it is not uncommon to star a waterflood using a peripheral flood, centerline flood, or a

combination of these in order to minimize number take a log time to increase oil production as a
result of largedistances between the injectors and the last row of producers and especially if the
formation permeability is low. Also, in some floods, it becomes very difficult to maintaint high
enough reservoir pressure because of a significantly higher number of injection Wells required
relative to the producing Wells in order to balance injection and production rates.

Pattern waterfloods can provide pressure support by maintaining balanced injection and
production volumes and also early oil production response. The reservoir heterogeneity and layer
discontinuity or connectivity can be controlled via infill drilling, affecting the well spacing. The infill
drilling reducing the well spacing enhances the injection/production well connectivity. Reported
the results of a study to determine the impact of infill drilling on the waterflood recovery in west
Texas carbonate reservoirs. Figure 6-3, a plot of waterflood recovery vs well spacing, bases upon an
analysis of perfomances of 24 reservoirs, shows a certain degree of correlation trend between the
waterflood recovery and the spacing.

Goodwin presented a case history of infill drilling in the Means San Andres Unit in West Texas,
More tan 500 infill Wells had been drilled as the unit had gone from primaty on 40 acre spacing,
through waterflooding on 20 acre spacing, to Co2 miscible flooding on 10 acre spacing. He
concludes tha infill drilling and flood pattern modification programs added significantly to the
ultimate recovery from this field. Oil reserves had been increased over 40% by the implementation
of these programs

Figure 6-3 Waterflood Recovery vs Well spacing

Figure 6-4 Means San Andres Unit Production Perfomance due to infill drilling

Figure 6-5Means San Andres unit Water-cut Behavior due to infill drilling

Figure 6-4 ay 6-5 Show Means San Andres Unit production performance, and wáter cut behavior
due to infill drilling, respectively. Volumetric sweep efficiency had beed increased by increasing
interwel continuity through closer well spacing, 59% in case of 40 acre spacing to 85% for 10 acre
spacing. Flood conformance had been improved by rotation of the flood pattern.Figure 6-6 shows
modification of flood patterns from 40 to 10 acres. Crossflooding of the pattern by new injectors
had contacted new, undisplaced oil as shown shematically in figure 6-7

The factors contributing to increased recovery after infill drilling are listed below

1. improved areal sweep

2. improved injection imbalance due to areal heterogeneity

3. improved vertical sweep lateral pay continuity

5. Recovery by wedge-edge oil

6. Reduced economic limit

In improving areal sweep efficiency, oil thai s held up in the corners is immediately swept by
reversing the streamlines within the pattern. Also, patterns which are subjected to por geometric
alignment and resulting por streamline balance, can be significantly improved with additional well
locations. Figure 6-8 show a schematic of simulated streamlines and oil saturations before and
after infill drilling.

In a pattern waterflood, infill drilling can improved injection imbalance due to área heterogeneity
which causes early wáter breakthrough and preferential sweep of only part of the pattern. Vertical
sweep can be also improved by converting producers to injectors an drilling new producers with
selective perdoration to insolate thief zones.