Enhanced Oil Recovery

Hysteresis & Residual oil

saturation
Capillary Pressure Concept
Capillary Pressure Definition
 The pressure difference existing across the
interface separating two immiscible fluids.
 It is usually calculated as:
Pc= pnwt- pwt
 One fluid wets the surfaces of the formation
rock(wetting phase) in preference to the
other (nonwetting phase).
 Gas is always the non-wetting phase inboth
oil-gas and water-gas systems.
 Oil is often the non-wetting phase in water-
oil systems.
Relation between Capillary Pressure
and Fluid Saturation
Hysteresis
Hysteresis
 The drainage curve is always
higher than the imbibition curve.
 Si = Initial or irreducible wetting phase
saturation.
 Sm = critical non-wetting phase saturation.
 Pd = entry pressure or displacement pressure.
 The entry (displacement) pressure is
defined as the pressure required to force the
non-wetting fluid through an initially wetting-
phase-saturated sample.
Hysteresis
 Drainage Process:
 Fluid flow process in which the saturation of
the nonwetting phase increases.
 Mobility of nonwetting fluid phase increases as
nonwetting phase saturation increases.
 Imbibition Process:
 Fluid flow process in which the saturation of
the wetting phase increases and the nonwetting
phase saturation decreases.
 Mobility of wetting phase increases as wetting
phase saturation increases.
Hysteresis & Residual oil saturation
Residual oil

B-[C-A]
Enhanced Oil Recovery

Problem (3-c), lake, P:89

Problem (3-c), lake, P:89