Multi-Scale Visualization Study of Water and Polymer Microsphere Flooding through Horizontal Wells in Low-Permeability Oil Reservoir

Liang Cheng, Yang Xie, Jie Chen, Xiao Wang (), Zhongming Luo and Guo Chen
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Liang Cheng: Research Institute of Geological Exploration and Development, Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company, Ltd., China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Chengdu 610500, China
Yang Xie: Research Institute of Geological Exploration and Development, Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company, Ltd., China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Chengdu 610500, China
Jie Chen: International Ltd., Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company, Ltd., China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Chengdu 610500, China
Xiao Wang: State Key Laboratory of Oil & Gas Reservoir and Exploitation, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China
Zhongming Luo: Research Institute of Geological Exploration and Development, Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company, Ltd., China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Chengdu 610500, China
Guo Chen: Research Institute of Geological Exploration and Development, Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Company, Ltd., China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC), Chengdu 610500, China

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 18, 1-17

Abstract: Our target USH reservoir in the D oilfield is characterized by “inverse rhythm” deposition with the noticeable features of “high porosity and low permeability”. The reservoir has been developed with waterflooding using horizontal wells. Due to the strong heterogeneity of the reservoir, water channeling is severe, and the water cut has reached 79%. Considering the high temperature and high salinity reservoir conditions, polymer microspheres (PMs) were selected to realize conformance control. In this study, characterization of the polymer microsphere suspension was achieved via morphology, size distribution, and viscosity measurement. Furthermore, a multi-scale visualization study of the reservoir development process, including waterflooding, polymer microsphere flooding, and subsequent waterflooding, was conducted using macro-scale coreflooding and calcite-etched micromodels. It was revealed that the polymer microspheres could swell in the high salinity brine (170,000 ppm) by 2.7 times if aged for 7 days, accompanied by a viscosity increase. This feature is beneficial for the injection at the wellbore while swelled to work as a profile control agent in the deep formation. The macro-scale coreflood with a 30 cm × 30 cm × 4.5 cm layer model with 108 electrodes installed enabled the oil distribution visualization from different perpendicular cross sections. In this way, the in situ conformance control ability of the polymer microsphere was revealed both qualitatively and quantitatively. Furthermore, building on the calcite-etched visible micro-model, the pore-scale variation of the residual oil when subjected to waterflooding, polymer microsphere waterflooding, and subsequent waterflooding was collected, which revealed the oil displacement efficiency increase by polymer microspheres directly. The pilot test in the field also proves the feasibility of conformance control by the polymer microspheres, i.e., more than 40,000 bbls of oil increase was observed in the produces, accompanied by an obvious water reduction.

Keywords: low permeable oil reservoir; polymer microsphere; horizontal well; multi-scale visualization; micromodel (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: 2024
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