Cleaning Methods :- 1. Dean-Stark Distillation-Extraction. 2. Soxhlet Extraction. 3. Flow Through. 4. Critical Point. 5. Gas Driven Solvent Extraction. 6. Centrifuge Flushing. Four Cleaning Techniques Commonly Used In Conventional Core Analysis A) - Hot Refluxing Soxhlet Extraction:- • Advantages : (bulk handling, wide choice of solvent, physically gentle, modification for low temperature and cheap) • Disadvantages : (high temperature and phase changes)
C) - Extended Cold or Warm Solvent Soaking • Advantages : (no phase change, wide choice of solvents, physically gentler, bulk handling and cheap) • Disadvantages : (very slow) D)- Critical Point Drying • Advantages : (no phase change) • Disadvantages: (individual or limited number plug samples, very slow and expensive) B) - Miscible Solvent Flushing :- • Advantages : (insitu cleaning, no phase change and wide choice solvents) • Disadvantages: (mobile fines, individual or limited number of plug samples and expensive)
• Advantages - Water and Oil saturation - Individual extraction • Disadvantages - High Temperature Vapor Extraction - Deposition of asphaltenes and resins -Wettability change -Limited choice of solvents -Slow
• Advantages: - Bulk handling of plug samples - Wide choice of solvents - Physically gentle - Modification for low temperature - Modification for continuous immersion • Disadvantages : - High temperature, clay dehydration - Slow - ndividual whole core samples Soxhelt method:-
Solvents for routine cleaning:- •Chloroform – Methanol – Methylamine •Toluene – Xylene •Methanol •Isopropyl alcohol IPA •Hexane Factors affecting solvent choice:- •Type of Mineral Surface •Type Of Crude Oil •Contaminants Sample drying:- •Oven - 80°C and 120°C •Humidity Drying •Vacuum Oven •Desiccator
Oven Drying • Advantages : Inexpensive Quick • Disadvantages : Loss of Bound Water Humidity drying:- • Advantages : Preserves Clay Bound Water • Disadvantages: -Slow -Difficult to Determine Endpoint Oven Drying