Date of Award

December 2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Petroleum Engineering

First Advisor

Hadi Jabbari

Abstract

This research establishes methane infusion improved oil recovery (MI IOR) as a technically viable and economically attractive early-stage intervention for unconventional reservoirs. Integrated multi-scale investigations included quantum molecular theory, nanoscale characterization, NMR experimentation, and field scale reservoir simulation. FEG-SEM analysis of core samples enabled development of a peer-reviewed pore size classification system informing MI operational design parameters. Integrated well logging quantified petrophysical properties across the Bakken stratigraphy. NMR relaxometry identified the lab-scale pore-level sweep efficiency of MI at 3,750 psi in Bakken core samples. Mobilization of hydrocarbons from Np1, Np2, and Np3 pores yielded recovery factors of 45-60%. Field-scale reservoir simulation of MI 1-Cycle and 4-Cycle revealed that volatile alkanes (C1-C4) and medium-to-heavy liquid fractions (C8-C36) achieved well lifetime production increases of 13.5-14.8%. Intermediate hydrocarbon fractions (C5-C7) showed dual-phase partitioning, with vapor-phase recovery increasing 16.4-20.5% and liquid-phase production rising 3.8-11.7%. These findings validate multi-contact miscibility and molecular diffusion as primary displacement drivers. Well lifetime gas utilization factors of 0.543 Mscf/STB (1-Cycle) and 1.337 Mscf/STB (4-Cycle) outperform industry metrics. The commercial economics of MI 1-Cycle is demonstrated by $3.80 PW-10 gain per CAPEX dollar invested and incremental cost of $4.64 in CAPEX per new barrel. MI IOR represents a capital-efficient pathway and a de-risked entry point for advancement to field pilot testing.

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