Characterization of Primary and Secondary Recovery Processes in an Oil Reservoir: Theoretical Assumptions and Experimental Limitations
Part 16
1. If a reservoir remains to be highly heterogeneous, characterized by highly stratified carbonate, having significant variations in porosity and permeability, both areally and vertically, then, to what extent, the application of water-flooding with various pattern layouts and well-spacing would remain to be successful?
2. Would it remain feasible to have the following details at the earliest in a field-scale scenario, following primary production and during the commencement of secondary oil recovery?
(a) major producing zone, where oil keeps flowing with ease; (b) a producing oil-water contact, below which, only brine was produced during primary and secondary recovery operations; (c) a residual oil zone, where oil saturation remains to be immobile; and (d) a free water level, below which, we have 100% water saturation.
Based on these details, would it remain feasible:
(a) To assess the remaining hydrocarbon reserves under current operations? (b) To delineate the possible changes in order to enhance secondary recovery under current operations?
(c) To determine the feasibility of infill drilling – by carrying out surveillance programs; areal flood balancing; injection, production, vertical conformance & pattern performance monitoring; and optimization?
Further, would it remain practically feasible in order to maintain a relatively higher water-oil ratio in order to achieve higher oil recovery by producing, separating, reinjecting and recycling large volumes of water on a daily basis @ field-scale?
3. Feasible to investigate the fundamental physics associated with a water-flooding mechanism of a large, high-porosity, fractured chalk oil reservoirs containing a low-viscosity, high formation volume factor light oil, where both imbibition and viscous displacement dominates @ laboratory-scale using experimental investigations (that impacts the reservoir behavior and its associated oil recovery efficiency)?
4. Does water injection induce shear in a carbonate reservoir?
Whether the coupled effect of shear failure and water weakening of the rock matrix result in additional deformation of the carbonates, even under conditions of constant or decreasing stress levels?
Suresh Kumar Govindarajan
https://home.iitm.ac.in/gskumar/
https://iitm.irins.org/profile/61643
- Badges
- Science topic