Enhanced Oil Recovery

Dr. Abdelrigeeb Al-Gathe

2017-2018
 Sweep Efficiency
The overall recovery factor (efficiency) RF of any secondary or tertiary oil
recovery method is the product of a combination of three individual efficiency
factors as following :

RF = NP/NS = ED*EA*EV --------- where

RF = overall recovery factor

NS = initial oil in place at the start of the flood, STB
NP = cumulative oil produced, STB
ED = displacement efficiency
EA = areal sweep efficiency
EV = vertical sweep efficiency
 Sweep Efficiency
• Displacement Efficiency ED
The displacement efficiency ED is the fraction of
movable oil that has been displaced from the
swept zone at any given time or pore volume
injected.
 Sweep Efficiency
Areal sweep Efficiency EA
The areal sweep efficiency EA is the fractional area of the pattern that
is swept by the displacing fluid.

The major factors determining areal sweep are:

 Fluid mobility's
 Pattern type
 Areal heterogeneity
 Total volume of fluid injected Sweep
 Sweep Efficiency
Vertical sweep Efficiency EV
The vertical sweep efficiency EV is the fraction of the vertical
section of the pay zone that is contacted by injected fluids.

The vertical sweep efficiency is primarily a function of:

• Vertical heterogeneity
• Degree of gravity segregation
• Fluid mobility's
• Total volume injection.
 Sweep Efficiency
Mobility Ratio:
• is defined as the ratio of the effective
permeability of the fluid to the fluid viscosity
Sweep Efficiency
 Sweep Efficiency
The two effects which have the most impact on
sweep efficiency in miscible flooding are :-
– Viscous fingering
– Gravity tonguing
 Water flooding

The process of injection compatible

water under pressure into the
reservoir in order to enhance or
maintain the reservoir driving energy,
consequently, increasing the reservoir
recovery.
 Factors to Consider in Waterflooding

 Reservoir Geometry
(Areal geometry-offshore)
 Fluid properties
(oil viscosity the mobility ratio controls the sweep efficiency)
 Reservoir Depth
(Maximum injection pressure will increase with depth 1 psi/ft)
 Lithology and Rock Properties
(∅ − 𝑘 −Clay content-Net thickness)

where pinj = water-injection pressure

iw = water-injection rate
h = net thickness
k = absolute permeability
(Tight (low-permeability) reservoirs or reservoirs with thin net thickness)
 Factors to Consider in Waterflooding

 Fluid Saturation
higher oil saturation at the beginning of flood operations increases the oil mobility that, in
turn, gives higher recovery efficiency.

 Reservoir Uniformity and Pay Continuity

 (limited thickness with a very high permeability (i.e., thief zone), rapid channeling and
bypassing will develop).
 Breaks in pay continuity and reservoir anisotropy caused by :
depositional conditions, fractures, or faulting need to be identified and described before
determining the suitable flood pattern orientation.

 Primary Reservoir Driving Mechanisms

 Goal of Waterflooding
Increase the amount of oil recovered from the
reservoir by
 Maintaining reservoir pressure

 Displacing (sweeping) oil with water

Water Injection (Waterflooding)
Producing well
Injection well

Water
Oil

Oil bank

Water + Water + Oil + gas + water

residual oil movable oil (Low pressure)
Applications of Waterflooding

Most applicable:
Solution-gas drive
Gas-cap drive
Weak water drive
Gravity drainage
Not applicable
Strong water drive
 Applications of Waterflooding
 Solution-gas drive reservoirs are some of the best candidates for waterflooding.

 Gas-cap drives benefit from waterflooding but require careful attention to

prevent

 Water injection losses into the gas cap

 Oil being pushed up into the gas cap.

 A weak water drive that cannot maintain reservoir pressure can be supplemented

by water injection.

 Gravity drainage reservoirs are usually steeply dipping, causing areally small

reservoirs which make injector placement difficult.

 Applications of Waterflooding

 A weak water drive that cannot maintain reservoir pressure can

be supplemented by water injection.

 Gravity drainage reservoirs are usually steeply dipping, causing

areally small reservoirs which make injector placement difficult.

 Strong water drive reservoirs generally do not need any water

injection.
Optimum Time to start Waterflooding
 Cole (1969) lists the following factors as being important
when determining the reservoir pressure (or time) to initiate
a secondary recovery project:
 Reservoir oil viscosity

 Free gas saturation

 Cost of injection equipment

 Productivity of producing wells

 Effect of delaying investment on the time value of money

 Overall life of the reservoir

 Optimum Time to Waterflooding

 The most common procedure for determining the optimum

time to start waterflooding is to calculate:
 Anticipated Oil Recovery
 Fluid Production Rates
 Monetary Investment
 Availability and Quality of The Water Supply
 Costs of Water Treatment and Pumping Equipment
 Costs Of Maintenance and Operation of the Water Installation Facilities
 Costs of Drilling New Injection Wells or Converting Existing Production
Wells into Injectors
 Selection of Flooding Patterns

 One of the first steps in designing a water flooding project is flood

pattern selection.
 The objective is to select the proper pattern that will provide the
injection fluid with the maximum possible contact with the crude
oil system.
 This selection can be achieved by:
 Converting existing production wells into injectors or
 Drilling infill injection wells.
 Water Source Selection
The water source must be able to supply sufficient
water to achieve the maximum desired injection rate
for the project being considered.
 Some of the common sources of water for a
waterflood are:
 Produced water
 Brine or fresh water from other subsurface zones
( supply wells )
 Surface water from oceans, lakes, streams or rivers
Water Treatment Methods In The Oilfield
Sketch of Injection Well and Production Well