Core Tests and Field Case Studies of Successful and Unsuccessful Low-Salinity Waterfloods  from Four Oil Fields

Khisamov, V.; Akhmetgareev, Vadim; Shilova, T. V.

doi:10.3997/2214-4609.201701703

Cited by 5 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Conversely, a number of unsuccessful field cases studies of LSW recovery have been reported. These include the: Bastrykskoye Field in Russia (Khisamov et al, 2017;Ahmetgareev et al, 2015;Zeinijahromi et al, 2015;Bedrikovetsky et al, 2015) where the insignificant IOR due to LSW was as due to the large volume of high salinity water produced before the start of LSW; the Sijan Field in Syria [8] where the insignificant response was due to a strong buoyancy effect caused by the high permeability of the block, and injectant mixing with the highly saline aquifer; and the Snorre Field in the North Sea of Norway (Skrettingland et al, 2011;Reinholdtsen et al, 2011), where the lack of response to LSW was related to the pH of the formation brine.…”

Section: Changes In Phmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technologist in Residence for Advanced Manufacturing and Materials in Unconventional Oil and Gas Equipment and Infrastructure

Polsky,

Anovitz,

Mcfarlane

et al. 2023

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No invention disclosures were created during the project.Upper (oil/water) SWCR (= S wir ) -critical water saturation (the largest water saturation for which the water relative permeability is zero) SOWCR (= S wor ) -critical oil-in-water saturation (the largest oil saturation for which the oil relative permeability is zero in an oilwater system) SWL -connate water saturation (the smallest water saturation in a water saturation function table) KRW -relative permeability of water at maximum water saturation KRO -relative permeability of oil at maximum oil saturation KRWR -relative permeability of water at residual oil saturation (or residual gas saturation in a gas-water run) KRORW (= K rot ) -relative permeability of oil at critical water saturation Oil/gas SGCR -critical gas saturation (that is the largest gas saturation for which the gas relative permeability is zero) SOGCR -critical oil-in-gas saturation (that is the largest oil saturation for which the oil relative permeability is zero in an oil-gasconnate water system) Relative permeability end-point scaling (KRW, KRG, KRO, KRWR, KRGR, KRORG, KRORW) KRG -relative permeability of gas at maximum gas saturation parameter KRGR -relative permeability of gas at residual oil saturation (or critical water saturation in a gas-water run) parameter KRORG -relative permeability of oil at critical gas saturation parameter http://petrofaq.org/wiki/Saturationandrelativepermeabilityend-pointsscaling *** the sections below have not been completed/answered***

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Section: Changes In Phmentioning

confidence: 99%

Technologist in Residence for Advanced Manufacturing and Materials in Unconventional Oil and Gas Equipment and Infrastructure

Polsky,

Anovitz,

Mcfarlane

et al. 2023

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“…From a technical point of view, assuming two salinity thresholds for LSWF means that, on the one hand, if the injected volume is not sufficient, the efficiency of the LSWF will be less than expected. Even no incremental oil recovery may be observed in severe cases. ,− On the other hand, increasing the injected volume of LS beyond a certain volume, which will be discussed later, may not necessarily improve the efficiency of LSWF. Additionally, it is not pragmatic for different reasons.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Injection Parameters on Mixing Control by Polymer-Enhanced Low-Salinity Waterflooding

2022

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In situ mixing by dispersive transport of salt and viscous fingering between the injected low-salinity (LS) brine and high-salinity (HS) formation brine can jeopardize the performance of low-salinity waterflooding (LSWF). In our previous papers, we demonstrated that in situ mixing can be suppressed by polymerenhanced low-salinity waterflooding (PELS), in which a small amount of a viscosifying agent, such as a polymer, is added to the LS stream. Nevertheless, effective mixing control with PELS depends upon several factors and operational conditions, whichhave not yet been addressed. Therefore, this research focuses on the investigation of the impact of injection parameters, such as the polymer concentration, salinity difference, and injection rate, on the performance of PELS. In this regard, single-phase mixing experiments were performed using synthetic sandstone cores (sandpacks). The experimental results reveal that adding only 200 ppm of hydrolyzed polyacrylamide polymer (HPAM) lowers the salt dispersivity by up to 84%, depending upon the salinity difference. The results indicate that higher LS injection rates intensify the salt dispersivity and weaken the performance of PELS as a result of the dependency of polymer solution viscosity upon the share rate. The dependency of dispersivity upon the injection rate increases as the salinity difference increases. On the basis of our experimental data, we developed an empirical model to predict the required pore volume of PELS to displace the resident HS brine in the core as a function of the salinity difference and injection rate. A mathematical model based on the advection−dispersion theory is also presented to calculate the required volume of PELS for consecutive brine injection or slug injection. The results of this paper highlight that PELS is an effective method to increase the performance of formation brine displacement during LSWF and tackle the negative impact of salt dispersion on LSWF, particularly at a large scale. These results are also of use in hydrogeology and contaminant remediation.

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“…Different factors including pore-scale velocity gradients, diffusion, and mixing in pore bodies may affect the amount of dispersion in a porous and permeable medium. , It is believed that dispersion in a heterogeneous medium depends on spatial variations in the flow paths. Mixing by dispersion increases by increasing the level of heterogeneity. , Although the theoretical basis of physical dispersion of fluids with equal and unequal viscosities has been developed many years ago, − proper consideration of the impact of this phenomenon on oil recovery has been underestimated or neglected in some cases. − For instance, in a case with high dispersivity, the positive impact of an EOR process might be offset (or completely vanished) due to dispersion. Therefore, it is of great importance to estimate the negative effect of dispersion before implementing any EOR scenario.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Polymer-Enhanced Low-Salinity Brine to Control In Situ Mixing and Salt Dispersion in Low-Salinity Waterflooding

2021

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Although viability of low-salinity waterflooding (LSWF) at the laboratory scale has been proven, there are some challenges associated with its field application, which sheds uncertainties on its economic success. One of the challenges is the minimum required volume of low-salinity water, which should be injected to the reservoir due to the salt dispersion in porous media. Once the low-saline brine is injected into the reservoir, mixing of injected (low-salinity) and resident (high-salinity) brines occurs and the developed mixing zone grows continuously as the front moves from the injection well toward the production well. Increase in the salinity of the front reduces the efficiency of LSWF. In this paper, we demonstrate experimentally that if low-salinity brine is augmented with a small amount of a polymer (as a viscosifying and mobility control agent), salt dispersion can be significantly suppressed. In this regard, a systematic series of single-phase sandpack flooding experiments was designed and performed. The impacts of salinity of resident high-salinity brine, salinity of low-salinity brine, and polymer concentration on mixing (dispersion) control were investigated. Analytical and numerical simulation methods were implemented to analyze the experimental data and infer dispersivity. The results show that adding 200 ppm of partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide (HPAM) to the injection brine reduces the dispersivity by more than 70%. Once the dispersivity is reduced, the salinity profile becomes sharper; thus, significantly less volume of low-salinity brine will be required to establish low-salinity conditions in the whole core. Additionally, the analysis of variance shows that polymer concentration and salinity of high-salinity brine are the main factors affecting the dispersivity. The total salinity of low-salinity brine was found to be comparatively less important.

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Core Tests and Field Case Studies of Successful and Unsuccessful Low-Salinity Waterfloods from Four Oil Fields

Cited by 5 publications

References 0 publications

Technologist in Residence for Advanced Manufacturing and Materials in Unconventional Oil and Gas Equipment and Infrastructure

Technologist in Residence for Advanced Manufacturing and Materials in Unconventional Oil and Gas Equipment and Infrastructure

Impact of Injection Parameters on Mixing Control by Polymer-Enhanced Low-Salinity Waterflooding

Polymer-Enhanced Low-Salinity Brine to Control In Situ Mixing and Salt Dispersion in Low-Salinity Waterflooding

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