Influence of Gas Flooding Pressure on Groundwater Flow during Oil Shale In Situ Exploitation

Lihong Yang, Zhao Liu, Hao Zeng, Jianzheng Su, Yiwei Wang, Xudong Chen and Wei Guo
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Lihong Yang: Production Engineering Division, Sinopec Exploration & Production Research Institute, Beijing 100083, China
Zhao Liu: College of Construction Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China
Hao Zeng: Production Engineering Division, Sinopec Exploration & Production Research Institute, Beijing 100083, China
Jianzheng Su: Production Engineering Division, Sinopec Exploration & Production Research Institute, Beijing 100083, China
Yiwei Wang: Production Engineering Division, Sinopec Exploration & Production Research Institute, Beijing 100083, China
Xudong Chen: Production Engineering Division, Sinopec Exploration & Production Research Institute, Beijing 100083, China
Wei Guo: College of Construction Engineering, Jilin University, Changchun 130021, China

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 24, 1-12

Abstract: In order to weaken the influence of external groundwater on in situ pyrolysis exploitation, the flow characteristics of groundwater were studied according to the oil shale reservoir characteristics of Qingshankou Formation in Songliao Basin, China. In addition, the parameters of marginal gas flooding for water-stopping were optimized. Taking a one-to-one pattern and a five-spot pattern as examples, the characteristics of groundwater flow under the in situ process were studied. Under the one-to-one pattern, the external groundwater flows into the production well from the low-pressure side, and the water yield was basically stable at 1000 kg/d. In the five-spot pattern, the groundwater can flow into the production wells directly from the windward side, and the water yield of the production well on the leeward side mainly comes from the desaturated zone; the water yield of each production well remains at a high level. By setting water-stopping wells around the production well and keeping the gas flooding pressure slightly higher than the production well, the water yield of the production well can be reduced and stabilized within 100 kg/d under gas flooding pressures of 3 and 5 MPa. However, the gas yield of the production well slightly decreased when the gas flooding pressure reduced from 5 to 3 MPa. Therefore, the gas flooding pressure of water-stopping wells shall be determined in combination with the water yield and gas yield, so as to achieve the best process effect. It is expected that the results will provide technical support for large-scale oil shale in situ pyrolysis exploitation.

Keywords: oil shale in situ exploitation; gas flooding; water-stopping; groundwater flow; water yield; gas yield (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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