A Comprehensive Simulation Study of Steamflooding Light-Oil Reservoirs After Waterflood

Steam-flooding, the most successful among enhanced recovery methods, has been applied mainly to heavy-oil reservoirs. And it is still in its infancy on light-oil reservoirs at present. This paper will take the oil-water transition zone in Saertu oilfield for example, presents a comprehensive simulation study on the use of steam-flooding after water-flood in light-oil reservoirs. Some important observations are made on this new application of the process. Relative importance of key mechanisms to oil recovery is also discussed. Guidelines are developed not only for selecting reservoir candidates for steam-flooding, but also for the factors which will effect the oil recovery in steam-flooding performance.

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Field Scale Simulation Study Of In-Situ Combustion In High Pressure Light Oil Reservoirs

10.2118/35395-ms ◽

1996 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

John Tingas ◽

Malcolm Greaves ◽

T.J. Young

Keyword(s):

High Pressure ◽

Simulation Study ◽

Oil Reservoirs ◽

Field Scale ◽

In Situ Combustion ◽

Light Oil ◽

Light Oil Reservoirs

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Application of steamflooding to light oil reservoirs

10.29118/ipa.293.215.233 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

K.C. Hong

Keyword(s):

Oil Reservoirs ◽

Light Oil ◽

Light Oil Reservoirs

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The Mechanism of Flue Gas Injection for Enhanced Light Oil Recovery

Journal of Energy Resources Technology ◽

10.1115/1.1725170 ◽

2004 ◽

Vol 126 (2) ◽

pp. 119-124 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

O. S. Shokoya ◽

S. A. (Raj) Mehta ◽

R. G. Moore ◽

B. B. Maini ◽

M. Pooladi-Darvish ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Oil Recovery ◽

Flue Gas ◽

Gas Injection ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Air Injection ◽

Oil Reservoirs ◽

Flue Gases ◽

Low Permeability ◽

Light Oil ◽

Light Oil Reservoirs

Flue gas injection into light oil reservoirs could be a cost-effective gas displacement method for enhanced oil recovery, especially in low porosity and low permeability reservoirs. The flue gas could be generated in situ as obtained from the spontaneous ignition of oil when air is injected into a high temperature reservoir, or injected directly into the reservoir from some surface source. When operating at high pressures commonly found in deep light oil reservoirs, the flue gas may become miscible or near–miscible with the reservoir oil, thereby displacing it more efficiently than an immiscible gas flood. Some successful high pressure air injection (HPAI) projects have been reported in low permeability and low porosity light oil reservoirs. Spontaneous oil ignition was reported in some of these projects, at least from laboratory experiments; however, the mechanism by which the generated flue gas displaces the oil has not been discussed in clear terms in the literature. An experimental investigation was carried out to study the mechanism by which flue gases displace light oil at a reservoir temperature of 116°C and typical reservoir pressures ranging from 27.63 MPa to 46.06 MPa. The results showed that the flue gases displaced the oil in a forward contacting process resembling a combined vaporizing and condensing multi-contact gas drive mechanism. The flue gases also became near-miscible with the oil at elevated pressures, an indication that high pressure flue gas (or air) injection is a cost-effective process for enhanced recovery of light oils, compared to rich gas or water injection, with the potential of sequestering carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas.

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