Research on the Development Mechanism of Air Thermal Miscible Flooding in the High Water Cut Stage of Medium to High Permeability Light Oil Reservoirs

Daode Hua (), Changfeng Xi (), Peng Liu, Tong Liu, Fang Zhao, Yuting Wang, Hongbao Du, Heng Gu and Mimi Wu
Additional contact information
Daode Hua: Tarim Oilfield Company, PetroChina, Korla 841000, China
Changfeng Xi: National Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery, Beijing 100083, China
Peng Liu: National Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery, Beijing 100083, China
Tong Liu: National Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery, Beijing 100083, China
Fang Zhao: National Key Laboratory of Enhanced Oil and Gas Recovery, Beijing 100083, China
Yuting Wang: School of Energy Resources, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
Hongbao Du: Tarim Oilfield Company, PetroChina, Korla 841000, China
Heng Gu: Tarim Oilfield Company, PetroChina, Korla 841000, China
Mimi Wu: Tarim Oilfield Company, PetroChina, Korla 841000, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 11, 1-15

Abstract: Currently, the development of oil reservoirs with high water cut faces numerous challenges, including poor economic efficiency, difficulties in residual oil recovery, and a lack of effective development technologies. In light of these issues, this paper conducts research on gas drive development during the high water cut stage in middle–high permeability reservoirs and introduces an innovative technical approach for air thermal miscible flooding. In this study, the Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) mechanism and the dynamic characteristics of thermal miscible flooding were investigated through laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. The N 2 and CO 2 flooding experiments indicate that gas channeling is likely to occur when miscible flooding cannot be achieved, due to the smaller gas–water mobility ratio compared to the gas–oil mobility ratio during the high water cut stage. Consequently, the enhanced recovery efficiency of N 2 and CO 2 flooding is limited. The experiment on air thermal miscible flooding demonstrates that under conditions of high water content, this method can form a stable high-temperature thermal oxidation front. The high temperature, generated by the thermal oxidation front, promotes the miscibility of flue gas and crude oil, effectively inhibiting gas flow, preventing gas channeling, and significantly enhancing oil recovery. Numerical simulations indicate that the production stage of air hot miscible flooding in reservoirs with middle–high permeability and high water cut can be divided into three phases: pressurization and drainage response, high efficiency and stable production with a low air–oil ratio, and low efficiency production with a high air–oil ratio. These phases can enable efficient development during the high water cut stage in medium to high permeability reservoirs, with the theoretical EOR range expected to exceed 30%.

Keywords: middle–high permeability reservoir; high water cut; oxidation thermal front; thermal miscibility flooding; enhanced oil recovery (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: 2025
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