Remaining oil distribution characteristics in an oil reservoir with ultra-high water-cut

An accurate mapping and understanding of remaining oil distribution is very important for water control and stabilize oil production of mature oilfields in ultra-high water-cut stage.Currently,the Tuo-21 Fault Block of the Shengtuo Oilfield has entered the stage of ultra-high water cut(97.2%).Poor adaptability of the well pattern,ineffective water injection cycle and low efficiency of engineering measures(such as workover,re-perforation and utilization of high-capacity pumps)are the significant problems in the ultra-high water-cut reservoir.In order to accurately describe the oil and water flow characteristics,relative permeability curves at high water injection multiple(injected pore volume)and a semiquantitative method is applied to perform fine reservoir simulation of the Sand group 3e7 in the Block.An accurate reservoir model is built and history matching is performed.The distribution characteristics of remaining oil in lateral and vertical directions are quantitatively simulated and analyzed.The results show that the numerical simulation considering relative permeability at high injection multiple can reflect truly the remaining oil distribution characteristics after water flooding in an ultrahigh water-cut stage.The distribution of remaining oil saturation can be mapped more accurately and quantitatively by using the‘four-points and five-types’classification method,providing a basis for potential tapping of various remaining oil types of oil reservoirs in late-stage of development with high water-cut.

Study on Remaining Oil at High Water Cut Stage of the Offshore Strong Bottom Water Reservoir

C oilfield is a heavy oil field developed by horizontal wells and single sand body in Bohai oilfield. The edge and bottom water of the reservoir is active and the natural energy development mode is adopted. The comprehensive water cut of the oilfield was 95.3%, which had entered the stage of high water cut oil production. Some reservoirs were limited by crude oil viscosity and oil column height. Under the condition of existing development well pattern, some reserves were not produced or the degree of production was low, and the degree of well control was not high, so there is room for tapping the potential of remaining oil. This paper studied the rising law of water ridge of horizontal wells in bottom water reservoir by reservoir engineering method, and guided the infilling limit of horizontal wells in bottom water reservoir. At the same time, combined with the research results of fine reservoir description, the geological model was established, the numerical simulation was carried out, and the distribution law of remaining oil was analyzed. Through this study, we could understand the law of water flooding and remaining oil in the high water cut period of bottom water heavy oil reservoir, so as to provide guidance for the development strategy of this type of reservoir in the high water cut period.

Remaining oil distribution in (Ng_3)~3 bottom water reservoir of Lin 2-6 fault-block in Huimin depression and potential tapping in horizontal well

Oil reservoirs with secondary bottom water in Ng33 members (in Guantao formation, Paleogene system) of Lin2-6 fault block in Huimin depression (Bohai Bay Basin) have entered the late stage of ultra-high water-containing-exploitation. Oil exploitation from vertical wells is becoming more and more inefficient. The reservoir type, with water displacing oil and the remaining oil distribution are specifically studied in order to improve the efficiency of the recovery ratio. An integrated scheme for adjusting horizontal wells has been designed and the key technique of the scheme optimized. The study shows that: 1) the positive rhythm of fluvial depositional features is the internal cause of the flooding of oil reservoirs while water injection, injection-production patterns and accumulative petroleum production are the external causes; 2) oil-water driving patterns have transferred from edge water advancing to bottom-water-coning; distribution of the remaining oil mainly concentrates in the upper rhythm and top of the middle rhythm in Ng33 members; 3) a great deal of remaining oil is enriched in high positions of faults, in axes of tiny structures, in stagnation areas among water-injection wells and oil-wells and in tectonic saddle areas with sparse wells. Compared with vertical wells, horizontal wells have advantages such as high recovery, high off-take potential, high critical output, large controlling areas and long time of bottom-water breakthrough.

Remaining oil distribution in models with different heterogeneities after CO_(2) WAG injection:Visual research by nuclear magnetic resonance technique

Water alternating gas(WAG)injection is a widely used strategy for enhancing oil recovery(EOR)during gas flooding,and the mechanisms,operating parameters,and influencing factors of which have been extensively studied.However,with respect to its capacity in expanding macroscopic sweep volume under varying heterogeneities,the related results appear inadequate.In this research,three cores with different heterogeneities were used and flooded by the joint water and CO_(2) WAG,then the effects of heterogeneity on oil recovery were determined.More importantly,the cores after CO_(2) WAG injection were investigated using the nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)technique for remaining oil distribution research,which could help us to understand the capacity of CO_(2) WAG in enlarging sweep volume at different heterogeneities.The results show that the presence of heterogeneity may largely weaken the effectiveness of water flooding,the more severe the heterogeneity,the worse the water flooding.The WAG injection of CO_(2) performs well in EOR after water flooding for all the cores with different heterogeneities;however,it could barely form a complete or full sweep throughout the low-permeability region,and un-swept bypassed regions remain.The homogeneous core is better developed by the injection of the joint water and CO_(2) WAG than the heterogeneous and fractured cases.

Applying the Dynamic Two-Step Method to Forecast Remaining Oil Distribution of Lower Series ,Xiaermen Oilfield

The distribution of remaining oil is often described qualitatively. The remaining oil distributed in the whole reservoir is calculated according to the characteristics of the space distribution of the saturation of remaining oil. Logging data are required to accomplish this. However, many such projects cannot be completed. Since the old study of remaining oil distribution could not be quantified efficiently, the ＂dynamic two-step method＂ is presented. Firstly, the water cut of every flow unit in one well at one time is calculated according to the comprehensive water cut of a single well at one time. Secondly, the remaining oil saturation of the flow unit of the well at one time is calculated based on the water cut of the flow unit at a given time. The results show that ＂dynamic two-step method＂ has characteristics of simplicity and convenience, and is especially suitable for the study of remaining oil distribution at high water-cut stage. The distribution of remaining oil presented banding and potato form, remaining oil was relatively concentrated in faultage neighborhood and imperfect well netting position, and the net thickness of the place was great. This proposal can provide an effective way to forecast remaining oil distribution and enhance oil recovery, especially applied at the high water-cut stage.

Genesis of Micro Evolution and the Remaining Oil in the Reservoir

Due to the continuous water percolation and soaking during development of the oilfields, the dynamic balance of a reservoir is altered by the fluid; and the rock framework, pores and throats will be reformed and destroyed. The interaction between the fluid and the rock leads to a series of micro geological processes, such as clastation, denudation, dissolution and deposition, in the small spaces connected by pores or throats, which control the accumulation and distribution of the remaining oil. These micro geological processes are the essential factors for the evolution of the reservoirs during development. This evolution makes the recovery of the remaining oil more complex.

Mechanisms of remaining oil formation by water flooding and enhanced oil recovery by reversing water injection in fractured-vuggy reservoirs

To get a deeper understanding on the formation mechanisms and distribution laws of remaining oil during water flooding, and enhanced oil recovery(EOR) mechanisms by reversing water injection after water flooding, 3D visualization models of fractured-vuggy reservoir were constructed based on the elements and configuration of fractures and vugs, and typical fracture-vug structures by using advanced CT scanning and 3D printing technologies. Then, water flooding and reversing water injection experiments were conducted. The formation mechanisms of remaining oil during water flooding include inadequate injection-production well control, gravity difference between oil and water, interference between different flow channels, isolation by low connectivity channel, weak hydrodynamic force at the far end. Under the above effects, 7 kinds of remaining oil may come about, imperfect well-control oil, blind side oil, attic oil at the reservoir top, by-pass residual oil under gravity, by-pass residual oil in secondary channel, isolated oil in low connectivity channel, and remaining oil at far and weakly connected end. Some remaining oil can be recovered by reversing water injection after water flooding, but its EOR is related to the remaining oil type, fracture-cavity structure and reversing injection-production structure. Five of the above seven kinds of remaining oil can be produced by six EOR mechanisms of reversing water injection: gravity displacement, opening new flow channel, rising the outflow point, hydrodynamic force enhancement, vertically equilibrium displacement, and synergistic effect of hydrodynamic force and gravity.

DBT parameters and dynamic monitoring during reservoir development, and distribution region prediction of remaining oil:A case study on the Sha-3~3 oil reservoir in the Liubei region, Nanpu sag

In this study, compositional characteristics of crude oil, including the variation of aliphatic, aromatic and pyrrolic nitrogen compounds, were systematically monitored and investigated in a high water-cut oil reservoir over a short time.The results showed that among the widely used parameters indicative of oil maturity and migration, tetramethyl/monomethyl DBT and tricyclic terpane/(tricyclic terpane+C30 hopanoid) varied remarkably, and a positive correlation was observed between these two parameters.The variation of each of these parameters during waterflooding development was correlated with the flow effect of crude promoted by the water drive in oil reservoirs.A solid consistency was observed among the results of numerical simulation and development; the direction and pathway of waterflooding crude was indicated by Tetramethyl/monomethyl DBT, and the distribution region prediction of remaining oil hereby obtained.Therefore, these two parameters could be used as molecular tracers for the oil during waterflooding.This study would be of practical significance for geochemical dynamic monitoring and reservoir development.

Micro-distribution and mechanical characteristics analysis of remaining oil

As the water drive reservoir enters extra high water cut stage(greater than 80%),remaining oil distribution becomes increasingly dispersed.Research on micro residual oil in pore appears particularly important for reservoir development at extra high water cut stage.Oil occurrence characteristics recognition helps to understand the distribution of remaining oil and the mechanical characteristics of oil is the guide for tapping the remaining oil.On the basis of pore scale oil ewater two phase flow experiments,micro distribution of remaining oil is divided into four occurrence states in accordance with oil features at different stage of water flooding,the flake of remaining oil,oil column,oil droplet and oil film.A quantitative characterization method of remaining oil occurrence states is established.By using micro numerical simulation method,change rules of four occurrence states of remaining oil during the process of water displacement and the mechanical characteristics of different occurrence state of remaining oil are analyzed.Results show that the continuous oil phase gradually transforms to discontinuous phase and even to dispersed phases during the water flooding process.At extra high water cut stage,most of remaining oil are dispersed oil columns,oil droplets and oil films,which are the main target of remaining oil to be tapped.By changing water flow direction or increasing the displacement pressure gradient,the surface adsorption force acting on oil columns are overcome,and then the oil columns begin to move and finally to be produced out.Oil droplets in pore-throat center are scoured and carried out by water as the increase of the injection volume,while the oil droplets in blind ends and the oil films are extracted out by adding chemicals to reduce the interfacial tension,so as to enhance oil recovery.For water flooding reservoir,the corresponding tapping measures for four types of oil occurrence states brought forward have great meanings of improving reservoir recovery at high water cut stage.

The effect of interbeds on distribution of i ncremental oil displaced by a polymer flood

This paper discusses the effect of influencing factors on the distribution of incremental oil displaced by a polymer flood （extra-displaced oil） using numerical reservoir simulation. These factors include the location, area and permeability of a thin low-permeability interbed, and the perforation location relative to the interbed. Simulation results show the locations from where the incremental oil was displaced by the polymer solution. The interbed position from the oil formation top affects the location of extra-displaced oil. The interbed area has a slight influence on the whole shape of extra-displaced oil. Larger interbed area leads to higher partition extent of extra-displaced oil. Higher vertical permeability of interbeds contributes to worse partition extent of extra-displaced oil and the partition effect disappears if the ratio of vertical to horizontal permeability is more than 0.05. The perforation location relative to the interbed affects polymer displacement efficiency, and also has a significant effect on the distribution of extra-displaced oil in polymer flooding.

The mechanism of hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement to enhance oil recovery in low and medium permeability reservoirs

Aiming at the technology of hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement which combines hydraulic fracturing,seepage and oil displacement,an experimental system of energy storage and flowback in fracturing assisted oil displacement process has been developed and used to simulate the mechanism of percolation,energy storage,oil displacement and flowback of chemical agents in the whole process.The research shows that in hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement,the chemical agent could be directly pushed to the deeper area of the low and medium permeability reservoirs,avoiding the viscosity loss and adhesion retention of chemical agents near the pay zone;in addition,this technology could effectively enlarge the swept volume,improve the oil displacement efficiency,replenish formation energy,gather and exploit the scattered residual oil.For the reservoir with higher permeability,this measure takes effect fast,so to lower cost,and the high pressure hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement could be adopted directly.For the reservoir with lower permeability which is difficult to absorb water,hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement with surfactant should be adopted to reduce flow resistance of the reservoir and improve the water absorption capacity and development effect of the reservoir.The degree of formation energy deficit was the main factor affecting the effective swept range of chemical agents.Moreover,the larger the formation energy deficit was,the further the seepage distance of chemical agents was,accordingly,the larger the effective swept volume was,and the greater the increase of oil recovery was.Formation energy enhancement was the most important contribution to enhanced oil recovery(EOR),which was the key to EOR by the technology of hydraulic fracturing assisted oil displacement.

Gas injection for enhanced oil recovery in two-dimensional geology-based physical model of Tahe fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs:karst fault system

Gas injection serves as a main enhanced oil recovery(EOR)method in fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoir,but its effect differs among single wells and multi-well groups because of the diverse fractured-vuggy configuration.Many researchers conducted experiments for the observation of fluid flow and the evaluation of production performance,while most of their physical models were fabricated based on the probability distribution of fractures and caves in the reservoir.In this study,a two-dimensional physical model of the karst fault system was designed and fabricated based on the geological model of TK748 well group in the seventh block of the Tahe Oilfield.The fluid flow and production performance of primary gas flooding were discussed.Gas-assisted gravity flooding was firstly introduced to take full use of gas-oil gravity difference,and its feasibility in the karst fault system was examined.Experimental results showed that primary gas flooding created more flow paths and achieved a remarkable increment of oil recovery compared to water flooding.Gas injection at a lower location was recommended to delay gas breakthrough.Gas-assisted gravity flooding achieved more stable gas-displacing-oil because oil production was at a lower location,and thus,the oil recovery was further enhanced.

Oil Production Optimization by Means of a Combined“Plugging,Profile Control,and Flooding”Treatment:Analysis of Results Obtained Using Computer Tomography and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance

Due to long-term water injection,often oilfields enter the so-called medium and high water cut stage,and it is difficult to achieve good oil recovery and water reduction through standard methods(single profile control and flooding measures).Therefore,in this study,a novel method based on“plugging,profile control,and flooding”being implemented at the same time is proposed.To assess the performances of this approach,physical simulations,computer tomography,and nuclear magnetic resonance are used.The results show that the combination of a gel plugging agent,a polymer microsphere flooding agent,and a high-efficiency oil displacement agent leads to better results in terms of oil recovery with respect to the situation in which these approaches are used separately(the oil recovery is increased by 15.37%).Computer tomography scan results show that with the combined approach,a larger sweep volume and higher oil washing efficiency are obtained.The remaining oil in the cluster form can be recovered in the middle and low permeability layer,increasing the proportion of the columnar and blind end states of the oil.The nuclear magnetic resonance test results show that the combined“plugging,profile control,and flooding”treatment can also be used to control more effectively the dominant channels of the high permeability layer and further expand the recovery degree of the remaining oil in the pores of different sizes in the middle and low permeability layers.However,for the low permeability layer(permeability difference of 20),the benefits in terms of oil recovery are limited.

Technology and Practice of Stabiliing Oil Production and Controlling Water Cut in Kalamkas Oilfield in Central Asia

In this paper, by in-depth geological research of Kalamkas Oilfield in Central Asia, the geological body has been re-ascertained; combined with fine study of reservoir engineering, based on the understanding of the distribution of remaining oil horizontal wells have been given full play to stabilizing oil production and controlling water cut, reducing the producing pressure drop, improving well productivity and other advantages, and the development and deployment has been optimized; horizontal wells have been applied to solve problems such as old well casing damages, shutting down wells, low-productivity and low- efficiency wells, and high water cut wells to improve the utilization rate of old wells; through separate layer system improved injection production pattern, adjustment wells have been optimized and deployed, and part measures wells have been preferably selected to tap the residual oil improve the degree of reserves control realize the stabilization of oil production and control of water cut in an old oilfield, and further improve the development effects.

Experimental characterization and mechanism of hydraulic pulsation waves driving microscopic residual oil

To clarify microscopic mechanisms of residual oil displacement by hydraulic pulsation wave,microscopic visualization experiments of hydraulic pulsation wave driving residual oil were carried out by using the microscopic visualization device of pulsating water drive.For the four types of residual oil left in the reservoir after water flooding,i.e.membrane,column,cluster,and blind end residual oils,hydraulic pulsation waves broke the micro-equilibrium of the interface by disturbing the oil-water interface,so that the injected water invaded into and contacted with the remaining oil in small pores and blind holes,and the remaining oil was pushed or stripped to the mainstream channel by deformation superposition effect and then carried out by the injected water.In the displacement,the pulsation frequency mainly affected the cluster and blind end remaining oil,and the hydraulic pulsation wave with a frequency of about 1 Hz had the best effect in improving the recovery.The pulsation amplitude value mainly affected the membrane and column residual oil,and the larger the amplitude value,the more remaining oil the hydraulic pulsation wave would displace.The presence of low intensity continuous flow pressure and holding pressure end pressure promoted the concentration of pulsating energy and greatly improve the recovery of cluster residual oil.The rise in temperature made the hydraulic pulsation wave work better in displacing remaining oil,improving the efficiency of oil flooding.

Automatic measurement of three-phase contact angles in pore throats based on digital images

With the help of digital image processing technology, an automatic measurement method for the three-phase contact angles in the pore throats of the microfluidic model was established using the microfluidic water flooding experiment videos as the data source. The results of the new method were verified through comparing with the manual measurement data.On this basis, the dynamic changes of the three-phase contact angles under flow conditions were clarified by the contact angles probability density curve and mean value change curve. The results show that, for water-wetting rocks, the mean value of the contact angles is acute angle during the early stage of the water flooding process, and it increases with the displacement time and becomes obtuse angle in the middle-late stage of displacement as the dominant force of oil phase gradually changes from viscous force to capillary force. The droplet flow in the remaining oil occurs in the central part of the pore throats, without three-phase contact angle. The contact angles for the porous flow and the columnar flow change slightly during the displacement and present as obtuse angles in view of mean values, which makes the remaining oil poorly movable and thus hard to be recovered. The mean value of the contact angle for the cluster flow tends to increase in the flooding process, which makes the remaining oil more difficult to be recovered. The contact angles for the membrane flow are mainly obtuse angles and reach the highest mean value in the late stage of displacement, which makes the remaining oil most difficult to be recovered. After displacement, the remaining oils under different flow regimes are just subjected to capillary force, with obtuse contact angles, and the wettability of the pore throat walls in the microfluidic model tends to be oil-wet under the action of crude oil.

Three-component seismic data in thin interbedded reservoir exploration

We present the first successful application of three-component seismic data to thin interbedded reservoir characterization in the Daqing placanticline of the LMD oilfield. The oilfield has reached the final high water cut stage and the principal problem is how to recognize the boundaries of sand layers that are thicker than 2 m. Conventional interpretation of single PP-wave seismic data results in multiple solutions, whereas the introduction of PS-wave enhances the reliability of interpretation. We analyze the gas reservoir characteristics by joint PP- and PS-waves, and use the amplitude and frequency decomposition attributes to delineate the gas reservoir boundaries because of the minimal effect of fl uids on S-wave. We perform joint inversion of PP- and PS-waves to obtain V P/V S, λρ, and μρ and map the lithology changes by using density, λρ, and μρ. The 3D–3C attribute λρ slices describe the sand layers distribution, while considering the well log data, and point to favorable region for tapping the remaining oil.

Prediction of Interbeds Intercalated into Complex Heterogeneous Reservoirs at a High Water Cut Stage

The occurrence of interbeds in thick oil formations is one of the main reasons that cause the difference of remaining oil distribution. A quantitative method for predicting interbeds was proposed and the sedimentary origin and division criterion were demonstrated. The distribution of interbeds in different types of sedimentary sand bodies were predicted and analyzed by combining the theory of sedimentology and reservoir bed architectural-element analysis. The interbeds in a single well were recognized from high resolution well logs, and inter-well interbeds were predicted by using the methods of cyclothem correlation, physical properties trtmcation, and conditional simulation. Finally a 3-D model of interbed was built. Application to the Gudao Oilfield was successful.

Visualization of Water Plugging Displacement with Foam/Gel Flooding in Internally Heterogeneous Reservoirs

During the displacement of water plugging with binary flooding in internally heterogeneous reservoirs,it is essential to understand the distributions of remaining oil as well as the oil displacement mechanisms at different stages.In this study,two types of internally heterogeneous systems,i.e.,vertical and horizontal wells are investigated experimentally through a microscopic approach.The results show that plugging agent types have a greater impact on oil recovery than well types,and foam injection can enhance oil recovery more effectively than gel injection.Additionally,the injection sequence of plugging agents significantly affects oil displacement efficiency.Injecting gel after foam is more beneficial.According to the present results,the main formation mechanisms of remaining oil in each displacement stage are influenced by:capillary force,viscous force,inertial force,shear force,microscopic fingering&channeling.

Integrating the geology, seismic attributes, and production of reservoirs to adjust interwell areas: A case from the Mangyshlak Basin of West Kazakhstan

Dynamic models of the seismic,geological,and flow characteristics of a reservoir are the main tool used to evaluate the potential of drilling new infill wells.Static geological models are mainly based on borehole data combined with dynamic analyses of production dynamics.They are used to determine the redevelopment of and adjustments to new drilling locations;however,such models rarely incorporate seismic data.Consequently,it is difficult to control the changes in geological models between wells,which results in the configuration of well positions and predicted results being less than ideal.To improve the development of adjusted areas in terms of their remaining oil contents,we developed a new integrated analysis that combines static sediment modelling,including microfacies analysis(among other reservoir and seismic properties),with production behaviours.Here,we illustrate this new process by(1)establishing favourable areas for static geological analysis;(2)studying well recompletion potential and the condition of non-producing wells;(3)conducting interwell analyses with seismic and sedimentary data;(4)identifying potential sites constrained by seismic and geological studies,as well as initial oilfield production;(5)providing suggestions in a new well development plan.