Rice University developing computational models for more
successful extraction
Rice University researchers are developing a comprehensive
model that will predict how brine, oil and gas drawn from ultra-deep wells
react to everything encountered on the way up to the surface and to suggest
strategies to maintain the flow.
Deepwater production involves hydrocarbons but also
formation water (brine), chemicals, and materials that make up the complex
machinery of modern oil extraction. Under high pressures and temperatures, the
brine can form acidic mixtures that corrode pipes or form solid mineral
deposits, called scale, that inhibit flow in a well.