The effects of ultrasonics in fragmentation of saturated porous rock samples

Estimates show that after current primary and secondary oil reservoir recovery mechanisms up to 90% of the original oil remains in the reservoir. Further recovery mechanisms can be incorporated but are often deemed economically inefficient as well as overly invasive. An alternative method of recovery is therefore a very attractive prospect. It has been shown that seismic waves propagating through saturated porous rock can generate weak ultrasonic waves. Oil saturated porous rocks have shown enhanced oil recovery under the exposure of ultrasound. There are several mechanisms claimed to cause this improvement with no generally agreed dominant mechanism.