Rapid and Cost Efficient EOR Screening using a
Rock-on-a-Chip Approach

HOT Microfluidics provides pioneering microfluidic solutions that allow unmatched IOR / EOR process visualisation and screening. HOT Microfluidics helps companies reduce their operating expenditures and increase the probability of successfully implementing complex EOR field applications.

We provide IOR / EOR process optimization solutions and services by using a fast and cost efficient rock-on-a-chip approach that gives an unrivalled understanding of numerous EOR parameters, in particular pore-scale oil mobilisation and trapping mechanisms.

InspIOR, our microfluidic flooding rig, and the revolutionary GSG micromodels are the basis for our turnkey microfluidic solutions that include hardware and software components as well as chip design, flooding experiments and interpretation services.

Our Technology: A Valuable Complement to Core Floods…

Core flood experiments are the industry standard to assess EOR process performance. However, often only a limited amount of reservoir rock material is available restricting the number of core flood experiments. Subsequently, and to some extent, the EOR process remains a black box limiting a detailed description of static and dynamic flow properties.

Rock-on-a-Chip Microfluidics opens a new era of screening EOR chemicals and designing IOR / EOR field applications. Transparent micromodels (Glass-Silicon-Glass) allow an unrivalled multi-phase visualisation of flow displacement processes through porous media. This innovation provides fast results at low cost. Fullcycle Rock-on-a-Chip flooding experiments are performed within days allowing a profound EOR process design. EOR chemicals injection is assessed within weeks rather than months.

Applications include, but are not limited to, the evaluation of brine, water, polymer, surfactant and alkaline EOR applications, gas injection and foam EOR processes as well as pore-scale phenomena like the visualization of viscoelastic turbulences.

In addition to recovery factor, our innovative technology allows streamlines and particle tracing and provides new insights to EOR process parameters such as pore-scale oil ganglia trapping and mobilisation mechanisms.

HOT’s Rock-on-a-Chip Technology allows a deeper understanding of EOR processes and a more informed planning resulting in minimised risk. HOT Microfluidics help companies reduce their operating cost and aid in successfully implementing complex EOR field applications.

HOT’s Microfluidics in a Nutshell

• Rapid and cost efficient IOR and EOR displacement process screening
• Stunning visualisation of the flow process through porous media
• Pioneering transparent micromodels (Glass-Silicon-Glass)
• No physical core material and only small fluid volumes required
• Customised chips based on reservoir rock images
• Wettability control using nanotechnology
• Reduced risk and improved success rate for IOR/EOR field applications

The Way to Your Rock on a Chip

We customise the porous structures used for the Micromodel experiments using different sources, including thin section images, μCT images or grain-size distributions to ensure your chips reflect the porosity and permeability of your reservoir.