Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

An analysis of the viability of polymer flooding as an enhanced oil recovery technology

  • Published:
Transport in Porous Media Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The concept of improving oil recovery through polymer flooding is analysed. It is shown that while the injection of a polymer solution improves reservoir conformance, this beneficial effect ceases as soon as one attempts to push the polymer solution with water. Once water injection begins, the water quickly passes through the polymer creating a path along which all future injected water flows. Thus, the volume of the polymer slug is important to the process and an efficient recovery would require that the vast majority of the reservoir be flooded by polymer. It is also shown that the concept of grading a polymer slug to match the mobilities of the fluids at the leading and trailing edges of a polymer slug does not work in a petroleum reservoir. While this process can supply some additional stability to the slug, it is shown that for the purposes of enhanced oil recovery this additional stability is not great enough to be of any practical use. It is found that in this case the instability has simply been hidden in the interior of the slug and causes the same sort of instability to occur as was the case for the uniform slug.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

A :

Defined by Equation (35) for Section 4 Defined by Equation (119) for Section 6

A 12 :

The surface between fluids

A αs :

The surface between fluidsα (ga = 1, 2) and the solid medium

a (α) :

Defined by Equation (129) (α = 1, 2)

a 1,a 2 :

Defined by Equations (36) and (37)

B :

Defined by Equation (38) for Section 4 Defined by Equation (120) for Section 6

B 1,B 2 :

Defined by Equations (115) and (116)

b :

Defined by Equation (39)

b (α) :

Defined by Equation (130) (α = 1, 2)

C :

Curvature of fluid interface Defined by Equation (40) for Section 4 Defined by Equation (121) for Section 6

C 1,C 2 :

Defined by Equations (160) and (161)

c 1,c 2 :

Defined by Equations (41) and (42)

c (α) :

Defined by Equation (131) (α = 1, 2)

dĀ n dA :

wheren is the unit normal and dA is a surface element

dA i :

Components of dA

d (α) :

Defined by Equation (132) (α = 1, 2)

E(x, y) :

exp[i(k x + k y )]

f 1,f 2 :

Functions of saturation defined by Equation (27)

f (1) :

Defined by Equation (15)

g,g :

Gravitational acceleration

g (2) :

Defined by Equation (23)

h (2) :

Defined by Equation (22)

K ij :

Permeabilities defined in Equations (123) to (128) (i, j = 1, 2)

K :

Permeability

K (i) :

Permeability for fluid 2 (i = 1, 2, 3)

k :

Wave number

k :

Wave number (k x ,k y)

n :

Unit normal vector

n :

Stability index

n +,- :

Defined in Equation (46)

p :

Averaged fluid pressure

P (i) :

Average fluid pressure for phasei(i - 1, 2, 3)

q :

Darcy velocity

q (i) :

Darcy velocity of phasei (i = 1, 2, 3)

q n :

Normal component of Darcy velocity at a front

S (i) :

Saturation of phasei (i = 1, 2, 3)

t :

Time

U :

Darcy velocity of unperturbed configuration

V :

Actual velocity of unperturbed front Volume element over which the pore scale equations have been averaged Greek

α :

Interfacial tension

γ 12 :

Defined by Equation (26)

γ 23 :

Defined by Equation (28)

ε, ε′,ε,ε′ :

Specify the magnitude of the initial perturbation

ζ,ζ :

Perturbation of a front

η :

Porosity

η (i) :

Fraction of space occupied by fluidi (i = 1, 2, 3)

μ :

Viscosity

ξ(t),\(\bar \xi\)(t):

Time dependence of perturbation

g9 (i) :

Density of phasei (i = 1, 2, 3)

σ ij :

Stress tensor

χ :

Velocity potential

ω 1,ω 2 :

The roots of the equation

$$\omega ^2 + C_O \omega - k^2 \left( {1 - \frac{{C_0 U}}{{\eta n}}} \right) = 0$$

References

  • Barnes, A. L., 1979, The use of a viscous slug to improve water-flooding efficiency in a reservoir partially invaded with bottom water,J. Petrol. Tech., Oct., 1147.

  • Brenner, H., 1980, Dispersion resulting from flow through spatially periodic porous media,Phil. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. A 297, 81.

    Google Scholar 

  • Carbonell, R. G. and Whitaker, S., 1983, Dispersion in pulsed system - II. Theoretical developments for passive dispersion in porous media,Chem. Eng. Sci. 38, 1795.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chang, H. L., 1978, Polymer flooding technology - yesterday, today and tomorrow,J. Petrol. Tech., August, 1113.

  • Chang, S. H. and Slattery, J. C., 1986, A linear stability analysis for miscible displacements,Transport in Porous Media 1, 179.

    Google Scholar 

  • Claridge, E. L., 1972, Discussion of the use of capillary tube networks in reservoir performance studies,Soc. Petrol. Eng. J.,12, 352.

    Google Scholar 

  • Claridge, E. L., 1978, A method for designing graded viscosity banks,Soc. Petrol. Eng. J., October, 315.

  • de la Cruz, V. and Spanos, T. J. T., 1983, Mobilization of oil ganglia,AIChE J. 29, 854.

    Google Scholar 

  • de la Cruz, V., Spanos, T. J. T., and Sharma, R. C., 1985, The stability of a steam-water front in a porous medium,Can. J. Chem. Eng. 63, 735.

    Google Scholar 

  • Giordano, R. M. and Salter, S. J., 1984, The effects of dispersion and phase behavior of unfavourable mobility ratio displacements, S.P.E. 13165, Soc. Petr. Eng., P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, Texas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hatton, T. A. and Lightfoot, E. N., 1982, On the significance of the dispersion coefficient in two-phase flow,Chem. Eng. Sci. 37, 1289.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koch, D. L. and Brady, J. F., 1985, Dispersion in fixed beds,J. Fluid Mech. 154, 399.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koval, E. J., 1963, A method for predicting the performance of unstable miscible displacement in heterogeneous media,Soc. Petrol. Eng. J. June, 145.

  • Lake, L. W., Johnston, J. R., and Segmeier, G. L., 1981, Simulation and performance prediction of a large-scale surfactant/polymer project,Soc. Petrol. Eng. J. December, 731.

  • Mungan, N., 1971, Improved waterflooding through mobility control,Can. J. Chem. Eng. 49, 32.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mungan, N., 1979, Laboratory study of water coning in a layered model,J. Petrol. Tech., 19, ???.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muskat, M., 1953, Oil recovery 100 per cent,Ind. Eng. Chem. 45, 1401.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nayfey, A. H., 1972, Stability of liquid interfaces in porous media,Phys. Fluids 15, 1751.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peaceman, D. W. and Rachford, H. H., 1962, Numerical calculation of multi-dimensional miscible displacement,Soc. Petrol. Eng. J. 2, 327.

    Google Scholar 

  • Perrine, R. L. and Gay, G. M., 1966, Unstable miscible flow in heterogeneous systems,Soc. Petrol. Eng. J. 6, 228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Russell, T. F., 1982, Finite elements with characteristics for two-component incompressible miscible displacement, S.P.E. 10500, Soc. Petr. Eng., P.O. Box 833836, Richardson, Texas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sandiford, B. B., 1977, Flow of polymers through porous media in relation to oil displacement, in D. O. Shah and R. S. Schechter (eds.),Improved Oil Recovery by Surfactant and Polymer Flooding, Academic Press, New York, p. 487.

    Google Scholar 

  • Settari, A., Price, H. S., and Dupont, T., 1977, Development and application of variational methods for simulation of miscible displacement in porous media,Soc. Pet. Eng. J. 17, 228.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spanos, T. J. T., de la Cruz, V., Hube, J., and Sharma, R. C., 1986, An analysis of Buckley-Leverett theory,J. Can. Petrol. Tech. 25, 71.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spanos, T. J. T. and de la Cruz, V., 1984, Some stability problems during immiscible displacement in a porous medium,AOSTRA J. Res. 1, 63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Todd, M. R. and Longstaff, W. J., 1972, The development, testing and application of a numerical simulator for predicting miscible flood performance,Trans. AIME 253, 874.

    Google Scholar 

  • Uzoigwe, A. C., Scanlon, F. C., and Jewett, R. L., 1974, Improvements in polymer flooding: The programmed slug and the polymer-conserving agent,J. Petrol. Tech. January, 33.

  • Wright, R. J., Wheat, M. R., and Dawe, R. A., 1987, Slug size and mobility requirements for chemically enhanced oil recovery within heterogeneous reservoirs,Soc. Petrol. Eng. J. Res. Eng. February, 92.

  • Young, L. C., 1981, A finite-element method for reservoir simulation,Soc. Petr. Eng. J. 21, 115.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Alberta Oil Sands Technology and Research Authority, 500 Highfield Place, 10010 - 106 Street, T5J 3L8, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    T. J. Cyr

  2. Department of Physics, University of Alberta, T6G 2J1, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

    V. De La Cruz & T. J. T. Spanos

Authors
  1. T. J. Cyr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. V. De La Cruz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. T. J. T. Spanos
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Cyr, T.J., De La Cruz, V. & Spanos, T.J.T. An analysis of the viability of polymer flooding as an enhanced oil recovery technology. Transp Porous Med 3, 591–618 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00959104

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00959104

Key words

Search

Navigation