Effect of the spreading coefficient on the efficiency of oil recovery with gravity drainage
- Institute Francais Du Petrole, Rueil Malmaison (France)
Oil recovery with gravity drainage is a method with high potentiality. However, the effect of the spreading coefficient that seems to be a key parameter affecting the recovery efficiency and characteristics, has not yet been thoroughly studied. Gravity drainage experiments in presence of connate water for positive and negative spreading coefficients have been performed. The production is determined as a function of time and the distribution of the three fluids are obtained with CT sanner. A positive spreading coefficient favorises slow drainage of the oil by film flow, and the hydraulic continuity is maintained leading down to a very low residual saturations, for non-spreading conditions the oil gets disconnected and trapped forever, and the process is less efficient. The oil recovery as a function of time is compared with the predictions of a model taking into account the mechanism of spreading of oil on water, and a very good agreement is obtained. The water occupies the roughness of the porous medium the surface of which is modeled as a fractial object. By means of the same model, expressions for the relative permeability-saturation and capillary pressure-saturation relations are also obtained.
- OSTI ID:
- 141344
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-930304--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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