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A new approach to obtaining relative permeability curves during chemical flooding process in a low-permeable reservoir

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Abstract

It is always difficult to obtain the relative permeability curve for a low-permeable reservoir using chemical flooding, as there are so many problems associated with the current measurement methods, especially when interfacial tension σ, wettability cosθ and pore–throat radius ratio m are considered as the main factors that influence the shape of the relative permeability curve, and thereby the oil recovery. This paper presents a new concept of modified capillary numbers (N CM), associated with these three factors. First, laboratory experiments were carried out to get relationship between N CM and the residual oil saturation S OR under different conditions. Second, oil–water relative permeability curves for a target oil layer using the steady-state flow method were determined. Using these two steps, a relative permeability curve under different conditions of interfacial tension σ, wettability cosθ and pore–throat radius ratio m has been drawn. Based on the calculated relative permeability curves, the oil displacement efficiency and flow capacity were determined. Subsequently, the relationships between the relative permeability curve, oil displacement efficiency, flow capacity and the factors for a low-permeable reservoir were established using chemical flooding.

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Abbreviations

θ :

Wetting angle (°)

cosθ :

Average contact angle cosine, the parameters of the wettability (−)

N CM :

Modified capillary numbers (−)

m :

Pore–throat radius ratio (−)

S OR :

Residual oil saturation (%)

σ :

Interfacial tension (mN/m)

V wsp :

Water absorption oil discharge quantity in the Amott wettability index measurement experiment (ml)

V wt :

Volume of oil by water displacement (ml)

I W :

I W = V wsp/(V wsp + V wt) shows that the degree of water-wet (−)

V osp :

Oil absorption water discharge quantity (ml)

V ot :

Volume of water by oil displacement (ml)

I O :

I O = V osp/(V osp + V ot) shows the degree of oil-wet (−) Amott wettability index

I A :

I A = I W − I O Amott wettability index (−)

A od :

Areas enclosed by oil-driven water capillary pressure curve by centrifuge method (−)

A wd :

Areas enclosed by water-driven oil capillary pressure curves by centrifuge method (−)

W :

USBM wettability index (−)

C :

USBM wettability index curve fitting correction coefficient (−)

P c :

Capillary pressure (MPa)

φ :

Porosity (%)

K :

Absolute permeability (md)

S W :

Water saturation (%)

N C :

Conventional capillary number (μm2)

μ :

Fluid viscosity (mPa s)

v :

Flow velocity (m/s)

Δp :

Minimum driving pressure difference (MPa)

L :

Capillary length (μ/s)

l :

Length of residual oil drop (μ/s)

R :

Pore radius (μ/s)

r :

Throat radius (μ/s)

K W :

Water-phase permeability (μm2)

K RW :

Water-phase relative permeability

K RO :

Oil-phase relative permeability

α 1, α 2, β 1, and β 2 :

Correlation coefficient of relative permeability analytic expression (−)

S WI :

Irreducible water saturation (%)

E r :

Ultimate oil displacement efficiency (%)

fw:

Fractional flow equation (−)

E rr :

Economic limit moisture content (usually 98 %) oil displacement efficiency (%)

I Chemicals :

Chemical injection capacity (−)

I Water :

Water injection capacity (−)

J :

The ratio of injection capacity (−)

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Acknowledgments

This work is supported by the Technology Project for Returned Oversea Scholars in Heilongjiang Province (2014), Graduate Education Innovation Project in Heilongjiang Province (Project Grant No. JGXM_HLJ_2014027), and National Science and Technology Major Project of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China: EOR Demonstration Project in High Water Cut Oilfield in Changyuan, Daqing, China (Grant No. 2011ZX05052-007-006). Furthermore, the authors would like to thank all members of the research team.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Petroleum Engineering, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing, 163318, China

    Yu Zhao, Kaoping Song, Mingxing Bai & Ning Sun

  2. Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Clausthal University of Technology, 38678, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany

    Mingxing Bai

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  1. Yu Zhao
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Correspondence to Yu Zhao.

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Zhao, Y., Song, K., Bai, M. et al. A new approach to obtaining relative permeability curves during chemical flooding process in a low-permeable reservoir. Environ Earth Sci 73, 7001–7009 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4413-8

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