair leakage paths existing in cement plugs in wells. Electrical polarization of two electrodes may result in oxygen reduction and water electrolysis, where both processes change the local pH close to the two electrodes. The solution close to the anode is becoming acidic while close to the cathode it is becoming alkaline. Since solubility of many scaling minerals is pH dependent, precipitation of minerals on conductive surfaces can be induced by electrical polarization. We test whether cathodic polarization of conductive surfaces can be used to facilitate deposition of minerals from brines resembling reservoir fluids. As a model the reservoir formation water from the Gyda field was chosen. The electrochemically enhanced deposition at 23 and 120 °C from a synthetic Gyda brine was tested by polarizing at 5 V. The results show that cathodic polarization significantly enhanced precipitation of minerals from the synthetic Gyda brine.