Effect of high-multiple water injection on rock pore structure and oil displacement efficiency

Experimental methods,including mercury pressure,nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)and core(wateroil)displacement,are used to examine the effects of high-multiple water injection(i.e.water injection with high injected pore volume)on rock properties,pore structure and oil displacement efficiency of an oilfield in the western South China Sea.The results show an increase in the permeability of rocks along with particle migration,an increase in the pore volume and the average pore throat radius,and enhanced heterogeneity after high-multiple water injection.Compared with normal water injection methods,a high-multiple water injection is more effective in improving the oil displacement efficiency.The degree of recovery increases faster in the early stage due to the expansion of the swept area,and the transition from oil-wet to water-wet.The degree of recovery increases less in the late stage due to various factors,including the enhancement of heterogeneity in the rocks.Considering both the economic aspect and the production limit of water flooding,it is recommended to adopt other technologies to further enhance oil recovery after 300 PV water injection.

Development and prospect of downhole monitoring and data transmission technology for separated zone water injection

This article outlines the development of downhole monitoring and data transmission technology for separated zone water injection in China.According to the development stages,the principles,operation processes,adaptability and application status of traditional downhole data acquisition method,cable communications and testing technology,cable-controlled downhole parameter real-time monitoring communication method and downhole wireless communication technology are introduced in detail.Problems and challenges of existing technologies in downhole monitoring and data transmission technology are pointed out.According to the production requirement,the future development direction of the downhole monitoring and data transmission technology for separated zone water injection is proposed.For the large number of wells adopting cable measuring and adjustment technology,the key is to realize the digitalization of downhole plug.For the key monitoring wells,cable-controlled communication technology needs to be improved,and downhole monitoring and data transmission technology based on composite coiled tubing needs to be developed to make the operation more convenient and reliable.For large-scale application in oil fields,downhole wireless communication technology should be developed to realize automation of measurement and adjustment.In line with ground mobile communication network,a digital communication network covering the control center,water distribution station and oil reservoir should be built quickly to provide technical support for the digitization of reservoir development.

Dynamic modelling and engineering simulation of fluid mechanics in water injectors

To study the fluid dynamic response mechanism under the working condition of water injection well borehole,based on the microelement analysis of fluid mechanics and the classical theory of hydrodynamics,a fluid microelement pressure-flow rate relationship model is built to derive and solve the dynamic distribution of fluid pressure and flow rate in the space of well borehole.Combined with the production data of a typical deviated well in China,numerical simulations and analyses are carried out to analyze the dynamic distribution of wellbore pressure at different injection pressures and injection volumes,the delayed and attenuated characteristics of fluid transmission in tube,and the dynamic distribution of wellbore pressure amplitude under the fluctuation of wellhead pressure.The pressure loss along the wellbore has nothing to do with the absolute pressure,and the design of the coding and decoding scheme for wave code communication doesn’t need to consider the absolute pressure during injecting.When the injection pressure is constant,the higher the injection flow rate at the wellhead,the larger the pressure loss along the wellbore.The fluid wave signal delay amplitude mainly depends on the length of the wellbore.The smaller the tubing diameter,the larger the fluid wave signal attenuation amplitude.The higher the target wave code amplitude(differential pressure identification root mean square)generated at the same well depth,the greater the wellhead pressure wave amplitude required to overcome the wellbore pressure loss.

Horizontal Well Interference Performance and Water Injection Huff and Puff Effect on Well Groups with Complex Fracture Networks:A Numerical Study

Well interference has become a common phenomenon with the increasing scale of horizontal well fracturing.Recent studies on well interference in horizontal wells do not properly reflect the physical model of the postfracturing well groups and the realistic fracturing process of infill wells.Establishing the correspondence between well interference causative factors and manifestations is of great significance for infill well deployment and secondary oil recovery.In this work,we develop a numerical model that considers low velocity non-Darcy seepage inshale reservoirs to study the inter-well interferencephenomenon that occurs in theSantanghufield,andconstruct an explicit hydraulic fracture and complex natural fracture network model with an embedded discrete fracture model,focusing on the effect of fracture network morphology on well interactions.The model also considers a multi-segment wellbore model to accommodate the effect of inter-well crossflow on wellbore tubular flow.The changes in formation pressure and water saturation during fracturing are performed by controlling the injection pressure and water injection rate.The result shows that the shape of the fracture network generated by the infill well with the old well determines the subsequent fluid and oil-increasing performance of the disturbed well.The synergistic production or competitive relationship formed by fractures with different connectivity between the two wells determines the positive and negative effects of the interference.The paper also investigates the adaptation study of water injection huff and puff schemes for well groups with different connectivity,and demonstrated a potential yield increase of up to 10.85%under adaptation injection.This method of identifying well interference based on the production dynamics of affected wells and the subsequent corresponding water injection method provides valuable references for the selection of secondary oil recovery measures.

Optimization of the Algorithm for Increasing Injection Rate in Water Injection Wells for Pressure Optimization in P Oilfield

In today’s society, with the continuous growth of energy demand, Bohai Oilfield, as an important offshore oil resource base in China, is facing increasingly severe challenges while contributing to national energy security. In order to improve the quality of water injection in the oilfield and gradually achieve efficient and stable production, Bohai Oilfield has launched a water injection well pressure optimization project, focusing on improving the efficiency and quality of water injection in the water injection wells, in order to achieve the optimal water injection plan. In practical work, P Oilfield continues to promote the development of water injection well pressure optimization projects, emphasizing practical exploration and continuous optimization of work plans. However, during the project implementation process, there were some problems, one of which was that the statistics of cumulative injection volume were not scientific enough, resulting in a more comprehensive and accurate presentation of the actual results of pressure optimization work. In the context of continuous improvement work, after careful analysis and research, P Oilfield has decided to optimize the cumulative injection rate algorithm to guide the oilfield’s water injection work in a more refined way, ensuring sufficient and good water injection, and enhancing the oilfield’s production efficiency and comprehensive competitiveness.

Progress and prospects of EOR technology in deep,massive sandstone reservoirs with a strong bottom-water drive

The Triassic massive sandstone reservoir in the Tahe oilfield has a strong bottom-water drive and is characterized by great burial depth,high temperature and salinity,a thin pay zone,and strong heterogeneity.At present,the water-cut is high in each block within the reservoir;some wells are at an ultrahigh water-cut stage.A lack of effective measures to control water-cut rise and stabilize oil production have necessitated the application of enhanced oil recovery(EOR)technology.This paper investigates the development and technological advances for oil reservoirs with strong edge/bottom-water drive globally,and compares their application to reservoirs with characteristics similar to the Tahe oilfield.Among the technological advances,gas injection from the top and along the direction of structural dip has been used to optimize the flow field in a typical bottom-water drive reservoir.Bottom-water coning is restrained by gas injection-assisted water control.In addition,increasing the lateral driving pressure differential improves the plane sweep efficiency which enhances oil recovery in turn.Gas injection technology in combination with technological measures like channeling prevention and blocking,and water plugging and profile control,can achieve better results in reservoir development.Gas flooding tests in the Tahe oilfield are of great significance to identifying which EOR technology is the most effective and has the potential of large-scale application for improving development of deep reservoirs with a strong bottomwater drive.

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.

Optimization of Injection Parameters for Profile Control and Flooding in an Oilfield during High Water Cut Period

In order to improve the effect of water control and oil stabilization during high water cut period, a mathematical model of five point method well group was established with the high water cut well group of an Oilfield as the target area, the variation law of water cut and recovery factor of different injection parameters was analyzed, and the optimization research of injection parameters of polymer enhanced foam flooding was carried out. The results show that the higher the injection rate, the lower the water content curve, and the higher the oil recovery rate. As the foam defoamed when encountering oil, when the injection time was earlier than 80% of water cut, the later the injection time was, the better the oil displacement effect would be. When the injection time was later than 80% of water cut, the later the injection time was, the worse the oil displacement effect would be. The larger the injection volume, the lower the water content curve and the higher the recovery rate. After the injection volume exceeded 0.2 PV, the amplitude of changes in water content and recovery rate slowed down. The optimal injection parameters of profile control agent for high water content well group in Oilfield A were: injection rate of 15 m3/d, injection timing of 80% water content, and injection volume of 0.2 PV.

Adaptability research of hydrofoil surface water injection on cavitation suppression

To study the effectiveness of hydrofoil surface water injection on cavitation suppression,the unsteady cavitation flow field around the NACA0066 hydrofoil at attack angle of 6°was simulated by the modified RNG k-εturbulence model combined with the full-cavitation model.The structure of cavitation flow field and the hydrodynamic performance of hydrofoil were analyzed at the cavitation number of 0.85,0.70,0.55,respectively.The results show that barriered by the jet,the momentum of the reentrant jet was reduced;The development of cavitation and the strength of cavity shedding were weakened to some extent.Cavitation suppression effect was very obvious in the cavitation conditions with the cavitation number of 0.7 and above when the injection position was at 37% chord length from the hydrofoil leading edge and the jet-flow ratio kept 0.3.Time-averaged lift and drag coefficient were reduced,and the lift-drag ratio increased in water injection conditions.

Three-dimensional physical simulation and optimization of water injection of a multi-well fractured-vuggy unit

With complex fractured-vuggy heterogeneous structures, water has to be injected to facilitate oil pro- duction. However, the effect of different water injection modes on oil recovery varies. The limitation of existing numerical simulation methods in representing fractured- vuggy carbonate reservoirs makes numerical simulation difficult to characterize the fluid flow in these reservoirs. In this paper, based on a geological example unit in the Tahe Oilfield, a three-dimensional physical model was designed and constructed to simulate fluid flow in a fractured-vuggy reservoir according to similarity criteria. The model was validated by simulating a bottom water drive reservoir, and then subsequent water injection modes were optimized. These were continuous （constant rate）, intermittent, and pulsed injection of water. Experimental results reveal that due to the unbalanced formation pressure caused by pulsed water injection, the swept volume was expanded and consequently the highest oil recovery increment was achieved. Similar to continuous water injection, intermit- tent injection was influenced by factors including the connectivity of the fractured-vuggy reservoir, well depth, and the injection-production relationship, which led to a relative low oil recovery. This study may provide a constructive guide to field production and for the devel- opment of the commercial numerical models specialized for fractured-vuggy carbonate reservoirs.

Solvent de binding of water soluble binder in powder injection moulding

The solvent debinding of water soluble binder in powder injection moulding (MIM) was investigated systematically, including the effects of solvent types, temperature and the thickness of green parts on the solvent debinding rate. After studying the debinding of a green part with a thickness of 4.26 mm, it was found that, the debinding rate of polyethylene glycol(PEG) in water and alcohol was high initially, and then decreased; however, it would increase with temperature increasing. At room temperature, the dissolution rate of PEG in water was higher than that in alcohol, but the latter would be much faster with temperature increasing because the debinding activation energy in alcohol was 51.44 kJ·mol -1 ·K -1 , much higher than 24.23 kJ·mol -1 ·K -1 in water. With a green part thickness larger than 4.26 mm, the debinding was controlled by diffusion; but with that smaller than 2.36 mm, the debinding was controlled by both dissolution and diffusion.

Inactivation of Bacteria in Oil Field Injected Water by a Pulsed Plasma Discharge Process

Pulsed plasma discharge was employed to inactivate bacteria in the injection water for an oil field. The effects of water conductivity and initial concentration of bacteria on elimination efficiency were investigated in the batch and continuous flow modes. It was demonstrated that Fe2＋ contained in injection water could enhance the elimination efficiency greatly. The addition of reducing agent glutathione （GSH） indicated that active radicals generated by pulsed plasma discharges played an important role in the inactivation of bacteria. Moreover, it was found that the microbial inactivation process for both batch and continuous flow mode well fitted the model based on the Weibull＇s survival function.

Water-Assisted Injection Molding System Based on Water Hydraulic Proportional Control Technique

Water-assisted injection molding（WAIM）, an innovative process to mold plastic parts with hollow sections, is characterized with intermittent, periodic process and large pressure and flow rate variation. Energy savings and injection pressure control can not be .attained based on conventional valve control system. Moreover, the injection water can not be supplied directly by water hydraulic proportional control system. Poor efficiency and control performance are presented by current trial systems, which pressurize injection water by compressed air. In this paper, a novel water hydraulic system is developed applying an accumulator for energy saving. And a new differential pressure control method is proposed by using pressure cylinder and water hydraulic proportional pressure relief valve for back pressure control. Aiming at design of linear controller for injection water pressure regulation, a linear load model is approximately built through computational fluid dynamics（CFD） simulation on two-phase flow cavity filling process with variable temperature and viscosity, and a linear model of pressure control system is built with the load model and linearization of water hydraulic components. According to the simulation, model based feedback is brought forward to compensate the pressure decrease during accumulator discharge and eliminate the derivative element of the system. Meanwhile, the steady-state error can be reduced and the capacity of resisting disturbance can be enhanced, by closed-loop control of load pressure with integral compensation. Through the developed experimental system in the State Key Lab of Fluid Power Transmission and Control, Zhejiang University, China, the static characteristic of the water hydraulic proportional relief valve was tested and output pressure control of the system in Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene（ABS） parts molding experiments was also studied. The experiment results show that the dead band and hysteresis of the water hydraulic proportional pressure relief valve are large, but the control precision and linearity can be improved with feed-forward compensation. With the experimental results of injection water pressure control, the applicability of this WAIM system and the effect of its linear controller are verified. The novel proposed process of WAIM pressure control and study on characteristics of control system contribute to the application of water hydraulic proportional control and WAIM technology.

Data-driven optimization for fine water injection in a mature oil field

Based on the traditional numerical simulation and optimization algorithms,in combination with the layered injection and production"hard data"monitored at real time by automatic control technology,a systematic approach for detailed water injection design using data-driven algorithms is proposed.First the data assimilation technology is used to match geological model parameters under the constraint of observed well dynamics;the flow relationships between injectors and producers in the block are calculated based on automatic identification method for layered injection-production flow relationship;multi-layer and multi-direction production splitting technique is used to calculate the liquid and oil production of producers in different layers and directions and obtain quantified indexes of water injection effect.Then,machine learning algorithms are applied to evaluate the effectiveness of water injection in different layers of wells and to perform the water injection direction adjustment.Finally,the particle swarm algorithm is used to optimize the detailed water injection plan and to make production predictions.This method and procedure make full use of the automation and intelligence of data-driven and machine learning algorithms.This method was used to match the data of a complex faulted reservoir in eastern China,achieving a fitting level of 85%.The cumulative oil production in the example block for 12 months after optimization is 8.2%higher than before.This method can help design detailed water injection program for mature oilfields.

Mixing and Vaporization Process of Injecting Water in Hydrogenation Unit

Injecting water into the main pipeline is a common method to prevent the ammonium salt corrosion in hydrogenation units.The use of spray nozzle can enhance the effects of washing ammonium salt and reduce the risk of ammonium salt corrosion.The droplet atomization and evaporation model were used to investigate the mixing process of injecting water and gas-oil mixture in a high-pressure environment.The effects of some key parameters including fluid velocity,temperature,and droplet volume fraction on the mixing and vaporization process were analyzed.Numerical simulation results show that with the increase of injecting water flow rate,the fluid velocity increases and the temperature decreases continuously.When the mass flow rate of injecting water is 1.5 t/h,the droplet has the maximum evaporation efficiency and the volume fraction reaches a minimum value.Besides,with the increase of atomization angle and droplet size,the mean velocity and the temperature of fluid decrease continuously.The increase of atomization angle or the decrease of droplet size will accelerate the evaporation process of droplets and reduce the droplet volume fraction,which indicates that the droplet slip velocity and the contact area are the key factors affecting the droplet evaporation rate.

Laboratory-Scale Evaluation of Single Analyte Bacterial Monitoring Strategies in Water Injection Systems

Microbial activity is the cause of a variety of problems in water injection systems, e.g., microbial corrosion, plugging, and biofouling. Efficient monitoring of Saudi Aramco’s vast water injection system requires the development of online and automated technologies for monitoring microbial activities in the system. A previous system review and technology screening has identified five single-analyte strategies [1], which were evaluated in this study with a laboratory-scale setup to determine their applicability for automated determination of microbial activity in the injection water system. Four of the five single-analyte measuring principles tested in the laboratory setup were deemed less suitable for automation and/or reliable for use in the detection of microbial activity in the company injection water system. These four principles were: luminescence assay for adenosine-5’-triphosphate (ATP), detection and electrochemical measurements of H2S, determination of pH by electrochemical sensor, and measurement of oxidation-reduction potential (ORP). The strategy of staining cells with fluorescent DNA dyes, followed by quantification of fluorescence signals, was identified to hold, with proper optimization of DNA staining and fluorescence detection, a very promising potential for integration in automated, online sensors for microbial activity in the injection water system.

Progression of injectivity damage with oily waste water in linear flow

Numerous laboratory experiments and field cases show that even very small amount of oil in injected water can cause severe injectivity damage. Although injectivity decline caused by oil droplets has been studied experimentally, there is still lack of an easy-to-use and widely accepted model to predict the decline behavior. In this work, we developed an analytical model to predict the time-dependent progress of the water permeability reduction in linear flow by analyzing experimental data obtained from linear core flooding. The model considers mass transfer of the oil phase from the produced water to the rock due capture effects by dispersion, advection and adsorption inside the rock. As the captured oil saturation increases, permeability reduces following the relative permeability drainage relationship. The reduction stabilizes when the oil saturation comes to an equilibrium value controlled by oil droplet size and injection velocity. The model is calibrated using published experimental data from prolonged core floods with oil- contaminated waste water. Theoretical runs of the model replicate all the effects known from experimental observations. Resulting from the model is a distributed change of permeability vs. time and distance from the point of injection that can be converted to the overall injectivity damage.

TWO-PHASE FLOW FOR A HORIZONTAL WELL PENETRATING A NATURALLY FRACTURED RESERVOIR WITH EDGE WATER INJECTION

This paper examines the two-phase flow for a horizontal well penetrating a naturally fractured reservoir with edge water injection by means of a fixed streamlinemodel,The mathematical model of the verical two-dimensional flow or oil-water for a horizontal well in a medium with double-porosity is established ,and whose accuratesolutions are obtained by using the characteristic method .The saturation distributionsin the fractured system and the matrix system as well as the formula of the time of water free production are presented .All these results provide a theoretical basis and a computing method for oil displacement by edge water from naturally fracturedreservirs.

Optimization of DNA Staining Technology for Development of Autonomous Microbe Sensor for Injection Seawater Systems

Microbial activity in the water injection system in oil and gas industry leads to an array of challenges, including biofouling, injectivity loss, reservoir plugging, and microbiologically influenced corrosion (MIC). An effective mitigation strategy requires online and real-time monitoring of microbial activity and growth in the system so that the operators can apply and adjust counter-measures quickly and properly. The previous study [1] identified DNA staining technology-with PicoGreen and SYBR Green dyes—as a very promising method for automated, online determination of microbial cell abundance in the vast Saudi Aramco injection seawater systems. This study evaluated DNA staining technology on detection limit, automation potential, and temperature stability for the construction of automated sensor prototype. DNA staining with SYBR Green dye was determined to be better suited for online and real-time monitoring of microbial activity in the Saudi Aramco seawater systems. SYBR Green staining does not require sample pre-treatment, and the fluorescence signal intensity is more stable at elevated temperatures up to 30℃. The lower detection limit of 2 × 103/ml was achieved under the optimized conditions, which is sufficient to detect microbial numbers in Saudi Aramco injection seawater. Finally, the requirements for design and construction of SYBR-based automated sensor prototype were determined.

Geoelectric response of porous media in water and grout injection processes

Significant changes in spontaneous potential and exciting currents are observed during water and grout injection in a simulated porous media. Obvious correlations between the seepage flow field and the electric field in the porous media are identified.In this work, a detailed experimental study of geoelectric field variation occurring in water migration was reported by analyzing water and grout injection processes in a simulated porous media. The spontaneous potential varies linearly with the thickness of unsaturated porous media. Very interestingly, the spontaneous potential generated in the second grout injection exhibits some"memory" of previous grouting paths. The decreases in spontaneous potential observed during grout injection is very probably due to that the spontaneous potential variations are primarily caused by electro-filtration potential, as indicated by the far larger viscosity of grout compared to that of water. The geoelectric response can be utilized to effectively identify the grouting paths in water-bearing rocks.