Naturally fractured reservoirs (NFRs) contribute in large extent to oil and gas production to the ever increasing market demand of fossil energy. It is believed that the vertical displacement of oil during gas injection assisted by gravity drainage (GAGD) is one of the most efficient methods for oil recovery in these reservoirs. Hence, in this work, unconsolidated packed models of cylindrical geometry surrounded by fracture were utilized in order to perform a series of flow visualization experiments during which the contribution of different parameters such as the extent of matrix permeability, physical properties of oil (viscosity, density, and surface tension) and the withdrawal rate was studied. Furthermore, mutual effects of permeability, oil properties, and production rate on oil recovery efficiency through controlled and free fall gravity drainage processes were also investigated. Experimental results obtained from secondary and tertiary recovery experiments demonstrated that decreasing model permeability and increasing oil viscosity during secondary recovery process reduced the recovery efficiency for all production rates, while under tertiary recovery process these phenomena lead to more oil production for all production rates.
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