A Pore-Scale Investigation of Residual Oil Distributions and Enhanced Oil Recovery Methods

Yaohao Guo, Lei Zhang, Guangpu Zhu, Jun Yao, Hai Sun, Wenhui Song, Yongfei Yang and Jianlin Zhao
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Yaohao Guo: Research Centre of Multiphase Flow in Porous Media, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Lei Zhang: Research Centre of Multiphase Flow in Porous Media, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Guangpu Zhu: Research Centre of Multiphase Flow in Porous Media, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Jun Yao: Research Centre of Multiphase Flow in Porous Media, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Hai Sun: Research Centre of Multiphase Flow in Porous Media, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Wenhui Song: Research Centre of Multiphase Flow in Porous Media, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Yongfei Yang: Research Centre of Multiphase Flow in Porous Media, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Jianlin Zhao: Department of Mechanical and Process Engineering, ETH Zurich, 8092 Zurich, Switzerland

Energies, 2019, vol. 12, issue 19, 1-16

Abstract: Water flooding is an economic method commonly used in secondary recovery, but a large quantity of crude oil is still trapped in reservoirs after water flooding. A deep understanding of the distribution of residual oil is essential for the subsequent development of water flooding. In this study, a pore-scale model is developed to study the formation process and distribution characteristics of residual oil. The Navier–Stokes equation coupled with a phase field method is employed to describe the flooding process and track the interface of fluids. The results show a significant difference in residual oil distribution at different wetting conditions. The difference is also reflected in the oil recovery and water cut curves. Much more oil is displaced in water-wet porous media than oil-wet porous media after water breakthrough. Furthermore, enhanced oil recovery (EOR) mechanisms of both surfactant and polymer flooding are studied, and the effect of operation times for different EOR methods are analyzed. The surfactant flooding not only improves oil displacement efficiency, but also increases microscale sweep efficiency by reducing the entry pressure of micropores. Polymer weakens the effect of capillary force by increasing the viscous force, which leads to an improvement in sweep efficiency. The injection time of the surfactant has an important impact on the field development due to the formation of predominant pathway, but the EOR effect of polymer flooding does not have a similar correlation with the operation times. Results from this study can provide theoretical guidance for the appropriate design of EOR methods such as the application of surfactant and polymer flooding.

Keywords: Navier–Stokes equation; phase field model; interfacial tension; viscosity; pore-scale; residual oil distribution (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: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

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