Characterization of Primary and Secondary Recovery Processes in an Oil Reservoir: Theoretical Assumptions and Experimental Limitations
Part 13
1. Although, water has a relatively low compressibility, how about the sensitivity of ‘the volume of gas dissolved in the brine’ (in the presence of an underlying aquifer) – along with the conventional factors (including reservoir pressure, temperature and salinity) - @ laboratory-scale? Whether, laboratory conditions will be able to accommodate the in-situ salinity variations of brine density, along with the application of a proper compressibility correction factor caused by the gas dissolved in the brine? Also, whether @ laboratory-scale, do we really bother about the compatibility (of ionic composition) between injected water and in-situ brine (which would otherwise might lead to scale formation resulting from insoluble precipitates)?
Whether the lower residual saturation achieved at the laboratory-scale, by designing the specific salinity composition of the injected water (low salinity water flooding), can be successfully up-scaled to a larger field-scale implementation?
In addition, to what extent, we would be able to replicate the real field scenario (water-oil displacement scenario in a communicating stratified reservoir), where, reservoirs with sufficient vertical permeability and with the displacement advancing very slowly so that gravity effects dominates and in turn, water and oil vertically segregates as they flow from injection to production wells, @ laboratory-scale using experimental investigations?
Whether experimental investigations would be able to quantify the effects of adverse mobility ratios; strong capillary effects; gravity differences of oil and water; water under-running (caused by density difference between oil and water); the interplay between gravity & stratification (when, low-permeability layer is on top; and, when high permeability layer is on the top); and, local geologic variations – towards forecasting water-oil displacement in multiple dimensions?
Further, how exactly, to replicate the scenario @ laboratory-scale investigations, where, in a real field scenario, if various layers are required to be operated at varying bottom-hole-pressures at the wellbores, in the presence of cross flow between various layers within the wellbore?
Also, at the laboratory-scale, would it remain feasible to maintain a relatively higher injection rates of fluids, where, viscous forces ‘significantly’ influence the water-oil displacement front?
Further, would it remain feasible to quantify (a) time to initial water-flood response; (b) time to peak oil rate; (c) peak oil rate; and (d) ultimate water-flood reserves – associated with a typical water-flooding, @ laboratory-scale, using experimental investigations – in order to estimate the minimum, average and maximum oil recovery?
Suresh Kumar Govindarajan
https://home.iitm.ac.in/gskumar/
https://iitm.irins.org/profile/61643
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