Investigation of the Flow Intensity in an Inverted Seven-Point Well Pattern and Its Influence on the EOR Efficiency of S/P Flooding

Tingli Que, Xin Chen, Dan Guan, Qingqing Yun, Huoxin Luan, Xuechen Tang, Jinxin Cao, Zheyu Liu and Xiaobin Nie
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Tingli Que: Research Institute of Experimental Testing, Xinjiang Oilfield Company, Petro China, Karamay 834000, China
Xin Chen: State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Dan Guan: Research Institute of Experimental Testing, Xinjiang Oilfield Company, Petro China, Karamay 834000, China
Qingqing Yun: Research Institute of Experimental Testing, Xinjiang Oilfield Company, Petro China, Karamay 834000, China
Huoxin Luan: Research Institute of Experimental Testing, Xinjiang Oilfield Company, Petro China, Karamay 834000, China
Xuechen Tang: State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Jinxin Cao: State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Zheyu Liu: State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Xiaobin Nie: Research Institute of Experimental Testing, Xinjiang Oilfield Company, Petro China, Karamay 834000, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 18, 1-17

Abstract: Polymer and surfactant (S/P) binary flooding is a widely used chemical flooding technology for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). However, it is mostly used in the five-spot well pattern, and there is little research on the effect of well patterns on its flow law and EOR efficiency in the reservoir. In this paper, the flow intensity of S/P flooding in an inverted seven-spot well unit and its EOR efficiency are investigated. Based on the theoretical derivation and simulation, the flow distribution at different positions in the inverted seven-spot well pattern unit was calculated. The oil displacement efficiency was evaluated by simulating different flow intensities with various flow velocity. The microscopic residual oil of the core at the end of displacement was scanned and recognized. The 2D model was used to simulate the well pattern to clarify the EOR of S/P flooding. The results show that the swept area in the well unit can be divided into the strong swept region (>0.2 MPa); medium swept region (0.1–0.2 MPa); weak swept region (0.03–0.1 MPa); and invalid swept region (<0.03 MPa), according to the pressure gradient distribution. Compared to the five-spot well pattern, the inverted seven-spot well pattern featured a weak swept intensity, but a large swept area and lower water cut rise rate. Increasing the flow intensity can improve oil displacement efficiency, and disperse and displace continuous cluster remaining oil. The 2D model experiments show that the incremental oil recoveries by SP flooding after water flooding in the five-spot well pattern and inverted seven-spot well pattern are 25.73% and 17.05%, respectively. However, the ultimate oil recoveries of two well patterns are similar by considering the previous water flooding.

Keywords: S/P flooding; inverted seven-spot well pattern; flow intensity; microscopic residual oil; 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: 2022
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