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Waterf Looding: A M Sam Sarem

1. Waterflooding is a process that injects water into an oil reservoir to maintain pressure and displace residual oil after primary production ends. 2. The overall recovery from waterflooding is estimated as the product of displacement efficiency, vertical sweep efficiency, and pattern sweep efficiency. Displacement efficiency depends on residual oil saturation, vertical sweep efficiency depends on permeability variation and mobility ratio, and pattern sweep efficiency depends on mobility ratio and water cut. 3. Key parameters that impact waterflood recovery include permeability variation, mobility ratio, residual oil saturation, flood pattern, and directional permeability within the reservoir. Charts can be used to estimate vertical sweep and pattern efficiencies based on these factors.

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Anshul Jha
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59 views

Waterf Looding: A M Sam Sarem

1. Waterflooding is a process that injects water into an oil reservoir to maintain pressure and displace residual oil after primary production ends. 2. The overall recovery from waterflooding is estimated as the product of displacement efficiency, vertical sweep efficiency, and pattern sweep efficiency. Displacement efficiency depends on residual oil saturation, vertical sweep efficiency depends on permeability variation and mobility ratio, and pattern sweep efficiency depends on mobility ratio and water cut. 3. Key parameters that impact waterflood recovery include permeability variation, mobility ratio, residual oil saturation, flood pattern, and directional permeability within the reservoir. Charts can be used to estimate vertical sweep and pattern efficiencies based on these factors.

Uploaded by

Anshul Jha
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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A M Sam Sarem

Waterflooding
Unocal Science and Technology
Brea, California, U.S.A.

INTRODUCTION d" 0 //0 a s expressed in the following equation:

Waterflooding is a process used to inject water into an oil- M = (k^/kj x (n0/lO


bearing reservoir for pressure maintenance as well as for
displacing and producing incremental oil after (or sometimes where
before) the economic production limit has been reached. This M = mobility ratio, or the ratio of relative permeability to
is done through the displacement of oil and free gas by water. water at Sor divided by the relative permeability of
In waterflooding, water is injected into one or more injection oil at S„i multiplied by the oil-water viscosity ratio
wells while the oil is produced from surrounding producing k^ = relative permeability of water
wells spaced according to the desired patterns. There are fcro = relative permeability of oil
many different waterflood patterns used in the industry, the liB = viscosity of oil
most common of which are illustrated in Figure 1. ^ = viscosity of water

The vertical heterogeneity is most commonly described by


QUICK ESTIMATION OF WATERFLOOD the Dykstra-Parsons permeability variation (VDP), defined as
RECOVERY the ratio of the standard deviation of the permeability of
The overall recovery (ER) is a product of displacement various layers (a) divided by the mean permeability ( k ), as
efficiency (ED), invasion or vertical sweep efficiency (£v) and given in the following equation:
the pattern or areal sweep efficiency (Ep).

ijp — ^ O V P

where
where VDP = Dykstra-Parsons permeability variation
Eg = overall recovery (fraction of initial oil in place k = absolute permeability
recovered) k = mean permeability or sum of the permeabilities
ED = displacement efficiency or volume of oil displaced divided by the number of permeabilities
divided by total oil volume (fraction)
Ev = vertical or invasion efficiency (fraction of vertical In practice, the permeability variation is determined by
reservoir section contacted by injection fluid) arranging the permeabilities in descending order and
EP = pattern efficiency or pattern swept by total pattern determining the percent-greater-than values for each
area permeability. From a plot of k versus percent greater than on
a log probability graph sheet (as shown in Figure 2), the
The displacement efficiency is a function of residual oil values of k at 50% and k at 84.1% are read, and VDP is
saturation (Sor) of the swept region. The following equation determined as follows:
gives the displacement efficiency as a function of Sor and the
interstitial (irreducible) water saturation (S^): M-IP = (fcjo -kMA)/%,

ED = ( 1 - S O T - S J / ( 1 - S J Dykstra and Parsons (1950) have published charts for


determining the vertical sweep efficiency (VD) or
where conformance from the mobility ratio and the permeability
SOT = saturation of residual oil (fraction) variation, as shown for WOR = 5 and 0.1 in Figures 3 and 4,
S^ = saturation of irreducible water (fraction) respectively.
The pattern efficiency is a function of the previously
The displacement efficiency depends upon the ratio of the defined mobility ratio, the flood pattern, and given water cut.
viscous to capillary forces or capillary number. In enhanced Figure 5 shows the pattern efficiency as a function of mobility
recovery processes, the interracial tension between the oil and ratio and water cut for a five-spot pattern. Craig (1971)
water is reduced to improve the capillary number (Willhite, shows similar plots for several other common patterns.
1986). A word of caution is appropriate at this point. The
The vertical sweep efficiency is a function of the vertical knowledge of directional permeability can be crucial in
heterogeneity (layering) and the mobility ratio (M). The placement of pattern injectors. The injectors should always
mobility ratio defined here is the ratio of the relative line up in the direction of maximum permeability. As shown
permeability to water at Sor (k^) to the relative permeability in Figure 6, infill drilling can rotate the flow pattern and in
of the oil at Swi multiplied by the oil-water viscosity ratio some cases it can reduce the areal sweep efficiency, as

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