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F. Verga
Politecnico di Torino
OIL RECOVERY
OIL RECOVERY
h hMDEhSEhCF
OIL OIL
(+ WATER) WATER
(+ WATER)
RECOVERY FACTOR MAGNITUDE
Pressure (MPa)
PRESSURE MAINTENANCE
Gravitational segregation
MICROSCOPIC DISPLACEMENT EFFICIENCY
PORE SCALE
The microscopic displacement
efficiency is reflected in the
magnitude of the residual oil
saturation
MACROSCOPIC DISPLACEMENT EFFICIENCY
Pore scale
Reservoir scale
MICROSCOPIC DISPLACEMENT
EFFICIENCY
DISPLACEMENT EQUATION
Buckley - Leverett
mono-dimensional system
incompressible fluids
x
y a
3
z
p+dp L
dL
water
p
1
2
oil
qO 1 qw 3 qtot 2
dz dL sin a
GENERALIZED DARCY’S LAW
qtot qo qw
k dp dz
q=
A ( dL
- g
dL )
k o po
qo A go sina
o L
k w p w
qw A g w sin a
w L
Fraction of water in the flowing stream in any point of the flooded rock
qw
Fractional flow fw 0 fw 1
qtot
SOME MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT…..
q o o p o
go sina
koA L
q ww p w
g w sina
kwA L
1 w o p c
qw qo g( w o )sina
A kw
k o L
w o p c
qw qo g( w o )sina
L
1 kw ko
A o o
q tot q tot
ko ko
…..SOME MORE…..
w o
qw qo
kw ko k A p
o c g( w o )sina
o q tot o L
q tot
ko
w
qw
qw kw w ko
fw fw
q tot o k w o
q tot
ko
qo q tot q w
1 fw
q tot q tot
FRACTIONAL FLOW FORMULA
w
qw qo o
kw ko w ko
fw (1 f w )
k w o
q tot o
ko
w
qw qo o
kw ko kro w
f w 1 1
o k o
q tot r w
ko
ko A p c
1 L g( ) sin a
qtot o
w o
fw
kr o w
1
o kr w
FRACTIONAL FLOW CURVE
fw is a function of water saturation as relative permeabilities
are a function of water saturation only.
0
0 1
oil displacement by water injection should occur up-dip
to obtain a lower value of fw
( w o ) 0
(g o ) 0
sina 0 if 0 a 180
ko A p c
1 L g( ) sin a
qtot o
w o
fw
kr o w
1
o kr w
qtot
apparent velocity of the displacing front =
A
as the total flow rate is reduced, the apparent velocity of
the displacing front is correspondingly reduced
FORCES ACTING ON FRACTIONAL FLOW
w w o g sen w o dpc
fw (Sw) = + +
w + o (w + o) v (w + o) v dx
w = water mobility
o = oil mobility
k = absolute permeability
= density difference
v = apparent front velocity
SIMPLIFIED FRACTIONAL FLOW FORMULA
w w o g sen w o dpc
fw (Sw) = + +
w + o (w + o) v (w + o) v dx
viscous term
1
fw
kro w
1
o krw
OIL PRODUCTIVITY
o
either decreasing
w o = oil viscosity
w = water viscosity
kro = oil relative permeability
kro krw = water relative permeability
or increasing
krw
Reduction Reduction
Actions Effect on
factor factor for fw(Sw)
o
Temperature
0.1 0.5
50 150 °C
w
Water viscosity o
1 10 cp
krw
Wettability
0.5 0.6
oil wet water wet kro
WELDGE’S METHOD
f w
f w q totdt f w dL q totdt
L
S w
AS w dL A S w dt dL
t
f w Sw
dLq totdt A dtdL
L t
Sw q tot f w
t A L
Sw Sw
Sw Sw (L, t ) dSw dL dt
L t
dL
Velocity of a constant saturation
dt Sw cos t section, for which dSw=0
dL Sw S w
dSw 0
dt Sw cos t t L
dL q tot f w Sw
dt Sw cos t A L L
dL q tot f w
dt Sw cos t A Sw
FRONTAL ADVANCE EQUATION
q tot df w
L t
A dS
w Sw
df w
dS w
L*
0 1
WATER FRONT
Swc
1Sor
q tot t A LdSw
Swc
Lf
1-Sor
Swc
0 distance (L)
Swf
q tot t A L f dSw
1Sor
LdSw
Swc Swf
q tot t 1Sor
(Swf Swc )L f LdSw
A S wf
q tot df w
L t
A dS
w Sw
df w 1
1 (Swf Swc ) df w
f wf
dSw f
WATER SATURATION AT THE WATER FRONT
df w
1 (Swf Swc ) 1 f wf
dSw f
df w fwf
dS w f S wf S wc
q tot t BT AL SBT Swc
SBT average water saturation in the porous medium
q tot df w
L t BT
A dS w
Sw
AVERAGE WATER SATURATION @ tBT
df w 1
dS
w Sw SBT S wc
For t>tbt the average water saturation can be calculated based on the
water saturation at the producer well and is given by:
dfw 1 f w ,e
dS w S w ,e S w , e S w , e
The tangent to the fw(Sw) curve from Sw,e extrapolated to fw=1 yields
the value of the average water saturation Sw,e
MICROSCOPIC DISPLACEMENT EFFICIENCY
Because constant fluid density has been assumed, the volume of the
displaced fluid is equal to the volume of the displacing fluid
Voil produced
h MDE
Voil init ial
@ t = tBT h M DE
AL S BT S w c
AL (1 S w c )
S BT S w c
h M DE
1 Sw c
1 S or S w c
@t= h M DE
1 Sw c
MICROSCOPIC DISPLACEMENT EFFICIENCY
(1-Swi – Sor )
hMDE =
(1-Swi )
Pore geometry
Porous media heterogeneity
Wettability and interfacial tension
Capillary pressure and gravity
CAPILLARY FORCES
1/2
L Nc > 10
k
v w
Nc =
swo coswo
If the capillary forces clearly prevail over the viscous forces (Nc
lower than a critical value Nco) Sor is independent from the flow
velocity of the displacing fluid
Nc
MICROSCOPIC DISPLACEMENT EFFICIENCY
Film-flow of oil
SPREADING COEFFICIENT
s
s•go
go
sw,o = 0.30 – 0.35 N/m
gas
K<0 ss sg,o = 0.01 – 0.05 N/m
gw
•gw
sow oil
water
sg,w = 0.40 – 0.45 N/m
rock
gas
K>0 oil
water
rock
VOLUMETRIC DISPLACEMENT
EFFICIENCY
MACROSCOPIC DISPLACEMENT
OIL OIL
(+ WATER) WATER
(+ WATER)
AREAL SWEEP EFFICIENCY hSE
Function of:
Mobility ratio
Reservoir heterogeneity
ADVANCING WATER FRONT
AREAL DISPLACEMENT EFFICIENCY
Assuming:
p L p L w p L o
with Lw position of the water front in the layer
q tot w q tot o
p L Lw (L L w )
A kw A ko
q tot w o
p L Lw (L L w )
A kk rw kk ro
q tot p L
A w o
Lw (L L w )
kk rw kk ro
q tot p L kk rw
A w kk
L w o (L L w ) rw
kk rw kk ro
APPARENT DISPLACEMENT VELOCITY
q tot p L kk rw
A k
w L w rw o (L L w )
k ro
q tot p L kk rw
A L w k rw o L L w
w L
L k ro w L
Lw
assumin g R
L
q tot p L kk rw
A w L[R M(1 R )]
EFFECT OF MOBILITY RATIO
The ratio between the apparent displacing fluid front at time t and the
apparent displacing fluid front at time t=0 is:
q tot x
A M R=
L
q tot R M(1 R )
A M = mobility ratio
t 0
M>1: the front velocity increases as the front moves forward along the layer;
the advancing displacing fluid front is unstable
M<1: the front velocity decreases as the front moves forward along the layer;
the advancing displacing fluid front is stable
CONSTANT FRONT VELOCITY
M=1
INCREASING FRONT VELOCITY
M>1
DECREASING FRONT VELOCITY
M<1
FRONT VELOCITY DURING DISPLACEMENT
VERTICAL DISPLACEMENT EFFICIENCY hCF
Function of:
Reservoir heterogeneity
Mobility ratio
EFFECT OF MOBILITY RATIO
Homogeneous Rock
TONGUING EFFECTS
OIL OIL
( +WATER )
WATER ( +WATER )
CONSTANT FRONT VELOCITY
k1
M=1 k2
ki
kn
INCREASING FRONT VELOCITY
M>1
DECREASING FRONT VELOCITY
M<1
MOBILITY RATIO
ug,c = k λg ∆ρ g /(M-1)
∆ρ = (ρo-ρg) > 0
DISPLACEMENT EFFICIENCY
displacing gas
M= M is typically unfavorable because of the low viscosity
of the injected gas
displaced oil bank
Since the presence of a water-phase reduces the effective permeability to the injected gas
Gas can be enriched or mixed with CO2, N2 (gas can also be miscible
with oil)
Main effects:
kr,g and kr,o reduction
Sor reduction
recovery of attic oil (oil which can not be displaced by water injection
only)
RECOVERY FACTOR
Immiscible WAG = 2 – 4 %
Miscible WAG = 4 – 8 %
WAG – Water Alternate Gas
hMDE << 1
• The oil does not move in the flowing stream because of the
capillary forces.
Miscible displacement
MISCIBLE DISPLACEMENT FEATURES
Oil and
gas
gas
Oil
(Miscible
(slug)
zone)
The displacing fluid is miscible with the displaced fluid at the conditions
existing at the displacing-fluid/displaced-fluid interface.
If the two fluids do not mix in all proportions to form one single phase,
the process is called immiscible.
MISCIBILITY
Atmospheric 2000 PSIA
Mixture
conditions 150° F
Methane
Immiscible
Oil
Propane
Miscible
Oil
Methane
Miscible
Propane
MISCIBLE DISPLACEMENT FEATURES
The injected gas dissolves in the crude so
• it reduces oil viscosity
If the process is used after injection of water with the oil at waterflood
residual saturation, the injected solvent must first displace the water
phase to contact the residual oil and then the oil as a single-phase
mixture.
Ideally, the secondary slug should be miscible with the primary slug.
Otherwise, a residual saturation of the primary slug material will be
trapped in the displacement process.
MCM processes
Miscibility can occur between the solvent gas and crude oil only if the gas
has been sufficiently enriched of hydrocarbon components.
100%
T=Tr =constant
Oil recovery
p=pr =constant
Miscibility can occur between the displacing gas and oil only if pressure is
high enough to liquefy the primary slug.
The pressure at which miscibility between the solvent gas and crude oil is
verified, is defined as the thermodynamic Minimum Miscibility Pressure
(MMP).
100%
T=Tr =constant
Oil recovery
Pressure
MMP
Rising bubble apparatus
Immiscibility is ensured at
the beginning of the test.
SLIM-TUBE EXPERIMENT
x Cooler
Liquid
CO2
Back-pressure
Oil
regulator
SLIM TUBE:
• Stainless steel
Constant volume • ID 5/16 in
High pressure Pump • L 40 ft