2 EOR Polymer Flooding Lecture

17-Mar-13
Simulation of Enhanced Oil

Recovery (EOR) Processes
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Course (SEORP)
Polymers: Lecture and Workshop
SIS Training and Development
Denver, Houston, Abingdon
Topics
• Introduction
• Principles of Polymer Flooding
• Polymer chemistry
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• Polymer implementation in ECLIPSE

• How to use in ECLIPSE
March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 2
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17-Mar-13
Introduction
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Polymer Flooding Basics
• If you are doing a water flood

– Oil viscosity = 3 cP
– Water viscosity = 0.5 cP
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– Water will finger through the oil and

break through to your producer wells
very early
– And give a higher water cut
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Polymer Flooding Basics
• If you mix polymer with the injection

water
– Mixture viscosity = 10 cP
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– Water break through is delayed
– Water cut in producer is reduced
– Oil recovery is increased
• Example is next slide
Water Cut Comparison
Water Injection
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Polymer Injection
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Polymer Flooding
Theory/Mechanisms
• When polymer mixture flows in the
porous medium several complex
processes occur.
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• Most of these processes are included
in the ECLIPSE Polymer Flooding
model.
• A quick over view will be given here
– detailed descriptions and
equations will be given later:
Outline of Mechanisms
• Decrease Water Mobility
• Plugging
• Entrapment
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• Adsorption
• Residual Resistance
• Permeability Reduction
• Interactions Between Brine and Polymer
• Inaccessible Pore Space to the Polymer
• Rheology of Polymer Solutions
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Decrease Water Mobility
• The main objective of polymer

injection during water flooding of oil
reservoirs is to decrease the mobility
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of the injected water.
• Viscosity of polymer solution is a
function of polymer properties,
polymer concentration, shear rate
(velocity), rheology of polymer,
temperature, rock-polymer interaction,
etc.
Plugging
• Certain plugging effects within highly

permeable layers may also occur and
result in the diversion of the injected
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water into less permeable zones of

the reservoir.
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Entrapment
• Mechanical entrapment of some of

the large molecules at the entrance
to small pore throats may also occur
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and account for an apparent loss of
polymer from the invading solution.
Adsorption
• When a polymer solution is injected

into the reservoir some of the long
chain molecules constituting the
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polymer are adsorbed onto the rock

surfaces.
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Residual Resistance
• The reservoir rock material is

believed to retain a specific capacity
of polymer – permanent permeability
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reduction
Permeability Reduction
• The rock permeability to water is

reduced after the passage of a
polymer solution through the rock
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material (the permeability to oil is,

however, largely unaffected).
• Both effects combine to reduce the
value of the water mobility while that
for the oil is unaltered.
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• Adsorption and entrapment

processes produce a reduction in the
relative permeability of the polymer
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solution.
• The reduction results from an
interaction between the aqueous
solution and the polymer retained by
the rock material.
Heads Up on ECLIPSE
• ECLIPSE Polymer model combines

the effects of plugging, entrapment,
residual resistance, dead pore
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volume, and adsorption effect on

permeability in 2 simple parameters.
• Thus, one does not need to
differentiate between these
mechanisms.
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Interactions Between Brine and

Polymer
• The study of the interaction of brine
with the polymer solution is,
however, optional within the
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ECLIPSE model.
Inaccessible Pore Space to the

Polymer
• This dead pore volume represents
the amount of total pore volume in
each grid cell that is inaccessible to
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the polymer solution.

• The effect of the dead pore volume
within each cell is to cause the
polymer solution to travel at a
greater velocity than inactive tracers
embedded in the water.
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Rheology of Polymer Solutions
• At low flow rates the viscosity of the

solution is approximately constant
and depends only on the
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concentration of polymer in the
solution.
Rheology of Polymer Solutions
• At higher flow rates the solution

viscosity reduces in a reversible
(elastic) manner.
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• At even higher velocities the large

polymer molecules begin to break
up, and the viscosity reduction
becomes irreversible (plastic).
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Temperature Effect
• The effect of temperature variations

on the behavior of the polymer
solution is currently ignored in the
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ECLIPSE model.
Key Learning From This Lecture
• Understand the previous

mechanisms
• Understand the relationships
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between mechanisms
• Understand the input parameters to
the mechanisms - ECLIPSE
• Observe the sensitivities to changes
in the input parameters
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Polymer Flooding Overview
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Polymer Flooding Limitations

• High oil viscosities require a higher
polymer concentration.
• Results are normally better if the polymer
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flood is started before the water-oil ratio

becomes excessively high.
• Clays increase polymer adsorption.
• Some heterogeneity is acceptable, but
avoid extensive fractures. If fractures are
present, the cross-linked or gelled
polymer techniques may be applicable.
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Polymer Flooding Challenges

• Lower injectivity than with water can
adversely affect oil production rates in the
early stages of the polymer flood.
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• Acrylamide-type polymers lose viscosity
due to shear degradation, salinity and
divalent ions.
• Xanthangum polymers cost more, are
subject to microbial degradation, and have
a greater potential for wellbore plugging.
Principles of Polymer Flooding
• Significant increases in recovery

when compared to conventional
waterflooding projects
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• Reduce the unfavorable effect of

permeability variations
• Primary features for effectiveness
– Reservoir heterogeneity
– Mobility ratio of reservoir fluids
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Reservoir Heterogeneity
• Strata with wide ranging properties

• Variation in horizontal and vertical
permeability
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• Divergence of permeability an
important factor
• High permeability layers or conduits
• Fracture networks
How does Fluid Move?
• Fluid flow seeks path of least

resistance
• Most fluid follows fractures or high
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permeability zones
• Reservoir fluid in lower permeability
zones left behind resulting in low
recovery
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Exaggerated Effect of Water Injection
• As oil saturation
decreases due to
injection water
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– Permeability to water
increases
– Resulting in ever
increasing water/oil
ratios in producing
wells
– And further favoring
high permeability
streaks
Vertical Sweep Efficiency

• Vertical permeability variation causes an
irregular front
– Called invasion efficiency or
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– Vertical sweep efficiency

Cross-section contacted by injected fluid
cross section of all layers behind front
• A function of:
– Reservoir characteristics
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Areal Sweep Efficiency
• Horizontal variation causes the injected

fluid to advance at an uneven rate
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Area contacted by injected fluid at breakthrough
Total area
• A function of:
– Reservoir characteristics and
– Geometric pattern of inj. and prod. wells
Volumetric Sweep Efficiency
• 3 dimensional effect of sweep
Pore volume contacted by injected fluid

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Total pore volume
• Polymers reduce
– Detrimental effect of high permeability
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Mobility
• Mobility of water k w = λw
µw
ko
• Mobility of oil = λo
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µo
M =  w
k   ko  = λ λ
• Mobility ratio   
 µw   µo 
w o
• But, permeabilities are not constant
Mobility Ratio and Relative

Permeability
M =  k rw   k ro 
µw   µo 
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• Permeability of water increases as oil

saturation decreases
• Mobility increases as oil is produced
– M < 1 piston-like efficient displacement of oil
– M > 1 water fingering, inefficient displacement
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Polymers
M =  k rw   kro 
 µw   µo 
• Water soluble polymers
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– Increase viscosity of displacing fluid
– Improving mobility ratio
– Increasing displacement efficiency
• To be useful polymer must be
– Effective
– Relatively cheap as they are used in high
concentration
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Polymer Chemistry
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What are Polymers
• Smaller molecules (monomers)

joining together and forming a
repeating unit called a polymer
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• Characteristics
– High molecular weight
– flexible
Polymer Examples
• Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide

• (HPAM)
• Xanthan gum (polysaccharide)
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• Guar gum (polysaccharide)

• Carboxymethylcellulose (CMC)
• Hydroxyethylcellulose (HEC)
• Associating polymers
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Polymers
• Two polymers meet the criteria to be

effective and to be economic are:
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– Polysaccharides
– Polyacrylamides
Polysaccharides
• Polymer chemical formula

OH
O
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O O
• It is a xanthan gum
• Not very flexible
• Molecular weight 5 million!
• Highly rigid
• Susceptible to bacterial action
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Structure
• Often linear structure, degrees of branching
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Xanthan Gum Structure

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Polysaccharide Storage
• Very susceptible to bacterial attack

• Biocides and oxygen scavengers
essential to maintain polymer
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• Aerobic bacteria (microbes)
– Breakdown the polymer
– Cause pore plugging (1 micron
diameter, 4 microns in length)
Acrylamide
• Strictly named acrylic amide
– Chemical formula C3H5NO
O
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=
– Monomer
CH2 = CH-C-NH2
CH CH2 CH CH2 CH CH2
C=O C=O C=O

– Polymer NH2 NH2 NH2
– White odorless crystalline solid soluble

in water
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Polyacrylamide
• Molecular weight 1 – 10 million
– Typical molecular weight distribution
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• Flexible molecule
• Long thin molecule
– Susceptible to mechanical or shear
breakage
• Immune to bacterial attack
Hydrolysis of Polyacrylamide
• 0 – 30% hydrolysis achieved by

treating with a strong base (eg. NaOH)
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C=O C=O
NH2 O Na+
Amide Carboxyl
• Both hydrolyzed and unhydrolyzed are

highly polar
• Great affinity for water but not oil
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Comparison
• Partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide

– Percentage of hydrolysis 28%
– Average molecular weight 13 million
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• High Pyruvate Xanthan (HP Xanthan)
– MW 1 million
– Medium pyruvate, MW 2 to 4 million
Displacement Mechanisms
• Reducing mobility has been M = k rw µo

k ro µw
recognized for many years
• Most processes rely on reducing
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effective viscosity of oil

– Heating
– Solvents etc.
• Polymers work by increasing
effective viscosity of water, also
reducing mobility
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Displacement Mechanisms
• Increased effective viscosity is not

the most important
• Consider:
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– Rheology
– Solvent
– Molecular weight
– Hydrolysis
– Polymer concentration
To be discussed in the following slides
Shear Rate, Shear Stress and

Rheology
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General shear stress
τ = the shear stress
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F = the force applied
A = the cross-sectional area of material with area parallel

to the applied force vector
τ = F/A
Shear stress in fluids
µ is the dynamic viscosity of the fluid
u is the velocity of the fluid along the boundary

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y is the height above the boundary
∂u
τ =µ
∂y
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Shear rate
For the simple shear case, it is just a gradient of
velocity in a flowing material.
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SI unit of measurement for shear rate is sec-1.
du
Shear Rate =
dy
Rheology
• Polymers are non-Newtonian fluids

and do not strictly increase the
viscosity of the water
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• Newtonian fluids deform (flow) when

subjected to shearing force
• Resistance to flow is a ratio shearing
force to shear stress, called viscosity
τ µ viscosity
µ= τ shear stress
γ γ shear rate
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Viscosity Units - Review
1 cP = 1 mPa·s = 0.001 Pa·s.
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Rheology - Fluid Types

• Newtonian – viscosity remains constant
(water, thin oils)
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• Pseudoplastic – decreasing viscosity with

increasing shear rate (emulsions polymers)
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• Dilatant, – increasing viscosity with
increasing shear rate (corn starch, silly
putty)
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• Other fluids (note axes swapped)
1. Viscoplastic fluid
2. Bingham fluid
3. Pseudoplastic fluid
4. Newtonian fluid
5. Dilatant fluid
Overview of Viscosity Models

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• Bingham Fluid
– Behaves as a solid under static conditions
– Force required before flow induced
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– May then display Newtonian, pseudoplastic or
dilatant flow characteristics
1. Viscoplastic fluid
2. Bingham fluid
3. Pseudoplastic fluid
4. Newtonian fluid
5. Dilatant fluid
Rheology - Pseudoplastic Fluids

• As shearing rate increases, resistance to
flow decreases
• Power law model
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µ = Kτ n n < 1 for pseudo plastic fluids
K and n used to define the flow behavior of the fluid
• Exhibits high viscosity at low flow rates

and low viscosity at high flow rates
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Rheology - Pseudoplastic Fluids
Linearity at high shear rates

“viscosity at infinite shear”
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Region of importance
Linearity at low shear rates

“viscosity at zero shear rate”
Rheology - Polymer Viscosities
Oil
Apparent
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Viscosity Polymer
Water
Shear Rate (flow velocity)
Viscosity of polymers higher than

that of water even at high flow rates
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Solvents
Polymer can be visualized as a fibrous chain
• In a good solvent • In a poorer solvent
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– Polymer chain – Minimized contact
extends to make with solvent
good contact with – Reduced
solvent entanglements
– Gives polymer gel – More rigid structure
like appearance
– Polymer – polymer
entanglement
maximized
Solvent - Water
• Distilled water very good solvent

• However as salt is added the polar
charge is neutralized and forces
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extending molecule are reduced
Apparent
Viscosity
Salt concentration
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Solvent - Salt Concentration
• Viscosity reduction due to salt

concentration more obvious in ionic
polymers
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Apparent
Viscosity
Non-ionic polymer
Salt concentration
Solvent – Pseudoplastic Effect
• As shear rates increase, polymer has

less opportunity for entanglements
so detrimental effect of salt is less
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pronounced
Apparent
Viscosity
of ionic
polymer
solution
In brine
Shear rate
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Molecular Weight
• Length of molecules and hence

molecular weight is important
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• Compact non-interacting spheres
would have little impact on viscosity
• As the molecules are of fibrous

nature, extension and entanglement
are important for viscosity increases
Hydrolysis
1000
• Apparent viscosity Apparent

Viscosity100
increases with the degree Distilled
of hydrolysis, however as H2O 10
salt is added effect is
decreased 1
0 10 20 30
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% Hydrolysis
1000
• CaCl2 (calcium chloride),
has a much greater effect Apparent
100
than NaCl (sodium Viscosity
10 35% Hydrolysis
chloride) - divalent 15% Hydrolysis
Unhydrolyzed
1
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10
• At CaCl2 concentrations > NaCl Conc. %
0.1 wt %, viscosity is less 1000
than unhydrolyzed polymer
this is not observed with Apparent
100
NaCl Viscosity
10 15% Hydrolysis
Unhydrolyzed
1 35% Hydrolysis
0.0001 0.001 0.01 0.1 1 10
CaCl2 Conc. %
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Polymer Concentration
• Increase in viscosity due to polymer
concentration is initially linear and then
quadratic
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– Initially as concentration increases opportunity
for molecular entanglement increases
– At v. low concentrations there is no viscosity
change
Apparent
Viscosity
500 ppm polymer
25 ppm polymer
H2O
Shear rate
Polymer Concentration
• At low concentrations 1,000 ppm or

less:
viscosity ∝ C, concentration
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(Used for oils < 50 cP)
• For higher concentrations

viscosity ∝ C2, concentration
Good economics for high viscosity oil

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Salinity Explanation
• CaCl2 is divalent
• CaCl2 has many
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more charges to
attach to the polar
molecule
• NaCl is
monovalent
Further Complications!
• Polymer retention and mobility

reduction…
• As polymer is forced through
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formation there is a significant

reduction in polymer concentration
due to adsorption and plugging
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Intrinsic Viscosity
• Direct comparison of effectiveness of
polymer is difficult using measured
viscosity
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• Intrinsic viscosities are compared,
η intrinsic viscosity
µ − µs µ polymer solution viscosity
η = lim
c →0 c µ s
µs solvent viscosity
c polymer concentration
• Useful for determining molecular size of

polymer
Calculation of Intrinsic Viscosity

given Molecular Weight
• Using the correlation
[η ] = 3.73 × 10−4 ( Mw )
0.66
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• For Mw = 3x106, η= 7.7
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Polymer Size
• Experimental and mathematical
methodology agree well
• Flory developed equations in 1953
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For a non ionic polymer
r = polymer molecule end-to-end distance
r 2 = 8 (W η )
1
3
W = polymer molecular weight
η = intrinsic viscosity
For a linear polymer
s = polymer molecule radius of gyration
r 2 = 6 s −2
• Smaller pore sizes are of similar size to
polymer molecule
A size example:
An ideal polymer chain with 106 repeat units
(not unusual), each unit about 6Å will
have:
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• a rms end-to-end distance R (not radius)

of 600 nm
• a contour length of 600 µm
• Å = 0.1 nm (nanometers)
• 1 nm = 10-3 µm
• 600 nm = 0.6 µm (microns)
Reference: Centre for Functional
Soft Matter
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Polymer Retention
• Reduced permeability caused by

polymer retention
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– Polymer forced through cores shows
reduction in concentration
– The retention of the polymer in the pore
spaces leads to permeability reduction
Polymer Adsorption
• Adsorption increases with increasing

polymer saturation
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Adsorption
Polymer concentration
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Factors Affecting Adsorption
• Minerals
– CaCO3 greater affinity than silicates
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• Solvent salinity
– Consensus is that adsorption increases
with salt concentration
Inaccessible Pore Volume
• Reduced adsorption caused by

inaccessible pore volume
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• Only brine passes through small

pores, polymer bypasses
• Time of travel of polymer less than

expected, velocity is higher,
breakthrough sooner than brine
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Entrapment
• Polymer trapped
– Large pore openings at one end
– Small pores at other
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• Molecule shape
– Elongated while flowing
– Coiled when not flowing
• Entrapment is not plugging
– Reduces ability of water to flow
– Oil can still flow
Residual Resistance
• Adsorption and entrapment are only

partially reversible
• Effect of polymer can be seen long
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after polymer injection has taken

place
100
Original
80 perm. reduction
%
Permeability 60 Residual
Reduction perm. reduction
Polymer Brine
40
flow flow
20
1
0.01 0.1 1 10 100
Pore Volume of Fluid
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Shear Degradation
• Breakup of polymer chain as shear

rate increases
– Viscous shear is less than viscoelastic
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shear
• Presence of salts increases
susceptibility to shear degradation
Selection of Reservoir for Polymer

Injection
• Mobility poor (2 – 20)
– >20 economics are likely to be poor
– ~ 1 then little to be gained
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• Significant permeability distribution

• Will help if high water cut due to
– Water coning
– High perm zone
– High viscosity oil (up to 300 cP)
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Parameters
• Approximately equal to production

– High rates lead to loss in aquifers/gas
caps
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• Reservoir temperature < 250-300 °F
• Reasonably high mobile oil So
• Not useful in fractured/vuggy
reservoirs
ECLIPSE Polymer Flood Model

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See Technical Description Chapter 52 for all details
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Simulation Equations - Black Oil

Three phase (o-w-g) flow equations
volatile oil: gas dissolved in oil - Rs,
no oil dissolved in gas
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Water component:
∇ ⋅  λ w ( ∇ P w − γ w ∇ z )  =
∂  Sw 
 φ  + qw
∂ t  Bw  (EQ 15)

Oil component:
∇ ⋅  λ o ( ∇ P o − γ o∇ z )  =
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∂  So 
∂t φ B o  + q o
  (EQ 16)
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Gas component:
∇ ⋅ Rsλo ( ∇Po − γ o∇z ) + λg ( ∇Pg − γ g∇z ) 
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∂   So Sg 
= φ  Rs +  + Rsqo + qg
∂ t   Bo Bg 
(EQ 17)

where phase transmissibility, phase
i
k ⋅ kri
λi =
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µ i ⋅ Bi (EQ 18)
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Modifications for Polymers
• Modifications to the water equation

required to account for polymers
– Accumulation of polymer
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– Adsorption of polymer
– Effect of brine
Polymer Equations
Rel perm redn. due to
• Water Equation polymer retention
d  VSw   Tk rw 
  = ∑ (δ Pw − ρw gDz ) + Qw
dt  Br Bw   Bw µw eff Rk 
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• Polymer Equation Adsorption term
d  V Sw Cp
*
 d  1− φ   Tk rw Cp 
  + V ρ r Ca  = ∑ (δ Pw − ρw gDz ) + QwCp
dt  Br Bw  dt  φ   Bw µ p eff Rk 
Sw* = Sw − Sdpv Polymer concentration
• Brine Equation Rock formation vol. factor
d  VSw Cn   Tkrw Cn 
  = ∑ (δ Pw − ρw gDz ) + QwCn
dt  Br Bw   Bw µs eff Rk 
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Nomenclature
S dpv denotes dead pore space in each grid cell
C ap denotes the polym er adsorption concentration
ρr denotes the m ass density of the form ation
φ denotes the porosity
ρw denotes the w ater density
∑ denotes the sum over all neighbouring cells
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Rk denotes the relative perm eability reduction factor for the aqueous phase due
to polym er retentio n
µ α e ff denotes the effective viscosity of the w ater (a=w ), polym er (a=p) and
salt (a=s).
Dz is the cell center depth
B r ,B w are the rock and w ater form ation volum es
T the transm issibility
k rw is the w ater relative perm eability
Sw is the w ater saturation
V is the block pore volum e
Qw is the w ater production rate
Pw is the w a ter pressure
g is the gravity acceleration
Assumptions
• Bw and ρw are independent of salt
concentration
• Polymer solution reservoir brine and
injected water are considered to be
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miscible components of the aqueous

phase.
• Degree of mixing specified through
viscosity terms
• Fluid viscosities are dependent on
concentration of salt and polymer in
solution
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Numerical Stability
• Equations are solved implicitly

– Removes problems that could be
caused by large changes in aqueous
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properties over a time step
• IMPES solution algorithm cannot be

used with the Polymer option
Mechanisms
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(plugging, entrapment, residual resistance, dead pore volume,

and adsorption)
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From Introduction
• ECLIPSE Polymer model combines

the effects of plugging, entrapment,
residual resistance, dead pore
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volume, and adsorption effect on
permeability in 2 simple parameters.
Focus of Mechanisms in ECLIPSE Polymer

Flooding Model is PLYROCK Keyword
• PLYROCK keyword input 2 key

parameters:
– dead pore space for this rock type
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– residual resistance factor for this rock

type
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Dead Pore Space/Volume
• Amount of total pore volume

inaccessible to polymer
• A chromatographic effect: causes
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polymer to move with greater

velocity than inactive tracers in water
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Dead Pore Space/Volume
• The value specified should be

greater than or equal to 0 and less
than the maximum water saturation.
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Example PLYROCK from

Workshop Datasets
-- Polymer-Rock Properties
PLYROCK
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-- dead residual mass adsorption maximum

-- pore resistance density index polymer
-- space factor adsorption
0.16 1.5 770.0 1 0.00040 /
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Next Series of Slide Will Show

How We Determine These Two
Parameters From Laboratory
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Experiments
Measure in Lab
• Pore throat distribution (radius) in

your porous medium.
• End to end average size of the
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polymers you plan to inject.
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Dead End Pore Volume
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Polymer Radius
• The average radius of the polymer

molecules (called radius of gyration)
varies with
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• Type of polymer
• Molecular weight
• Radius in micro meters / microns =
µm can vary from < 0.1 to ≈10
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17-Mar-13
Pore Throat Radius
• Pore throat radius is a distribution in

all porous medium.
• Depends on type of rock
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• Rock chemistry
• Rock permeability and porosity
• Next slide shows pore size
distribution of several sedimentary
rocks
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Obvious Physics
• If a polymer molecule (radius) is

larger that the rock pore throat
(radius) then the polymer molecule
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will not flow through this part of the
rock.
Example of Determining Deal Pore

Space From Lab Data
• We have a polymer with a RMS end to
end distance of 4 microns
• rms end-to-end distance R = 4 microns
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• ½ R (radius) = 2 microns
• Will inject it into a porous media with
the following distribution of pore/pore
throat sizes.
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Typical Pore Throat Radius

Distribution
5 µm
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X10-1
Pore Throat Radius (microns x 10-1)
March 13 Simulation of Naturally Fractured 111

Reservoirs Chapter 5
Typical Pore Throat Radius

Distribution
½ R (1/2 end to end length of polymer
molecule= radius = 2 microns
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Polymer molecules will not flow through

these pores = dead pore volume = 16% of the
total pores
X10-1
Pore Throat Radius (microns x 10-1)
March 13 Simulation of Naturally Fractured 112

Reservoirs Chapter 5
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Polymer Equation
In the accumulation term for polymer simulator uses
the pore volume available for polymer flow (V* )
which is the original pore volume – dead end (pore)
volume where polymer can not flow.
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Pore volume available for polymer flow
d  V SwCp  d 
*
1− φ   TkrwCp 
  + V ρr Ca  = ∑ (δ Pw − ρw gDz ) + QwCp
dt  Br Bw  dt  φ   Bw µp eff Rk 
Block Pore Volume

 S 
V * = V  1 − dpv  pre-2008.2
 Sw 
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V * = V (1 − Sdpv ) post-2008.2
Where Sdpv is the dead pore space for polymer

(first parameter of PLYROCK)
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V* and Dead Pore Volume
GRID BLOCK
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Block PV-V* Polymer only in this
part of grid block.
Total polymer in this

Dead pore grid block is =
volume, no
polymer V* Sw Cp
V*
Residual Resistance Factor

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Residual Resistance Factor (RRF)
• RRF is the input value

• Rk is the calculated value in the flow
equation
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• RRF, this quantity must be greater
than or equal to 1 and represents the
decrease in the rock permeability to
the aqueous phase when the
maximum amount of polymer has
been adsorbed.
In the Laboratory
• Measure on a live core:

– Permeability of rock before polymer
injection
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– Permeability of rock after maximum

amount of polymer has been
adsorbed/trapped.
– Ratio is the RRF.
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Polymer Equation
In the flow term for polymer need to reduce the
transmissibility as polymer is “adsorbed” onto the
rock via plugging, entrapment, or adsorption. This
Rk factor is a function of the residual resistance
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factor and the amount of adsorbed polymer.
Residual Resistance Factor
d V SwCp  d 
*
1−φ   TkrwCp 
  + VρrCa  = ∑ (δPw − ρwgDz ) +QwCp
dt  Br Bw  dt  φ  Bw µp eff Rk 
Note we divide by Rk – so the larger the value the lower is the

transmissibility of the grid blocks to polymer flow.
• Adsorption reduces permeability of

rock to passage of aqueous phase
• Correlated to adsorbed polymer
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concentration
• User specifies residual resistance
factor (RRF), actual resistance, Rk,
calculated
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C ap
R k = 1.0 + (RRF - 1.0)
C ap max
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Maximum adsorbed concentration, user specified
and dependent on rock type: PLYROCK(5)
Permeability Reduction Question
Ca
p
R k = 1.0 + (RRF - 1.0)
Cap max
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when Cap = Cap max

R k is = ????
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17-Mar-13
Transmissibility Reduction Factor as a

Function of RRF and Adsorbed Polymer
Fraction
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Reading Between The Lines
• Since plugging and entrapment are

not explicitly accounted for in the
current ECLIPSE Polymer Flooding
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Model
• One should add the amount of
plugging and entrapment expected to
the adsorption amount and put the
total in the RRF input parameter.
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Fluid Viscosities
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Fluid Viscosities
• Need to account for the viscosity
change due to presence of:
– Salt
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– Polymer
• Need to account for:
– Physical dispersion at leading edge of
the slug
– Fingering effects at rear edge of slug
• Use Todd-Longstaff technique to
calculate effective fluid viscosities
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17-Mar-13
Todd-Longstaff Mixing Parameter
• New in ECLIPSE 2011.1 – PLMIXPAR

replaces TLMIXPAR
• Note:
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• This keyword can be used either in polymer only runs or when the polymer
requires different mixing data from the Solvent Model or the Miscible
Flood option.
• If polymer is the only process using the Todd-Longstaff mixing data, this
keyword is exactly equivalent to TLMIXPAR.
• Note: if you use PLMIXPAR then REGIONS Keyword MISCNUM does not
work.
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Todd-Longstaff Mixing Parameter

Input
PLMIXPAR
1.0 /
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Todd-Longstaff Model Overview

• Value of ω controls the degree of mixing
within each grid block
• ω = 1 models the case when the size of
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the dispersed zone is much greater than a

typical grid cell – water and polymer
components considered to be fully mixed
in each cell
• ω = 0 models the effect of a negligibly thin
dispersed zone between the water and
polymer components
SEORP - Polymer Flooding 130 March 13
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17-Mar-13
Todd-Longstaff Model Overview

• The value of ω effects the viscosity of
the fluids in the grid block.
ω = 1 : the miscible components
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have the same value (viscosity) as
the mixture given by the appropriate
mixing rule formulae
ω = 0 : the miscible components

have the viscosity and density values
of the pure components
Movement of Fluids from Grid

Block
Polymer moves with a viscosity
Polymer
of pure component polymer
solution
ω=0
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Water
Water moves with viscosity of
pure component water
Polymer Polymer moves with viscosity of

solution mixture of polymer + water
ω=1
Water Water moves with viscosity of
mixture of polymer + water
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Viscosity Terms
• Maximum polymer viscosity (µp)

• Effective polymer viscosity (µp,eff)
• Partially mixed water viscosity (µw,e)
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• Effective water viscosity (µw,eff)
• Effective salt component viscosity
Aqueous Fluid Viscosities – Effective

Polymer Viscosity
• Viscosity change due to polymers and salt
• Effective viscosity estimated using Todd –
Longstaff technique
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Viscosity at max polymer concentration
µ p,eff = µm (Cp ) µ p
ω 1−ω (injected polymer concentration)
Viscosity as a function of polymer

concentration in soln.
• Mixing parameter ω models degree of

segregation between water and injected
polymer
ω=1 Polymer solution and water fully mixed
ω=0 Polymer segregated from the water
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Examples of Viscosity of Polymer

Solutions vs. Concentration
Different
Polymer
products
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milligram/liter = mg/L = ppm
Aqueous Fluid Viscosities – Partially

Mixed Water Viscosity
• Partially mixed water viscosity calculated
in an analogous manner
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µw ,e = µm (Cp ) µw
ω 1−ω
ω=1 Polymer solution and water fully mixed

ω=0 Polymer segregated from the water
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Effective Water Viscosity

• Effective water viscosity needed for water
equation (see below)
• The total water contribution is:
− −
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1 1− C C Partially mixed water viscosity
= + Effective polymer viscosity
µw ,eff µw ,e µ p,eff
Local concentration of polymer (and salt) within
− Cp the aqueous phase
C=
Cp,max Max polymer concentration, see PLYMAX
−
C The effective saturation for the injected polymer solution within
the total aqueous phase in the cell
Water Flow Equation
d  VSw   Tkrw 
  ∑
= ( w w z )  + Qw
δ P − ρ gD
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dt  Br Bw  B µ R
 w w eff k 
Effective water viscosity
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Brine Option - 1
• Effective polymer viscosity and

partially mixed water viscosity terms
hold
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• Injection salt concentration required
to calculate maximum polymer
viscosity (µp)
• The effective salt component
viscosity is set to effective water
viscosity
Brine Option - 2
• Viscosity of fully mixed polymer

must be entered as a fn. of salt conc.
• 2-D table required: use keywords
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SALTNODE and PLYVISCS

• Maximum polymer and salt
concentrations entered using
PLYMAX
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PLYMAX Keyword
-- Polymer-Salt Concentrations for mixing - maximum

polymer and salt concentrations
PLYMAX
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--polymer salt
--concentration concentration
-- lb/stb lb/stb
10.5 0.0 /
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Adsorption Modeling
Adsorption Modeling
• Polymer adsorption represented by
additional mass accumulation term (see
below)
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• Adsorption isotherm Cpa must be specified

for each rock type
• Pore blocking and adsorption aqueous
phase rel. perm. Uses the term Rk, this
needs input of residual resistance factor
for each rock type.
Adsorption term
d  V *S w C p  d  1− φ   T k rw C p 
 B B
+
 d t 
V ρ rC a = ∑  (δ Pw − ρ w g D z ) + Q w C p
dt  r w  φ   B w µ p e f f R k 
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Polymer Adsorption - 1
• Treated as instantaneous effect
• Creates stripped water bank at leading
edge
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• Desorption may occur as slug passes
• User specified adsorption isotherm
• Tabulate (look up table) PLYADS
– local polymer concentration in solution
vs.
– saturated concentration adsorbed by rock
• OR….
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17-Mar-13
PLYADS
PLYADS
--polymer polymer
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-- lb/stb adsorbed by rock
-- lb/lb
0.0 0.00
20.0 0.010 Two saturation tables
70.0 0.010 /
0.0 0.000
20.0 0.010
70.0 0.010 /
Pilot Polymer Flood Simulation
PLYADS Keyword – Laboratory

Data
Polymer
Polymer conc.
adsorption
(lb/STB)
(lb/lb)
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0 0
0.003504 4.20E-06
0.045549 2.61E-05
0.098105 3.40E-05
0.108617 3.49E-05
0.129639 3.64E-05
0.192707 3.91E-05
0.255774 4.06E-05
0.287308 4.12E-05
0.339865 4.19E-05
0.350376 4.20E-05
Mehdi Haghshenas
148
SEORP - Polymer Flooding
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Polymer Adsorption - 2
• Generic analytical adsorption model
ADSORP
• Adsorption dependent upon salinity
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and rock permeability
• When used with multi-component
brine (ECLMC), effective salinity for
polymer is calculated, used in
adsorption isotherm
• During desorption, grid block
retraces adsorption isotherm
ADSORP Function
aC m
Cads =
1 + bC
n
K 
a = ( a1 + a2CSE )  ref 
 K 
Cads denotes the rock adsorption concentration
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C denotes the concentration in the solution surrounding the rock

m denotes the exponent for the concentarion dependence
CSE denotes the effective salinity for polymer/surfactant
K denotes the grid block permeability 3 K x K y K z
K ref denotes the reference permeability
a1 denotes an adsorption coefficient
a2 denotes an adsorption coefficient for salinity dependence
b denotes an adsorption coefficient
n denotes an exponent for permeability dependence
See keyword in ECLIPSE reference Manual for more details

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Two Adsorption Models
1. Each cell retraces adsorption

isotherm as polymer concentration
rises and falls
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2. Adsorbed concentration on rock
may not decrease with time i.e., no
desorption
Implemented with PLYROCK(4)

1: desorption, 2: no desorption
PLYROCK
PLYROCK
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0.16 1.5 1000.0 1 0.005 /

0.16 1.5 1000.0 1 0.005 /
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17-Mar-13
Treatment of the non-Newtonian

Rheology
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Non-Newtonian Rheology
• The rheology of polymer solutions is

not simple.
• At low flow rates the viscosity of the
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solution is approximately constant

and depends only on the
concentration of polymer in the
solution.
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Non-Newtonian Rheology
• At higher flow rates the solution

viscosity reduces in a reversible
(elastic) manner.
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• At even higher velocities the large
polymer molecules begin to break
up, and the viscosity reduction
becomes irreversible (plastic).
Non-Newtonian Rheology – 2 Models
• Model 1
– Shear thinning reduces the polymer viscosity
at high flow rates
– Shear rate proportional to flow viscosity
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• Not valid: a given flow in high perm rock will pass

through larger pore throats than the same flow in low
permeability rock, so shear rate lower in high perm
rock.
• Within a given reservoir probably reasonable
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17-Mar-13
Non-Newtonian Rheology – 2 Models
• Model 2
– Hershel-Buckley used to model shear thinning
and thickening, yield stress as a function of
polymer concentration
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Model-1: Flow Velocity
• Reduction in polymer viscosity at

high flow rates
• Flow velocity calculated as:
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Fw Water flowrate in surface units
Vw = Bw
φA φ average porosity of two cells
A Flow area between cells
Vw is then interpolated in the PLYSHEAR table to find P in next equation
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Water Velocities in Workshop

Dataset
• We can output water velocities in i
and j directions with BVELWI and
BVELWJ in the Summary file.
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• Velocity range for this injection
production case ranges between 1
and 5 feet/day.
• See PLYSHEAR Keyword in a few
slides to see how much the polymer
viscosity would be reduced.
Model-1: Shear Thinning
• The reduction in viscosity of the

polymer solution is assumed to be
reversible as a function of the water
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velocity.
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Model -1: Viscosity Reduction
• The resulting shear viscosity of the

polymer solution is calculated as:
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1 + ( P − 1) M 
µsh = µw,eff  
 P
µsh shear viscosity of polymer solution (water & polymer)
µw,eff effective water viscosity
P Viscosity multiplier assuming no shear effect
(PLYVISC or PLYVISCS keywords)
M Shear thinning multiplier (PLYSHEAR)
1 + ( P − 1) M 
µ sh = µ w,eff  
 P 
Note that for M=1 , or no shear thinning, we
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recover the effective water viscosity
1 + ( P − 1)1
µ sh = µ w,eff  
 P
P
P
µ sh = µ w,eff
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1 + ( P − 1) M 
 P 
Note that for M=0 , maximum shear
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thinning, the shear viscosity is
µw ,eff
µsh =
P
which corresponds to the minimum viscosity that can be
obtained
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PLYVISC Keyword
-- Polymer Viscosity
PLYVISC
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-- lb/stb water viscosity
-- multiplier
0.0 1.0
10.5 10.0 /
These are the values of P in the Model-1: Shear

Thinning equation.
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PLYSHEAR Keyword
PLYSHEAR
-- water phase factor by which the polymer
-- flow velocity solution viscosity is reduced
-- feet/day due to shear thinning of the
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-- polymer
0.0 1.0
1.0 0.8
3.0 0.75
6.0 0.7
10.0 0.68
20.0 0.40 /
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Model 2
Non-Newtonian Fluid Flows
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Non-Newtonian Fluid Flows

• Very different from traditional Darcy
flow equations
• Viscosity can be:
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– a non-linear function of flow rate,
dependent upon rock properties (K,φ)
• Introduction of multiplier B that
modifies the mobility of the fluid
depending on cell properties
• Solution found by local Newton
iterations
Modified Darcy Equation

• Equation modified:
k 
Q = AK  r  B∆P
µ 
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• B is positive and a complex function

involving grid properties, pressure drop,
rheology of fluid
B = B ( d , K ,φ ,Q, ∆P , n,τ ,δ , β ) ; Rheology ( n,τ ,δ , β )
• The rheology depends on polymer

concentration (a tracer) that allows
distribution in reservoir
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17-Mar-13
Unit Conversion
• Darcy equation only valid when

expressed in cgs units
k 
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Q = AK  r  B∆P
µ
• For other systems need to introduce

coefficient Cu to take into account
conversion for B factor
Bcgs
Cu =
B*
Herschel-Buckley Fluids
• These fluids are defined by the

following non-Newtonian (B) multiplier
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  dατ 
  1 −  1− n
  ∆P  Q  dατ 
 if  <1
B= 1  3
n  
(1/ n ) 2  A 
 ∆P 
 
  9 +  ( 72δ K )
 12  n 
0 otherwise
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Nomenclature
Q is the volumetric flow rate

K is the rock permeability
n is the power index 0 < n ≤ 1
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A is the area through which the flow occurs
d is the distance between cells
τ is the yield stress
φ δ
α is a weighting factor for the yield stress α = , with the porosity φ
2 K
δ is the tortuosity
∆P is the pressure difference between cells
Rheological Parameters
• Rheological parameters n, τ, δ are

function of polymer concentration
• Now the unit Cu conversion is
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dependent upon n
1− n 1− n (1−n ) 2
Q   A*   K cgs 
Cu =  cgs
*     * 
 Q   Acgs   K 
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Model-2 Usage
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Recommendation
• Best to use Model 1 for the shear

thinning model.
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Well Inflow
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Well Inflow
• Treated in analogous way to block flows
– Viscosity of polymer solution calculated
assuming a velocity at representative radius
from well
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– Representative radius considered to be:
Rr = Rw Ra
Rw well bore radius (taken from diameter input in COMPDAT)
Ra area equivalent radius of grid block in which well is completed
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Injection Wells
• WPOLYMER: Defines the polymer

and salt injection streams
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• Note: wells are allowed to cross-flow
when polymer flood model is used
starting in 2012.1
Review of ECLIPSE Polymer

Flooding Model Keywords
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17-Mar-13
Polymer Usage in ECLIPSE

• Activation
– POLYMER in RUNSPEC
– (BRINE can also be specified if salt is an active
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component in model)
– MISCIBLE – for Todd - Longstaff
• Parameters
– Mixing is obligatory. Todd – Longstaff mixing
parameter PLMIXPAR required
– PLYMAX: Maximum polymer and salt
concentrations for effective fluid viscosity
calculations
Viscosity Definition
• Polymer viscosity defined as a

function of solution concentration
using PLYVISC
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• If salt sensitivity activated – 2-D table

entered using SALTNODE &
PLYVISCS
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17-Mar-13
Shear Thinning Model

• Tables of viscosity reduction as a function
of viscosity using PLYSHEAR (Model 1)
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1
• Note: φ − A , is used for velocity calculation
( )
• This can be printed using RPTGRID
(POLYMER)
• If non-Newtonian rheology is not an
important effect then omit as it significantly
increases CPU time
Brine Option
• When Brine option used with Polymer
initial salt concentrations specified with
SALT or SALTVD
• With standard Brine option polymer and
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salt well injection concentration must be

set using WPOLYMER
• With multicomponent brine (ECLMC) need
to use both WPOLYMER and WSALT
• Initial salt concentration in aquifers
requires specification in appropriate
aquifer keywords
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Other Notes
• Initial polymer concentration and

adsorption set to zero
• Changing pore volume in EDIT
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section using PORV is not allowed
when using polymer flood
RUNSPEC Keywords
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GRID Keywords
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PROPS Keywords
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PROPS Keywords
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REGIONS Keywords
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SOLUTION Keywords
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SUMMARY Keywords
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SCHEDULE Keywords
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Initialization Salt Concentration
• SALT: for enumeration

• SALTVD: for equilibration
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• Initial solution polymer concentration

set automatically to zero
• Initial adsorbed polymer concentration
set automatically to zero
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Aquifer Salt Concentration
• Defined within the aquifer definition

keyword AQUCT(12), AQUFET(14)
AQUFETP(8)
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• Aquifer volume large – polymer
concentration assumed zero
• Polymer entering aquifer (backflow)

is adsorbed by aquifer rock
Example
• 64x64x1 2-D model
• 50’x50’x10’ cells
• Random permeability
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• 20% porosity
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Relative Permeabilities
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Oil Viscosity Properties

Viscosity Vs. Pressure
3
138.5 scf/stb
2.8
2.6
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2.4
Viscosity (cP)
2.2
1.8
Initial pressure 2000 psia, 1.68 cP
1.6
1.4
1.2
1
1000 2000 3000 4000 5000 6000 7000
Pressure (psia)
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Polymer Characteristics
• Water viscosity 0.3 cP at 2000 psia
• Viscosity multipliers (PLYVISC)
Concentration Viscosity
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lb/stb Multiplier
0 1
5 10
• PLYMAX
Maximum polymer and salt concentrations that
are to be used in the mixing parameter
calculation of the fluid component viscosities
5 lb/stb
Mixing
• Todd-Longstaff mixing parameter

(PLMIXPAR)
– Full mixing, ω = 1
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Viscosity at max polymer concentration
µ p,eff = µm (Cp ) µ
ω 1−ω
p
Polymer concentration in solution
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Oil Recovery
Polymer injection with v. small adsorption
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Water injection
Polymer injection with adsorption
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Workshop on Polymer Flooding
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Random Porosity (and

Permeability) Sector Model
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PLYVISC and PLYROCK

-- Polymer Viscosity
PLYVISC
-- lb/stb water viscosity
-- multiplier
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0.0 1.0
10.5 10.0 /
-- Polymer-Rock Properties
PLYROCK
0.16 1.5 770.0 1 0.00040 /
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Initial Polymer Adsorption
-- Polymer Adsorption
PLYADS
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--polymer polymer
-- lb/lb
0.0 0.00
5.0 0.00010
10.5 0.00040 /
Polymer Injection at Well - I
WPOLYMER
-- Polymer-Salt concentrations for injection wells
--Name Concentration
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-- Polymer Salt
-- lb/stb lb/stb
'I' 10.5 0.0 /
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Case 1 – Field Units
• Polymer injection into our water

flooded reservoir.
• Polymer concentration 10.5 lbs/stb
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• Polymer solution viscosity = 3.4 cP
• Inject water for 1200 days
Initial Simulation
• Polymer injection into a water

flooded reservoir
• Filename: EOR-POLYMER-WATER-
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FLOODED.DATA
• Review and run this data set.
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Oil Relative Permeability and

Initial Oil Saturation
SOF2
-- Soil Kro WATER WET
0.45 0.0
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0.55 0.1
0.65 0.4
0.75 1.0
/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- waterflooded reservoir
-- initial water sat = 0.55
SWAT
3600*0.55 /
Oil Production Rate
What happened? No oil production??

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Initial Oil Saturation Reservoir
• We need to polymer flood a reservoir

with initial water saturation = 0.25
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Question to be Answered:
How does Polymer flooding

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compare to normal water

flooding?
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Case 2a
• Switch to initial (prior to water flood)

oil saturation reservoir.
• Case 2a: Inject water only – 1200
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days
• Case 2b: Inject polymer for 360 days,
inject water for 840 days.
• Runs terminate when oil production
rate < 30 stb/day or 1200 is reached
• Limited polymer adsorption
Data Sets
• Water flood Filename: EOR-WATER-

FLOODED.DATA
• Polymer flood Filename: EOR-
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POLYMER-FLOOD.DATA
• Review and run these data sets.
• Note: here polymer is allowed to
desorb as new injected water flows
into the rock.
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Comparison of Water Flood with

Polymer Flood
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RF for polymer flood
RF for water flood
Polymer Production Rate (lb/day)

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Economics of Polymer Flooding
• Polymer cost = $2 / lb
• Polymer injected = 756,000 lbs
• Cost of polymer = $1.5 Million
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• Incremental oil produced
(incremental over water flood) =
35,000 Stb (@ $100/stb)
• Income from oil production = $3.5
Million
• Profit = $2 Million
Incremental oil production per lb

of polymer injected
• Another way to look at economics is
the volume of incremental oil
produced per lb of polymer injected
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• The higher the number the better the

process is.
• Our number for this case is 0.046
stb/lb
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Case 2b
• What effect does desorption or no-

desorption of polymer have on the oil
recovery?
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• Will use high adsorption values.
High Polymer Adsorption
PLYADS
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--polymer polymer
-- lb/lb
0.0 0.00
5.0 0.0010
10.5 0.0040 /
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Comparison of Oil RF with and

without desorption
RF for desorption
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RF for no-desorption
Letting the polymer desorb make small difference for

this case.
Your Task
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Case 3
• Your task in this workshop.

• We have cheap polymer with high
adsorption – Case 3a
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• And we have expensive polymer with
low adsorption – Case 3b
• Everything else is the same
• Polymer viscosity
• Polymer concentration
• Etc.
Data Sets to Start With
• Data set Filename: EOR-POLYMER-

FLOOD.DATA (currently neither Case
A or B)
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• Need to change PLYADS and

PLYROCK(5)
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Case 3A: Polymer Adsorption
-- Case A: High Adsorption
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PLYADS
--polymer polymer
-- lb/lb
0.0 0.00
5.0 0.0010
10.5 0.0040 /
Also change PLYROCK(5)
Case 3B: Polymer Adsorption
-- Case B: Low Adsorption
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PLYADS
--polymer polymer
-- lb/lb
0.0 0.00
5.0 0.00005
10.5 0.00015 /
Also change PLYROCK(5)
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Your Task
• Optimize the injection of polymer

into this sector model
• Maximize the profit from polymer
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flooding – above the income from
water flooding at 1200 days.
• Obviously – maximize oil production
(incremental over water flood) AND
minimize polymer injection.
Scenarios to Consider
• Polymer is expensive and therefore it

is necessary to limit amount of
polymer to be injected
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• This can be done in two ways

• Reduce the concentration – this reduces the
polymer solution viscosity
• Maximum polymer concentration = 10.5 lb/stb –
this mixture has a water viscosity multiplier = 10
• Reduce the time that polymer is injected (We
will do this one.)
• We will allow the polymer to adsorb / desorb.
March 13 SEORP - Polymer

228 Flooding
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Parameters to Plot
• FCIT Polymer injection total
• A UDQ to allow you calculate
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incremental profit – note Case A is in
the data set EOR-POLYMER-
FLOODED-UDQ.DATA
Economic Parameters
• Maximum simulation time = 1200

days
• Oil price = $100 / stb
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• Case A polymer price = $2 / lb

• Case B polymer price = $4 / lb
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Data for UDQ
• FOPT from water flood at 1200 days =

114,501 stb
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• Profit = (FOPT – 114501)*$100 –
FCIT*$2 (or $4)
• Change UDQ Polymer cost for Case A
Teams
• You can work this as a team of 2 with

your neighbor.
• One person takes the low adsorption
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the other the high case.
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Homework Exercise
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Add Shear Thinning Model
• Using the optimum data set from the

previous exercise
• Add the Shear Thinning Model
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(PLYSHEAR – Model 1) to the model

and observe the results.
• Increase the injection and production
rates – to increase the velocity – and
observe the results.
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Schlumberger Public
End of Polymer Flooding
118

2 EOR Polymer Flooding Lecture

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17-Mar-13

Simulation of Enhanced Oil

Denver, Houston, Abingdon

• Polymer implementation in ECLIPSE

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 2

Polymer Flooding Basics

• If you are doing a water flood

– Water will finger through the oil and

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 4

Polymer Flooding Basics

• If you mix polymer with the injection

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 5

Water Cut Comparison

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 6

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 7

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 8

Decrease Water Mobility

• The main objective of polymer

• Certain plugging effects within highly

water into less permeable zones of

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 10

• Mechanical entrapment of some of

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 11

• When a polymer solution is injected

polymer are adsorbed onto the rock

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 12

• The reservoir rock material is

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 13

• The rock permeability to water is

material (the permeability to oil is,

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 14

• Adsorption and entrapment

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 15

• ECLIPSE Polymer model combines

volume, and adsorption effect on

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 16

Interactions Between Brine and

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 17

Inaccessible Pore Space to the

the polymer solution.

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 18

Rheology of Polymer Solutions

• At low flow rates the viscosity of the

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 19

Rheology of Polymer Solutions

• At higher flow rates the solution

• At even higher velocities the large

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 20

• The effect of temperature variations

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 21

Key Learning From This Lecture

• Understand the previous

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 22

Polymer Flooding Overview

Polymer Flooding Limitations

flood is started before the water-oil ratio

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 24

Polymer Flooding Challenges

March 13 SEORP - Polymer Flooding 25

Principles of Polymer Flooding

• Significant increases in recovery

• Reduce the unfavorable effect of