MISCIBLE DISPLACEMENT TABlE

PROCESSES 6.14 DATA 20 20 0.18 120 1.5 0.7 0.06 1.15 120 2,500 0.25 0.35 0.10 0.65 0.30 0.20 0.80 0.8/0.06 0.2/0.7

223

6.1G-XAMPLE

WeII spacing, A, acres Th:icla1ess. ti, ft

Porosity,

=46.7. Oil in place at start of process is

ljJ

Permeablity, k, md Oil viscosity, J4 o' cp Water viscosiIy, J4." cp SoIvent viscosity, J4 s' cp 0iI FVF, RB/STB Reservoir temperature, T, F Reservoir pressure, p, psia Connate water saturation, Scw WatBr saturation in ol and solvent banks, Swt ROS in solvent bank, Sorm Oil saturation in oil bank, Sob Waterflood ROS, Sorw Relative permeabilty to water at S"""' krw Relative permeability to solvent and oil at Sw,k",

(:\:

N=ALrPSo,.jBo
=20 acresx43,560

e;

ft2/acre=20 ftxO.18xO.30

xC.615 =145,700

~3IbbJC.15 STB.

~/STB)

The solution procedure is as follows. 1. Solvent injection phase-5et total HCPV of solvent to be injected. Calculate total VpDs to be injected. Vph =0.10.

Example 6.14-Tertiary Recuyery From a Five-Spot PattemSolsen: Slug Driven by Water. It is desired to examine the effect
of solvent-slug size on miscible displacement performance in a fivebeen waterflooded. The Stalkup model combined with the Claridge correlation s used for the calculation. Gravity effects and reservoir heterogeneities are negligible. Table 6.10 gives data for this example. . Calculate oil recovery as a function of HCPV of fluid injected for solvent-slug sizes ranging from 10% to 100% HCPV. Water is to be used to displace the solvento HCPV is based on connate

VpDs

Vph(I-Scw) I-Sorm-Swr 0.10(1-0.25) 1-0.10-0.35 =0.1364 (maximum value),

spot pattem that has previousiy

or in general, V

pDs = 1.364

X Vph

Scw. hF~Oll~O~W~th!!J.e~P!9rOC.!!Jedu~_re_in_E_x_am.-:Ple_6_.1_3_un_til_the_S..:;pec_ifi_ed_t_otal_-,Vpl).f= is calculated as the ratio of mobility of the solvent ~as been reached to mobility of the water in the waterflooded area: ---a. Set VpDs. b. Calculate VpDob and VpDob. c. Calculate EAr and EAob with the Claridge correlation. Use the k,/JLs equations given in Sec. 4.5. Areal sweep is equal to volumetric M=-e k,.jJLw sweep.
water saturation.

Solution. Me

TABLE 6.11-CALCULATED

RESULTS FOR EXAMPLE 6.14, SLUG SIZE OF 10% HCPV Volume Injected (bbl) 3,072 9,216 15,360 21,505 27,649 30,721 36,865 41,892 Np (STB)

VpDs 0.01 0.03 0.05 0.07 0.09 0.10 0.12 0.1364

f1VpDob 0.0057 0.0171 0.0286 0.0400 0.0514 0.0571 0.686

VpDol> 0.0157 0.0471 0.0786 0.1100 0.1414 0.1571 0.1886 0.2143

EAs 0.0100 0.0300 0.0500 0.0700 0.0700 0.1000 0.1200 0.1364

EAob 0.057 0.0471 0.0786 0.1100 0.1414 0.1563 0.1820 0.2012

~
0.0073 0.0220 0.0367 0.0513 0.0660 0.0733 0.0880 0.1000

--

NpIN*

0.On9

139 1,110 2,232

0.0010 0.0076 0.0153

End Slug Injection VpDw 0.01 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.26 Ew 0.01 0.05 0.10 0.15 0.20 0.25 0.26 VpDob 0.2245 0.2629 0.3090 0.3538 0.3976 0.4406 0.4491 EAs 0.1431 0.1657 0.1907 0.2134 0.2345 0.2540 0.2578 EAob 0.2084 0.2340 0.2620 0.2869 0.3094 0.3299 0.3338 Volume Injected (bbI) 45,522 60,045 78,198 96,352 114,505 132,658 136,289

.:
0.1087 0.1433 0.1867 0.2300 0.2733 0.3167 0.3253

Np (STB) 2,797 4,498 6,408 8,246 10,037 11,785 12,129

NplN 0.0192 0.0309 0.0440 0.0586 0.0689 0.0809 0.0832

Slug left as Residual VpDw 0.36 0.46 0.56 0.66 1.06

N = Oil .,=:

Ew 0.3292 0.3984 0.4675 0.5367 0.8134

VpDob 0.5491 0.6491 0.7491 0.8491 1.249

EAob 0.3970 0.4602 0.5234 0.5866 0.8394

Volume Injected (bbl) 172,595 208,902 245,208 281,515 426,741

~
0.4120 0.4987. 0.5854 0.6720 1.019

Np (STB) 13,515 14,529 15,543 16,557 20,614

NplN 0.0928 0.0997 0.1067 0.1136 0.1415

In pIaw at sIart 01 proCess.

224
60 ~HCPV~ I-D _ HCPV Silo A 5O'lIoHCPVSiIo o I_HCPVSiIg

ENHANCED

OIL RECOVERY

50:--

2. Water infection phase to point m time that last ofsolvent is left as a residual. a. Set VpDw' b. Calculate .iVpDs and VpDs' c. Calculate .iVpDob and VpDob' d. Calculate Eilw' EAs' and EAob,with the Claridge correlation. e. Check to determine if EAw>EAs (i.e., wbetherthe waterbank has overtaken tbe solvent bank). If it has, reduce the VpDw value and retom to Step 2a. If EAws, proceed to Step 2f. f. Calcu1ate Nr g. If Eilw <EAs' retum to Step 2a and repeat the calculation for tbe next V. . If E =E sr roceed to Ste 3. ater mjection pbase-watenIood the remaining oil. a. Calcnlate a new Me that is the ratio of mobility of the water in the waterflood zone to tbe mobility of the oil bank. This will require sbifting to a new Me value in the Claridge correlation, as indicated in Step 3d. b. Set .6.VpDw and calculate VpDw' c. Calculate V Dob' d. Calculate ~w and EAob' Me is assnmed to cbange linearly over 1 displaceable PV of water iIijected from the value used in Steps 1 and 2 to the value calculated for Step 3. e. Calculate N ' r f. If the maximum amount of water bas not been injected, return to Step 3b and repeat the calculation for the next .6.VpDw' A FORTRAN computer program written to make tbe calcu1ations is given in Appendix D. The calculation was made for slug sizes of 10%, 25%, 50%, and 100% HCPV. Results for the 10% slug are given in Table 6.11. Oil recoveries as functions of HCPV injected for a1l fonr slug sizes are shown in Fig. 6.76.

."~
~

40

15

:
10 00 0.1

~ ~
..d'"

..--c

... l'
0.2

~ ....

l.--0.3

.--

1---

---...~

-1.0

Q.5 D.4 HCP\IFlUIIIII1joCI8d

o.s

0.7

0.8

0.9

Fig. 6.76-Calculated size on recovery.

results for Example 6.14; effect of slug

methods of exercising mobility control should be considered, as should the role of gravity forces. Tbis probably will require conducting laboratory displacements. Mathematical modeling should be used to examine such factors as optiinum slug size and volumetric sweepout. 6.11.1 Phase Bebavior-Selection of a Solvent. Tbe selection of a solvent is govemed by reservoir pressure and temperatnre, reservoir oil composition, and solvent availability and costo Reservoir temperature and especia1ly pressure are, in turn, related to reservoir depth. Pressnres in excess of tbe fracture pressure cannot be used becanse fracturing would lead to poor sweep efficiency. A nile of thumb for fracture pressnre Is 0.6 psi/ of deptb. Miscibility of a solventloil system and efficiency of displacement in a phase-behavior sense are typica1ly determined from slim-tube experiments, as discussed in Seco 6.7. These experiments should be designed so that viscous-fingering, gravity-segregation, and heterogeneity effects are minimized. Under fuese conditions, tbe slimtube apparatus is basica1ly a multiple-contact device in an idealized porous medium. Recovery from an experiment represents the maximum displacement efficiency at the mcroscopic level tbat can be expected on the basis of the phase behavior of tbe solventloil system. Slim-tube experiments or RBA experiments can be used to measure the MMP for a specified solvent or tbe MME of a solvent at a specified pressure. The experiments are relatively simple and inexpensive lo conduct, making the testing of severa! systems feasible. An altemative or complementary experiment to the slim-tube test is the continuons multiple-contact test descrbed by Orr and Silva41 and Orr el al.42 In the device used for this test, multiple contacts between oil and solvent are made in a continuous process (as opposed to a batch process) but a porous medium is not used. Phasebehavior data that relate to the development of mscibility are obtained. Classic phase-behavior data taken in a PVT cell also can be usefuI. These experiments consist of allowing fixed amounts of 801vent and oil to equihbrate in a cell at fixed pressure and temperature. Samples of each pbase then can be used for measurements of compositions and otber properties sucb as viscosity and density. PVT data are relatvely time-consuming and expensive to obtain. Such data are useful to calibrate an EOS. The data also can be used to identify potential problems, such as asphaltene deposition. 6.11.2 MobHity-Control Coosiderations. As discussed in Sec. 6.8, viscosities of solvents are relatively small compared with those of reservoir oils. For example, viscosities of hydrocarbon gases or CO2 are on tbe order of 0.05 to 0.10 cp at usua1ly encountered flooding conditions. Thus, the mobility ratio between the solvent slug and tbe displaced oil bank is typica1ly very unfavorable. Research is under way on the use of additives to increase hydrocarbon or CO2 solvent viscosity. The application of mobilitycontrol agents, such as foams or gels, also has been examined. To date, however, these approaches are experimental and are not widely accepted technology in solvent flooding.

Example 6.14 illustrates the effect of solvent-slug size on recovery. The model used to make the calculations is based on a number of assumptions and should be viewed onIy as a rougb approximation of actual reservoir performance. Nonetbeless, trends and general behavor exhibited are indicative of miscible displacement performance. The Claridge 70 correlation was nsed in the calculations to obtain sweep efficiency. Other correlations, such as Stalkup's! or Withjack and Akervoll's61 could also be applied.

6.11 Deslgn Procedures and Criteria

A number of factors mnst be considered in the design of a mscible displacement process. This section discnsses those that relate primarily to the laboratory and modeling studies that precede field testing. In addition to tbe design work discussed here, significant reservoir analysis is required. The reservoir analysis should focus on geology, fluid distributions, performance of primary production, analysis of any prior displacement process (such as waterfiooding), injection rates, and pattern-geometry effects. Gaining an understanding of reservoir beterogeneity is especially critical for the final designo An economc study, including a sensitivity analysis, also sbould be done. In a miscible displacement process, a solvent slug that efficiently displaces the reservoir oil at the microscopic level must be used. Typica1ly, ROS to the solvent sbould be 10% or less. Depending on reservoir fluids and conditions (p and 1) and the solvents available, either a first-contact or multiple-contact process can be applied. Volumetric sweepout (wbich is dependent on mobility ratio, gravity effects, reservoir heterogeneities, and well pattem) mnst be such that the overa1l recovery efficiency is sufficient to yield a satisfactory economc return. The solvent-slug size should be designed so tbat tbe mscible and immscible portions (after solventslug breakdown) of the process yield this acceptable recovery. Meeting fuese criteria requires that certain laboratory and modeling studies be conducted in the design work. Pbase-bebavior studies relating to miscibility must be conducted. Fluid mobilities and