Developing a new technique for the simultaneous optimization of both segmented time and injection rate for water flooding reservoirs: An analysis of Shengli Oilfield XIN-42 reservoir block

The adjustment and control of the water injection rate is a commonly used method for increasing the cumulative oil production of waterflooded reservoirs. This article studies the production optimization problem under the condition of a fixed total water injection rate. The production process is divided into several segments. Considering the correlation between the segment’s time intervals and the well’s injection rate distribution, a simultaneous optimization of both segmented time and injection rate is proposed for enhancing net present value. Both empirical simulations and field application demonstrate that the suggested methods produce the highest increase in net present value – of approximately 13% and 10%, respectively – and significantly improve water flooding efficiency compared to other conventional schemes, such as segmented oil production optimization, cumulative oil production optimization and Bang-Bang control. The proposed methods under a 2-segment division increase oil production efficiency and greatly reduce adjustment costs.