Polymer flooding pilot tests

Most of polymer floods in Daqing were conducted in oil zones. There are a significant amount of reserves in transition zones. In 1995, the Sabei transition zone was selected for a polymer flooding pilot test. The target formation was PI1.4. The basic reservoir, fluid, and well data are shown in Table 5.24 (Niu et al., 2006). The well pattern was irregular four-spot. 

Dou, Z.-L., Zhao, W., Chen, B.-R, 1999. Polymer flooding pilot test and performance analysis in Layer 5 of the Western Block 7, Gudong fleld. Oil and Gas Recovery Technology 6 (1), 12-16. 

Wang, D.-C., Yang, T.-R., Du, T.-R, Fang, B.-F., Yang, C.-Z., 1999a. Micellar/polymer flooding pilot test in the HI84 well pattern in the Laojunmiao field. Petroleum Exploration and Development 26 (1), 47-49. 

Manichand, R., Mogolldn, J.L., Bergwijn, S., Graanoogst, F., and Ramdajal, R. 2010. Preliminary Assessment of Tambaredjo Heavy Oilfield Polymer Flooding Pilot Test. Paper SPE 138728 presented at the SPE Latin American and Caribbean Petroleum Engineering Conference, Lima, Peru, 1-3 December. DOI 10.2118/138728-MS. 

Preliminary Assessment of Tambaredjo Heavy Oilfield Polymer Flooding Pilot Test... 

The hterature screening criteria for polymer flooding established the maximum oil viscosity at 150 cP however, oil price increases and technology improvements have encouraged pilot tests in heavy oilfields. This paper shows the results of an ongoing polymer flooding pilot test in an inverted 5-spot well pattern in an onshore field in Suriname. The reservoir is fluvial deltaic with 900 ft depth in the pilot area. The oil viscosity is 400 cP at 97°F. 

TABLE 1. UNCERTAINTY ASSESSEMENT FOR THE POLYMER FLOODING PILOT TEST AT TAMBAREDJO. 

Zhang, J.-F, Wang, K.-L., He, F.-Y., Zhang, F.-L., 1999. Ultimate evaluation of the alkah/polymer combination flooding pilot test in XingLongTai Oil Field. Paper SPE 57291 presented at the SPE Asia Pacific Improved Oil Recovery Conference, Kuala Lumpur, 25—26 October. 

Low Tension Polymer Water Flood. In oil reservoirs, where the critical capillary number is relatively low, a significant amount of waterflooded residual oil can be displaced by surfactants of high efficiency even at two-phase flood conditions. This was demonstrated by the snccessfnl second Ripley surfactant flood pilot test in the Loudon field where approximately 68% of waterflooded residual oil was recovered by injecting a 0.3 PV microemulsion bank [63]. The microemulsion bank was followed by I.O PV of higher viscosity polymer drive. The chemical formnlation consisted of a blend of two PO-EO sulfates. 

The pilot area used for this test was relatively small, 0.71 acres. However, the test was a technical success, recovering 68% of the water-flood residual oil. The pilot began in 1982 and ended in November 1983. Since that time, Exxon has initiated two other micellar-polymer floods in the Loudon field, one a 40-acre pilot and the other an 80-acre pilot. 

C. Tielong, S. Zhengyu, F. Song et ah, A Pilot Test of Polymer Flooding in Reservoir, In... 

This chapter first introduces different types of polymers and polymer-related profile confrol systems used in enhanced oil recovery (EOR), although the list is in no way comprehensive. Then the chapter discusses several polymers developed in China, especially those used in field tests. Then it focuses on the polymer solution properties and polymer flow behavior in porous media. Numerous special subjects regarding polymer flooding (PF) are discussed, and field pilot tests and application cases are presented. Finally, the chapter summarizes the field experience and learning of polymer flooding. 

Special Cases, Pilot Tests, and Field Applications of Polymer Flooding... 

SPECIAL CASES, PILOT TESTS, AND EIELD APPLICATIONS OF POLYMER FLOODING... 

This section snmmarizes the experience and learning on several subjects gained dnring more than 20 years of pilot testing and large-scale commercial applications in polymer flooding in China. 

September 23, 1994, followed by 0.327 PV ASP flood, and 0.273 PV polymer drive and water drive. The ASP solution viscosity was 16 mPa s. During water preflush, the oil recovery before ASP was 31.63% from the SII1.3 layer. The response to ASP injection was observed in November 1994 (after 0.0693 PV of injection). The average water cut in the entire pilot area decreased from 82.7% to a low of 59.7%, and the daily oil production increased from 37 mVd toapeakof91.5 mVd. The water injectivity decreased from 1.75 mV(md-MPa), stabilized at about 1.42 mV(m-d-MPa), and then dropped to 1.19 mV(m d-MPa). In general, after an ASP slug is injected, flow resistance increases, and water injectivity decreases. The simulation prediction showed about 20% incremental oil recovery factor over waterflood. The early performance matched very well with the simulation prediction. In this pilot test, the simulator used was GCOMP. 

This subsection presents the alkaline preflush and micellar-polymer flooding in this pilot test. The economic data is also presented. 

Sun, H.-Q., 2005. Formula selection and pilot test of a surfactant-polymer flooding. In Yan, C.-Z., Li, Y. (Eds.), Tertiary Oil Recovery Symposium. Petroleum Industry Press, pp. 116-122. 

Wang, D.M., Zhang, Z.-H., Cheng, J.-C., Yang, J.-C., Gao, S.-T., li, L., 1997c. Pilot tests of alkaline/surfactant/polymer flooding in Daqing Oil Eield. SPERE (November), 229-233. 

Yang, B., Feng, G.-B., 2001. Pilot test of polymer flooding in the Wangchang oilfield in Jianghan. Oil and Gas Surface Engineering 20 (3), 1-3. 

Tielon, C., Zhengyu, S., Fan, Y., Changzhong, H., Ling Q., Jinxing, T. and Queste, S. (1997) A pilot test of polymer flooding in an elevated-temperature reservoir. SPE 36708 First Presented at the 1196 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Denver, Colorado, 6-9 October. 

In this section, the relevant laboratory tests that should be carried out on polymers in support of a proposed polymer pilot will be described. Virtually all of the actual technical points concerning polymer properties—such as compatibility/stability, filterability and formation plugging, polymer solution preparation, adsorption in porous media, in-situ rheology—have been discussed in detail elsewhere in this book. However, earlier the objective was to present an explanation and a view on the science of the various phenomena involved in polymer physics and chemistry both in bulk solution and in flow through porous media. Here, the intention is to abstract the much more limited subset of experiments that should be carried out in support of a practical polymer flood application in the field. In all of the discussion below, it is assumed that a range of commercially available off-the-shelf polymers... 

Numerous polymer-augmented waterfloods and gelled polymer conformance projects have been implemented on an economic (fieldwide) scale since the early 1960 s. Additionally, a large number of pilot floods and tests have been conducted. 

---