Enhanced Oil Recovery Alwyn project debriefing

Maria Aguilera May 2013

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

Slim tube simulations Segment model Water flooding

BO and compositional model comparison Injector and producer completion optimization

Miscible Gas Injection Water Alternating Gas Injection

Conclusions

2013 - IFP Training

Slim tube simulation

The purpose of slim tube simulation is to investigate minimum miscibility pressure (MMP) between the reservoir oil and the injection gases. By knowing the MMP, we can ensure that pressure will be maintained above MMP for gas injection process. Slim tube (1D model) use in this project is composed of 500 grid cells with 1m of length in X direction and 10m in Y and Z direction. Injector is located in the first cell (1, 1, 1) and producer is in the last cell (500,1,1).

2013 - IFP Training

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

MMP determination: guidelines

EOS was already generated using the appropriate laboratory experiments.

The fluid in place initially is only oil phase, no water present in slim tube.
MMP between oil-separator gas and oil-lean gas has already determined. The simulation will only investigate MMP of oil-rich gas and oil-CO2.

2013 - IFP Training

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

Slim tube: model description

A very high permeability of the slim tube was used in order to enhance mixing of the gas and the oil and also to reduce the effect of the viscosity gradient.

2013 - IFP Training

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

MMP determination: CO2 injection

The simulation of CO2 injection was ran for different pressures ranging from 260 to 320 bar. The table below shows the Initial Oil in Place (FOIP), Accumulative Production (FOPT) and the Recovery Factor (RF) as a result of injecting 1.2 Pore Volume (PV) of CO2 at pressures indicated

2013 - IFP Training

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

MMP determination: rich gas injection

The simulation of rich gas injection was ran for different pressures ranging from 260 to 340 bar. The table below shows the Initial Oil in Place (FOIP), Accumulative Production (FOPT) and the Recovery Factor (RF) as a result of injecting 1.2 Pore Volume (PV) of rich gas at pressures indicated,

2013 - IFP Training

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

Viscous pressure gradient: CO2 injection

The pressure gradient after the gas breakthrough is noticed to be smaller because the gas has dissolved into the oil and the oil is lighter. Therefore, since the pressure in the cell depends on the fluid present, the lighter the fluid the less the pressure. For the case after the gas breakthrough, the fluid in the slim tube is generally lighter.

2013 - IFP Training

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

Viscous pressure gradient: rich gas injection

2013 - IFP Training

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

MMP comparison
CO2 has the lowest MMP compared to rich gas and lean gas. Separator gas which more or less has same composition as lean gas has the highest MMP. Initial reservoir pressure is 446 bar which is higher than MMP of all the gases inject, thus all the gases can be used for miscible injection. To inject lean gas and separator gas, higher pressure maintenance in reservoir is needed. In the paper SPE 37755, MMP is 375 bar, this value is between rich gas and lean gas MMP. The volume of gas injection in SPE paper is 1 PV and in this project we use 1.2 PV. There is not much information of the gas injection composition in the paper to be compared with the gas composition in the project.

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2013 - IFP Training

Rich gas injection: desplacement process

Density plot before gas breakthrough: Miscibility region is located around blue line, The process is multiple contact miscibility with vaporizing mechanism behind the miscible region and condensing mechanism after miscibility region.

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

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2013 - IFP Training

Rich gas injection: displacement process

Density and saturation plot of rich gas injection process at 298 bar (MMP) on grid number 250
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Oil saturation (So) still at its initial because injected gas has not arrived, After the injected gas reach grid 250, gas is dissolved in the oil and it lighten the oil (swelling) hence it reduce oil density, then Gas will act as a free gas, Vaporizing mechanism happens when intermediates of the oil vaporize into the gas thus density-saturation of oil decrease and density-saturation of gas increase, Until it reach miscibility/near miscibility. In the miscibility region, density difference between oil and gas will be very small and composition of two fluids will be more or less the same. After miscibility occurs, condensing mechanism happens. In this process, intermediate in gas will move into oil cause oil density increase and gas density decrease but gas saturation is kept increasing because more gas injection arrive in the grid 250 and more oil is displaced by gas.

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

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2013 - IFP Training

Rich gas injection: viscosity and interfacial tension

When miscibility occur, two fluids (gas and oil) will have similar component and it will act as a 1 fluid thus the interfacial tension will decrease until zero. Oil viscosity will also decrease due to swelling.

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

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2013 - IFP Training

CO2 injection: desplacement process

Density plot before gas breakthrough: Miscibility region is located around blue line, Although the profile is different, the process is multiple contact miscibility with vaporizing mechanism behind the miscible region and condensing mechanism after miscibility region.

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

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2013 - IFP Training

CO2 injection: displacement process

Density and saturation plot of CO2 injection process at 286 bar (MMP) on grid number 250, compared with rich gas injection, miscibility on CO2 occur earlier. The process (steps 1 to 6) is more or less the same as in rich gas injection.

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

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2013 - IFP Training

CO2: viscosity and interfacial tension

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2013 - IFP Training

Slim tube test: gas breakthrough

Gas breaks through when free gas in reservoir is mobile (Sg > Sgc). Critical gas saturation in slim tube simulation is 0.075. In case of gas injection, gas in the reservoir is always mobile thus Sgc ~0. To know breakthrough time, look at GOR and gas saturation in the last grid.

GBT for CO2 injection: 18 september 2015 GBT for rich gas injection: 17 november 2015

EP - 22211_a_A_ppt_01 - EOR Introduction

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2013 - IFP Training

Gas saturation cross section for rich gas injection

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2013 - IFP Training

Gas saturation cross section for CO2 injection

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2013 - IFP Training