Heliyon (Jun 2024)

Study on displacement units for water flooded low-permeability oil reservoirs

  • Weiyao Zhu,
  • Yangwen Zhu,
  • Wengang Bu,
  • Youqi Wang,
  • Yunfeng Liu

Journal volume & issue
Vol. 10, no. 12
p. e33140

Abstract

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Understanding the reservoir feature changes is essential for optimizing oil exploitation throughout the development lifecycle. This paper proposed an analytical displacement unit method to character the features of water-flooded, low-permeability oil reservoirs. The method hinges the ratio of fluid flux to area and average water saturation, providing a fine description of reservoir dynamics. It has been implemented in a case study of a five-spot waterflooding scheme. The reservoir can be categorized into sixteen distinct unit types, each with specific attributes. This paper delves into the evolution of these displacement units and the key factors that influence their behavior. The findings provide insights into the degree of waterflooding and oil distribution following continuous waterflooding. Furthermore, the proposed method offers a valuable framework for analyzing the development of dominant water flow channels and exploiting the residual oil.

Keywords