Water Saturation Modeling Challenges in Oil-Down-to Wells: An Example from a Multidarcy North Sea Reservoir

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-15
Author(s):  
A. Larsen ◽  
F. Ahmadhadi ◽  
E. Øian
Keyword(s):  
Relative Permeability ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Pore Throat ◽  
Throat Radius ◽  
Initial Water ◽  
Transition Zones ◽  
Excess Water ◽  
Height Model ◽  
Perched Aquifers

Summary The initial water saturation in a reservoir is important for both hydrocarbon volume estimation and distribution of multiphase flow properties such as relative permeability. Often, a practical reservoir engineering approach is to relate relative permeability to flow property regions by binning of the initial water saturation. The rationale behind this approach is that initial water saturation is related to both the pore-throat radius distribution and the wettability of the rock, both of which affect relative permeability. However, pore-throat radius and wettability are usually not explicitly included in geomodel property modeling. Therefore, the saturation height model should not only capture an average hydrocarbon pore volume but also reflect the underlying mechanisms from hydrocarbon migration history and its impact on initial water saturation distribution. This work introduces and describes a new term, excess water, for more precise classification of saturation height model scenarios in reservoirs in which multiple mechanisms have interacted and caused a complex water saturation distribution. An example of the presence of transition zones related to drained local perched aquifers (excess water) in oil-down-to (ODT) wells is shown using a limited data set from a North Sea reservoir. The physical basis for drainage and imbibition transition zones connected to both regional and perched aquifers is given. The distribution of initial water saturation in reservoirs containing excess water is demonstrated through numerical modeling of oil migration over millions of years. Highly permeable reservoirs are more likely to have locally trapped water because of lower capillary forces. A static situation occurs in areas where the capillary forces cannot maintain a high enough water saturation for further water drainage. On the other hand, both high- and low-permeability reservoirs may have significant excess water because of ongoing dynamic effects. In both cases, long distances for water to drain laterally to a regional aquifer enhance the possibility for a dynamic excess water situation.

Rock Typing as an Effective Tool for Permeability and Water-Saturation Modeling: A Case Study in a Clastic Reservoir in the Oriente Basin

2007 ◽  
Vol 10 (06) ◽  
pp. 730-739 ◽  
Author(s):  
Genliang Guo ◽  
Marlon A. Diaz ◽  
Francisco Jose Paz ◽  
Joe Smalley ◽  
Eric A. Waninger
Keyword(s):  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Reservoir Simulation ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Rock Type ◽  
Permeability Model ◽  
Initial Water ◽  
Rock Types ◽  
Rock Typing ◽  
Relative Permeability Curves ◽  
Clastic Reservoirs

Summary In clastic reservoirs in the Oriente basin, South America, the rock-quality index (RQI) and flow-zone indicator (FZI) have proved to be effective techniques for rock-type classifications. It has long been recognized that excellent permeability/porosity relationships can be obtained once the conventional core data are grouped according to their rock types. Furthermore, it was also observed from this study that the capillary pressure curves, as well as the relative permeability curves, show close relationships with the defined rock types in the basin. These results lead us to believe that if the rock type is defined properly, then a realistic permeability model, a unique set of relative permeability curves, and a consistent J function can be developed for a given rock type. The primary purpose of this paper is to demonstrate the procedure for implementing this technique in our reservoir modeling. First, conventional core data were used to define the rock types for the cored intervals. The wireline log measurements at the cored depths were extracted, normalized, and subsequently analyzed together with the calculated rock types. A mathematical model was then built to predict the rock type in uncored intervals and in uncored wells. This allows the generation of a synthetic rock-type log for all wells with modern log suites. Geostatistical techniques can then be used to populate the rock type throughout a reservoir. After rock type and porosity are populated properly, the permeability can be estimated by use of the unique permeability/porosity relationship for a given rock type. The initial water saturation for a reservoir can be estimated subsequently by use of the corresponding rock-type, porosity, and permeability models as well as the rock-type-based J functions. We observed that a global permeability multiplier became unnecessary in our reservoir-simulation models when the permeability model is constructed with this technique. Consistent initial-water-saturation models (i.e., calculated and log-measured water saturations are in excellent agreement) can be obtained when the proper J function is used for a given rock type. As a result, the uncertainty associated with volumetric calculations is greatly reduced as a more accurate initial-water-saturation model is used. The true dynamic characteristics (i.e., the flow capacity) of the reservoir are captured in the reservoir-simulation model when a more reliable permeability model is used. Introduction Rock typing is a process of classifying reservoir rocks into distinct units, each of which was deposited under similar geological conditions and has undergone similar diagenetic alterations (Gunter et al. 1997). When properly classified, a given rock type is imprinted by a unique permeability/porosity relationship, capillary pressure profile (or J function), and set of relative permeability curves (Gunter et al. 1997; Hartmann and Farina 2004; Amaefule et al. 1993). As a result, when properly applied, rock typing can lead to the accurate estimation of formation permeability in uncored intervals and in uncored wells; reliable generation of initial-water-saturation profile; and subsequently, the consistent and realistic simulation of reservoir dynamic behavior and production performance. Of the various quantitative rock-typing techniques (Gunter et al. 1997; Hartmann and Farina 2004; Amaefule et al. 1993; Porras and Campos 2001; Jennings and Lucia 2001; Rincones et al. 2000; Soto et al. 2001) presented in the literature, two techniques (RQI/FZI and Winland's R35) appear to be used more widely than the others for clastic reservoirs (Gunter et al. 1997, Amaefule et al. 1993). In the RQI/FZI approach (Amaefule et al. 1993), rock types are classified with the following three equations: [equations]

Influence of Initial Water Saturation on Recovery by Spontaneous Imbibition in Gas/Water/Rock Systems and the Calculation of Relative Permeability

2006 ◽  
Vol 9 (04) ◽  
pp. 295-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kewen Li ◽  
Kevin Chow ◽  
Roland N. Horne
Keyword(s):  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Spontaneous Imbibition ◽  
Rock Properties ◽  
Initial Water ◽  
Gas Recovery ◽  
Water Imbibition ◽  
Theoretical Predictions

Summary It has been a challenge to understand why recovery by spontaneous imbibition could both increase and decrease with initial water saturation. To this end, mathematical models were developed with porosity, permeability, viscosity, relative permeability, capillary pressure, and initial water saturation included. These equations foresee that recovery and imbibition rate can increase, remain unchanged, or decrease with an increase in initial water saturation, depending on rock properties, the quantity of residual gas saturation, the range of initial water saturation, and the units used in the definitions of gas recovery and imbibition rate. The theoretical predictions were verified experimentally by conducting spontaneous water imbibition at five different initial water saturations, ranging from 0 to approximately 50%. The effects of initial water saturation on residual saturation, relative permeability, capillary pressure, imbibition rate, and recovery in gas/water/rock systems by cocurrent spontaneous imbibition were investigated both theoretically and experimentally. Water-phase relative permeabilities and capillary pressures were calculated with the experimental data of spontaneous imbibition. Experimental results in different rocks were compared. Introduction Spontaneous water imbibition is an important mechanism during water injection. Prediction of recovery and imbibition rate by spontaneous water imbibition is essential to evaluate the feasibility and the performance of water injection. For example, is water injection effective in the case of high initial water saturation in reservoirs? Answers to such a question may be found by investigating the effect of initial water saturation on spontaneous water imbibition. It has been observed experimentally that initial water saturation affects recovery and production rate significantly (Blair 1964; Zhou et al. 2000; Viksund et al. 1998; Cil et al. 1998; Tong et al. 2001; Li and Firoozabadi 2000; Akin et al. 2000). However, the experimental observations from different authors (Zhou et al. 2000; Cil et al. 1998; Li and Firoozabadi 2000; Akin et al. 2000) are not consistent. On the other hand, few studies have investigated the effect of initial water saturation on recovery and imbibition rate theoretically, especially in gas reservoirs. Using numerical-simulation techniques, Blair (1964) found that the quantity and the rate of oil produced after a given period of imbibition increased with a decrease in initial water saturation for countercurrent spontaneous imbibition. Zhou et al. (2000) found that both imbibition rate and final oil recovery in terms of oil originally in place (OOIP) increased with an increase in initial water saturation, whereas oil recovery by waterflooding decreased. Viksund et al. (1998) found that the final oil recovery (OOIP) by spontaneous water imbibition in Berea sandstone showed little variation with a change in initial water saturation from 0 to approximately 30%. For the chalk samples tested by Viksund et al. (1998), the imbibition rate first increased with an increase in initial water saturation and then decreased slightly as initial water saturation increased above 34%.Cil et al. (1998) reported that the oil recovery (in terms of recoverable oil reserves) for zero and 20% initial water saturation showed insignificant differences in behavior. However, the oil recovery for initial water saturation above 20% increased with an increase in initial water saturation. Li and Firoozabadi (2000) found that the final gas recovery in the units of gas originally in place (GOIP) by spontaneous imbibition decreased with an increase in initial water saturation in both gas/oil/rock and gas/water/rock systems. The imbibition rate (GOIP/min) increased with an increase in initial water saturation at early time but decreased at later time. Akin et al. (2000) found that the residual oil saturation was unaffected significantly by initial water saturation. In this study, equations, derived theoretically, were used to study the effect of initial water saturation on gas recovery and imbibition rate. The equations correlate recovery, imbibition rate, initial water saturation, rock/fluid properties, and other parameters. Experiments of spontaneous water imbibition in gas-saturated rocks were conducted to confirm the theoretical predictions. The effect of rock properties on gas recovery and imbibition rate was also studied. An X-ray CT scanner was used to monitor the distribution of the initial water saturation to confirm that the initial distribution of the water saturation was uniform. In this study, we only focused on cocurrent spontaneous imbibition. It was assumed that there were no chemical reactions or mass transfer between gas and liquid.

scholarly journals Wettability Effects on Capillary Pressure, Relative Permeability, and Irredcucible Saturation Using Porous Plate

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olugbenga Falode ◽  
Edo Manuel
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Capillary Pressure ◽  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Porous Plate ◽  
Reservoir Rock ◽  
Flow In Porous Media ◽  
Wettability Alteration ◽  
Initial Water ◽  
Phase Saturation

An understanding of the mechanisms by which oil is displaced from porous media requires the knowledge of the role of wettability and capillary forces in the displacement process. The determination of representative capillary pressure (Pc) data and wettability index of a reservoir rock is needed for the prediction of the fluids distribution in the reservoir: the initial water saturation and the volume of reserves. This study shows how wettability alteration of an initially water-wet reservoir rock to oil-wet affects the properties that govern multiphase flow in porous media, that is, capillary pressure, relative permeability, and irreducible saturation. Initial water-wet reservoir core samples with porosities ranging from 23 to 33%, absolute air permeability of 50 to 233 md, and initial brine saturation of 63 to 87% were first tested as water-wet samples under air-brine system. This yielded irreducible wetting phase saturation of 19 to 21%. The samples were later tested after modifying their wettability to oil-wet using a surfactant obtained from glycerophtalic paint; and the results yielded irreducible wetting phase saturation of 25 to 34%. From the results of these experiments, changing the wettability of the samples to oil-wet improved the recovery of the wetting phase.

Using Drillstem and Production Tests To Model Reservoir Relative Permeabilities

2008 ◽  
Vol 11 (06) ◽  
pp. 1082-1088 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Matthews ◽  
Jonathan N. Carter ◽  
Robert W. Zimmerman
Keyword(s):  
Relative Permeability ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Reservoir Management ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Relative Permeabilities ◽  
Use Of Data ◽  
Local Water ◽  
Water Cut ◽  
Permeability Data

Summary Relative permeabilities are fundamental to any assessment of reserves and reservoir management. When measurements on core samples are available, however, they often predict initial water production that is not experienced by individual wells. For example, dry oil production occurs from portions of reservoirs where the local water saturation is relatively high, even though the relative permeability data would predict a water cut in the range of 30 to 60%. This lack of agreement means that effective reservoir management is hampered because it is difficult for simulation models to mimic the observed reservoir production without use of data that may bear little resemblance to measurements. After a brief discussion of relative permeability, the focus of this paper is first to examine the uncertainties in the data that are used for the predictions. This then provides a numerically structured approach to adjustments that need to be made to data so that history matching of simulation models can be achieved. The relative permeabilities, rather than saturations and fluid properties, are shown to be the least certain of the relevant data. The second focus in the paper is to explore the reasons why the relative permeability data are so uncertain. The evidence points to the fact that oil emplacement and the subsequent geological history of the reservoirs have not been considered sufficiently in preparing core samples before making measurements. Greater reliance on drillstem and early production tests is, therefore, crucial for deriving reservoir relative permeabilities until laboratories are able to mimic oil emplacement within rock samples as experienced in the reservoir. The main source of data is the abandoned UK North Sea reservoir Maureen (Block 16/29a). Inevitably, during the 36 years since discovery, some data have been misplaced. Nevertheless, sufficient data exist to highlight the potential need for a paradigm shift in understanding how relative permeabilities should be obtained for reservoir simulation. Introduction There are many examples of dry oil production from portions of reservoirs where the local water saturation is relatively high (Matthews 2004). On the occasions when relative permeability data are available, predictions of the expected water cut are not zero but typically in the range of 30 to 60%. A particular example is that of the abandoned UK North Sea reservoir Maureen (Cutts 1991). This lack of agreement means that effective reservoir management is hampered because it is difficult for simulation models to mimic the observed early reservoir production without use of data that may bear little resemblance to measurements. The focus of this paper is first to examine the uncertainties in the data that are used for the predictions. The Maureen reservoir--its data were placed in the public domain for research and training purposes by Phillips after it was abandoned (Gringarten et al. 2000)--provides the main source of information. The data examined are viscosity, saturation, and relative permeability. Having established which data are the most uncertain, the paper then includes a brief discussion of the transition zone and oil emplacement to understand the nature of the uncertainties in relative permeability measurements and, in particular, measurements of the irreducible water saturation. From this, a new avenue of research related to oil emplacement can be identified that, if pursued, may lead ultimately to better reservoir-management models.

Calculation of Oil Displacement by Countercurrent Water Imbibition

1964 ◽  
Vol 4 (03) ◽  
pp. 195-202 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.M. Blair
Keyword(s):  
Porous Medium ◽  
Capillary Pressure ◽  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Pressure Gradients ◽  
Oil Viscosity ◽  
Initial Water ◽  
Water Imbibition ◽  
Pressure Profiles ◽  
Water Viscosity

Abstract This paper presents numerical solutions of the equations describing the imbibition of water and the countercurrent flow of oil in porous rocks. The imbibition process is of practical importance in recovering oil from heterogeneous formations and has been studied principally by experimental means. Calculations were made for imbibition of water into both linear and radial systems. Imbibition in the linear systems was allowed to take place through one open, or permeable, face of the porous medium studied. In the radial system, water was imbibed inward from the outer radius. The effects on rate of imbibition of varying the capillary pressure and relative permeability curves, oil viscosity and the initial water saturation were computed. For each case studied, the rate of water imbibition and the saturation and pressure profiles were calculated as functions of time. The results of these calculations indicate that, for the porous medium studied, the time required to imbibe a fixed volume of water of a certain viscosity is approximately proportional to the square root of the viscosity of the reservoir oil whenever the oil viscosity is greater than the water viscosity. Results are also presented illustrating the effects on rate of imbibition of the other variables studied. Introduction The process of imbibition, or spontaneous flow of fluids in porous media under the influence of capillary pressure gradient s, occurs wherever there exist in permeable rock capillary pressure gradients which are not exactly balanced by opposing pressure gradients (such as those resulting from the influence of gravity). The importance of such capillary movement in the displacement of oil by water or gas was recognized in early investigations and described by Leverett, Lewis and True in 1942. Methods advanced by these authors for studying the process using dynamically scaled models were rendered more general and flexible by the research of later workers. The influence of capillary forces in laboratory water floods has also been discussed by several authors. While imbibition plays a very important role in the recovery of oil from normal reservoirs, Brownscombe and Dyes pointed out that imbibition might be the dominant displacement process in water flooding reservoirs characterized by drastic variations in permeability, such as in fractured- matrix reservoirs. In water-wet, fractured-matrix reservoirs, water will be imbibed from fractures into the matrix with a countercurrent expulsion of oil into the fractures. If the imbibition occurs at a sufficiently rapid rate, a very successful water flood can result; if the imbibition proceeds slowly the project might not be economically attractive. Scaled-model studies have demonstrated the vital importance of imbibition in secondary recovery in fractured reservoirs. It is therefore important in the evaluation of waterflooding prospects to develop a thorough understanding of the quantitative relationships of the factors which control the rapidity of capillary imbibition. The imbibition process serves reservoir engineers in still another important way by providing a technique for studying the wettability of reservoir core samples. Such experiments are usually conducted by observing the rate of expulsion of oil or water from core samples submerged in the appropriate fluid. Several papers have been published on the experimental techniques involved. Although Handy has recently published a method for calculating capillary pressures from experiments with gas-saturated cores, it has not yet been possible to deduce quantitative information regarding water-oil relative permeability and capillary pressure characteristics of the rock from the experimental results. Thus a technique is needed for studying the quantitative dependence of imbibition rate on oil and water viscosity, initial water saturation, relative permeability-saturation, and capillary pressure-saturation relations. The development of such information, including saturation and pressure profiles by laboratory experiments, would be very difficult. SPEJ P. 195ˆ

A Theory for Relative Permeability of Unconventional Rocks With Dual-Wettability Pore Network

SPE Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (06) ◽  
pp. 1970-1980 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahmood Reza Yassin ◽  
Hassan Dehghanpour ◽  
James Wood ◽  
Qing Lan
Keyword(s):  
Size Distribution ◽  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Pore Network ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Pore Throat ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Permeability Model ◽  
Organic Part

Summary Recent studies show that the pore network of unconventional rocks, such as gas shales, generally consists of inorganic and organic parts. The organic part is strongly oil-wet and preferentially imbibes the oleic phase. In contrast, the inorganic part is usually hydrophilic and preferentially imbibes the aqueous phase. Conventional theories of relative permeability, which are based on uniform wettability, cannot be applied to determine phase permeability in unconventional rocks with dual-wettability behavior. The objective of this paper is to extend the previous theories to model relative permeability of dual-wettability systems in which oleic and aqueous phases can both act as wetting phases in hydrophobic and hydrophilic pore networks, respectively. In the first part of the paper, we review and discuss the results of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), organic petrography, mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP), and comparative water/oil imbibition experiments conducted on several samples from the Triassic Montney tight gas siltstone play of the Western Canadian Sedimentary Basin. We also discuss various crossplots to understand the reasons behind the observed dual-wettability behavior, and to investigate the spatial distribution and morphology of hydrophilic and hydrophobic pores. In the second part, Purcell's model (Purcell 1949) is extended to develop a conceptual model for relative permeability of gas and water in a dual-wettability system such as the Montney tight gas formation. Finally, the proposed model is compared with measured relative permeability data. The results suggest that the submicron pores within solid bitumen/pyrobitumen are strongly water-repellant; therefore, they prefer gas over water under different saturation conditions. This part of the pore network is usually represented by a long tail at the lower end of the pore-throat-size distribution determined from MICP. The proposed relative permeability model describes single-phase flow of gas through the tail part, and two-phase flow of gas and water through the remaining bell-shaped part of the pore-throat-size distribution, which dominantly represents inorganic micropores. On the basis of our model, by increasing the fraction of water-repellant submicron pores, gas relative permeability decreases for a fixed water saturation. This decrease is ascribed to the reduction of the average size of flow conduits for the gas phase.

scholarly journals Permeability of Laboratory-Formed Methane-Hydrate-Bearing Sand: Measurements and Observations Using X-Ray Computed Tomography

SPE Journal ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 16 (01) ◽  
pp. 78-94 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy J. Kneafsey ◽  
Yongkoo Seol ◽  
Arvind Gupta ◽  
Liviu Tomutsa
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Relative Permeability ◽  
Methane Hydrate ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Gas Permeability ◽  
Pore Space ◽  
Confining Stress ◽  
Initial Water ◽  
X Ray ◽  
X Ray Computed

Summary Methane hydrate was formed in two moist sands and a sand/silt mixture under a confining stress in an X-ray-transparent pressure vessel. Three initial water saturations were used to form three different methane-hydrate saturations in each medium. X-ray computed tomography (CT) was used to observe location-specific density changes caused by hydrate formation and flowing water. Gas-permeability measurements in each test for the dry, moist, frozen, and hydrate-bearing states are presented. As expected, the effective permeabilities (intrinsic permeability of the medium multiplied by the relative permeability) of the moist sands decreased with increasing moisture content. In a series of tests on a single sample, the effective permeability typically decreased as the pore space became more filled in the order of dry, moist, frozen, and hydrate-bearing. In each test, water was flowed through the hydrate-bearing medium and we observed the location-specific changes in water saturation using CT scanning. We compared our data to a number of models, and our relative permeability data compare most favorably with models in which hydrate occupies the pore bodies rather than the pore throats. Inverse modeling (using the data collected from the tests) will be performed to extend the relative permeability measurements.

scholarly journals Influence of Pore Throat Structure and the Multiphases Fluid Seepage on Mobility of Tight Oil Reservoir

Lithosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 (Special 1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fan Zhang ◽  
Hanmin Xiao ◽  
Zhenxue Jiang ◽  
Xianglu Tang ◽  
Xuewei Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Saturation ◽  
Bound Water ◽  
Effective Porosity ◽  
Tight Oil ◽  
Pore Throat ◽  
Tight Sandstone ◽  
Throat Radius ◽  
Small Pore ◽  
Fluid Seepage ◽  
Phase Mobility

Abstract Mobility is the main factor restricting the production of tight oil. In order to explore the influence of pore throat structure and fluid seepage on the mobility, six tight sandstone samples are selected by high-pressure mercury intrusion, nuclear magnetic resonance, water driving oil experiments, and oil-water relative permeability experiments to discuss the influence of pore structure and multiphases on the mobility of tight oil. The results indicate that with the increase in effective porosity, more oil and water are exchanged, and the mobility of the oil phase is enhanced. The large pore is positively correlated with the mobility of tight oil while the relationship between the mobility of small pore and effective porosity remains unclear. Particularly, the mobility of the tight oil is determined by the matching relationship between the pore throat radius and the sorting of the tight reservoir. Specifically, the smaller the two-phase copermeation zone, the greater the bound water saturation; the greater the slope of the oil phase permeability curve, the less the space for the two phases to flow together; the more the oil blocked by water in the reservoir, the worse the phase mobility. The mobility of tight oil can be divided into four categories by pore throat radius, pore throat sorting coefficient, and bound water saturation.

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