Page 69 - Hybrid Enhanced Oil Recovery Using Smart Waterflooding

CHAPTER 3 Modeling of Low-Salinity and Smart Waterflood 61

methyl alcohol, and isopropyl alcohol) and a couple of 4%e6% with an uncertainty. There is a slight discrep-
reactions including partitioning reaction and hydroly- ancy between the numerical simulation and the field
sis. There is a partitioning reaction, at which the primary measurement because of uncertainty of
tracer of ester, i.e., ethyl acetate (EtAC), dissolves in implementations of SWCTT for Well B.
both oil and water. Some ester dissolved in water hy- Up to date, only a few studies have reported the
drolyzes to form a secondary or product tracer, i.e., ethyl field-scaled simulations of LSWF process in sandstone
alcohol (EtOH). The multicomponent and multiphase and carbonate reservoirs. The field-scaled simulations
flow simulation of SWCTT process has to use the reac- are developed from the core-scaled numerical simula-
tions. In addition, the mechanism of LSWF process, tion and experiments. In addition, the field-scaled
wettability modification, has to be implemented in simulation of Yousef, Al-Saleh, et al. (2012) and Yousef,
the numerical simulation. The mechanistic approach Liu, et al. (2012) reliably predicted real field implemen-
of LSWF modeling is associated with the comprehensive tation and demonstrated the feasibility of LSWF process
geochemical reactions as well as wettability modifica- in the field.
tion modeling. The numerical simulations of LSWF pro-
cess use the input parameters determined by the
previous experiments (Yousef, Al-Saleh, et al., 2012; REFERENCES
Yousef et al., 2011). It is assumed that the LSWF im-
Al-Shalabi, E. W., & Sepehrnoori, K. (2017). Low salinity and
proves the wettability of carbonate rocks modifying
engineered water injection for sandstones and carbonate
relative permeability and capillary pressure. reservoirs. Cambridge, MA: Gulf Professional Publishing,
The field trial design for Well A is consisted of three an imprint of Elsevier.
stages. In the first stage, sufficient field seawater is Al-Shalabi, E. W., Luo, H., Delshad, M., & Sepehrnoori, K.
injected to establish the residual oil saturation (2015a). Single-well chemical tracer modeling of low
near Well A. Afterward, the SWCTT test is deployed to salinity water injection in carbonates. In Paper presented at
estimate the residual oil saturation after seawater the SPE western regional meeting, Garden Grove, California,
injection. In the second stage, seawater injection and USA, 27e30 April. https://doi.org/10.2118/173994-MS.
succeeding SWCTT test are repeated to ensure the resid- Al-Shalabi, E. W., Sepehrnoori, K., Delshad, M., & Pope, G.
ual oil saturation. The last stage is incorporated with the (2015b). A novel method to model low-salinity-water
injection in carbonate oil reservoirs. SPE Journal, 20(5),
LSWF using diluted seawater by a factor of 10, and then, 1154e1166. https://doi.org/10.2118/169674-PA.
the SWCTT test is performed to measure the residual oil Al-Shalabi, E. W., Sepehrnoori, K., & Pope, G. (2015c). Mech-
saturation. Numerical simulations are carried out for anistic modeling of oil recovery due to low salinity water
the field trial design of three stages. From the results injection in oil reservoirs. In Paper presented at the SPE
of the numerical simulation, the reduction in residual middle east oil & gas show and conference, Manama, Bahrain,
oil saturation is estimated by 6%e7% in the vicinity 8e11 March. https://doi.org/10.2118/172770-MS.
of Well A. The prediction of simulations is similar to Al-Shalabi, E. W., Sepehrnoori, K., Pope, G., & Mohanty, K.
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due to low salinity water injection in carbonate rocks. In
for Well A. For the Well B, the field trial is differently
Paper presented at the SPE energy resources conference, port of
designed to demonstrate the impact of different
Spain, Trinidad and Tobago, 9e11 June. https://doi.org/
versions of LSWF on the residual oil saturation reduc-
10.2118/169911-MS.
tion. The field trial design for Well B also has three Appelo, C. A. J., & Postma, D. (1999). Geochemistry, groundwater
stages. In the first stage, the seawater is flooded through and pollution (4th corrected print ed.). Rotterdam, Brook-
Well B and SWCTT is performed to measure the residual field, VT: Balkema.
oil saturation. In the second stage, the reduction of Austad, T., Shariatpanahi, S. F., Strand, S., Black, C. J. J., &
residual oil saturation by LSWF, which injects the Webb, K. J. (2012). Conditions for a low-salinity enhanced
diluted seawater by a factor of 2, is investigated. The oil recovery (EOR) effect in carbonate oil reservoirs. Energy
SWCTT process measures the residual oil saturation and Fuels, 26(1), 569e575. https://doi.org/10.1021/
after the LSWF. In the third stage, another LSWF process ef201435g.
is deployed and then SWCTT is performed. The second Bakker, R. J. (2003). Package FLUIDS 1. computer programs for
analysis of fluid inclusion data and for modelling bulk fluid
LSWF uses the diluted seawater by a factor of 10. From properties. Chemical Geology, 194(1), 323. https://doi.org/
the results of numerical simulations, it is shown that 10.1016/S0009-2541(02)00268-1.
LSWF with two-times-diluted seawater reduces residual Bedrikovetsky, P., Siqueira, F. D., Furtado, C. A., &
oil saturation by 3%. LSWF with 10-times-diluted Souza, A. L. S. (2011). Modified particle detachment model
seawater decreases the residual oil saturation by for colloidal transport in porous media. Transport in Porous