The Impact of Wettability, Capillary Pressure and Relative Permeability on Recovery Efficiency in Oil and Bitumen Reservoirs

A Presentation for SPE Canada Brant Bennion

Weatherford Laboratories (Canada) April 27, 2010

Presentation Summary
Brief Overview of
Wettability Capillary Pressure Relative Permeability

Impact of wettability on capillary pressure and relative permeability Specific impact on reservoir performance Examples in Bitumen reservoirs

Wettability

What is Wettability?
Preferential Attraction of a fluid to a solid surface in the presence of one or more other immiscible fluids

Wettability Types
Water Wet Oil Wet Neutral Wet Mixed Wet Spotted/Dalmation Wet

Teflon - oil wet (water repellant) surface

Quartz - Water wet - attractive surface

Stainless steel - neutral wetting

Worldwide reservoir wettability surveys (Liquid Hydrocarbon Bearing reservoirs)

Clastic Formations (Sandstones)

15%

55%

30%

OW

Nw/mw

WW

Worldwide reservoir wettability surveys (Liquid Hydrocarbon Bearing reservoirs)

Carbonate Formations

40%

50%

10%

OW

Nw/mw

WW

Capillary Pressure

Capillary Pressure

Pw Pnw

Capillary Pressure

2 * K * cos(U ) Pc ! R

In Nature, the Suction Effect of Capillary Pressure is Exactly Balanced by Gravity in an Equilibrium Situation With no Imposed External Pressure Gradients

P Hydrostatic ! Vgh

The Concept of a Capillary Transition Zone

The Concept of a Capillary Transition Zone

Typical Water-Gas Capillary Pressure Curve

Typical Water-Gas Capillary Pressure Curve

Typical Water-Gas Capillary Pressure Curve

Relative Permeability

Ingrain

Absolute Permeability is defined as

The Resistance to Fluid Flow Existing in a Porous Media When it is the Only Phase Present

Relative Permeability is defined as

The Resistance to Fluid Flow Existing in a Porous Media When it is in the presence of other mobile or immobile, immiscible fluids

Relative Permeability Nomenclature

Permeability or Relative Permeability
Oil/Gas

Water

Fluid Saturation

Relative Permeability Nomenclature

Permeability or Relative Permeability

Fluid Saturation

Relative Permeability Nomenclature

Permeability or Relative Permeability

Fluid Saturation

Relative Permeability Nomenclature

Permeability or Relative Permeability

Fluid Saturation

Impact of Wettability on Relative Permeability to Water and Oil

Impact of Wettability on Relative Permeability to Water and Oil

Relative Permeability
Relative Permeability - Fraction

Swi approx 25% Crossover approx 68% Krw = 0.08

Swi 10% Crossover 22% Sw Krw = 0.88

Water Saturation - Fraction

Example Waterflood in a Favorable Mobility System (M=0.5)

Example Waterflood in a Unfavorable Mobility System (M=20)

Breakthrough Sor
Refers to residual oil saturation in the swept pattern at the time of first water production

INJ

PROD

Economic Sor
Refers to residual oil saturation in the swept pattern at the time of Maximum Economic water cut

INJ

PROD

Ultimate (True) Sor

Refers to residual oil saturation in the swept pattern if a near Infinite volume of water were displaced to near zero oil cut

INJ

PROD

Lab Measurements of Sor

Lab measurements of Sor generally give a reasonable approximation of the ULTIMATE Sor since usually a very large number of pore volumes of displacement are conducted (10-100 typical)

Waterflooding in Differing Wettability Reservoirs

Percent Recovery OOIP
Breakthrough Sor Economic Sor Ultimate Sor

Cumulative Pore Volumes of Injection

Waterflooding in Differing Wettability Reservoirs

Percent Recovery OOIP

Cumulative Pore Volumes of Injection

Waterflooding in Differing Wettability Reservoirs

Percent Recovery OOIP

Cumulative Pore Volumes of Injection

Waterflooding in Differing Wettability Reservoirs

Percent Recovery OOIP

Cumulative Pore Volumes of Injection

Effects in Heavy Oil/Bitumen Reservoirs

Typical High Bitumen Content Unconsolidated Sandstone

The Big Four for Heavy Oil Production!

Proper Understanding and Evaluation of Effect of Initial Fluid Saturations is Essential to the Economics and Success of a Heavy Oil Recovery Operation

Oil Viscosity Initial Water Saturation Interactions in Primary Production of Heavy Oils

Oil Viscosity = 8000 mPa.s Water Viscosity = 1.05 mPa.s

Swi = 14% Water Cut 0%

Swi = 25% Water Cut 80%

Swi = 40% Water Cut 99.9%

Reservoir Condition (8-15 deg C) Brine Mobility in Bitumen Reservoirs

McMurray, Clearwater and Grand Rapids Brine Mobility vs. Water Saturation (7.5 to 9.0 deg API Bitumen, 1000-8000 mD rock)
10000

Permeability to Brine - mD

1000

100

10

0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 Water Saturation - Fraction

McMurray, Clearwater and Grand Rapids Brine Mobility vs. Water Saturation (7.5 to 9.0 deg API Bitumen, 1000-8000 mD rock)
10000

Permeability to Brine - mD

1000

y = 1745.6x5.1437 R2 = 0.4445

100

10

0.1 0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7 Water Saturation - Fraction

General Comments
Pcap controls initial fluid saturation distribution in equilibrium situations Wettability controls value of Pcap and rel perm curves to a large extent Rel Perm controls fractional flow character when coupled with fluid viscosity data in multiphase flow

In Bitumen Reservoirs
Low temperature water mobility can exist, generally at water saturation values above 20% (depends strongly on formation lithology and clay content though) Significant water mobility exists at Sw values in excess of 35% in most bitumen bearing formations Mobile water saturation can act a a source of rapid pressure transmission

Thank You for Your Attention

Questions?