Two-dimensional physical model study on mechanisms of enhanced heavy oil recovery by chemical flooding
Date
2012
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Abstract
The dominant mechanism of enhanced heavy oil recovery by chemical flooding is studied by conducting various chemical slug injections into a two-dimensional physical model. A total of sixteen tests including seven single-slug tests, seven two-slug tests and two tests with chemical slug alternated with air slugs were conducted to test the contribution of alkaline, surfactant, polymer and their combinations to enhanced heavy oil recovery. The relationship between the tertiary oil recovery and the pressure drop of the seven single-slug floods was analyzed, and it was discovered that the two have a good correlation. Comparison of the tertiary oil recoveries of different chemical slug tests shows that the improved recovery for the heavy oil used in this study is mainly due to the plugging of water channels, or the reduction of water mobility. The results of two-slug tests show that after regular alkaline/surfactant/polymer flooding, the second polymer slug injection can recover more oil, if a water slug injection is applied between the two chemical slugs. Experimental results and conclusions were further studied in the field application of polymer flooding, based on simulation results using actual geological and reservoir data and the production history data from Pelican Lake reservoir.
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Bibliography: p. 83-90
Some pages are in colour.
Some pages are in colour.
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Citation
Zhou, X. (2012). Two-dimensional physical model study on mechanisms of enhanced heavy oil recovery by chemical flooding (Master's thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/5054