Scaling accuracy of laboratory steam flooding models

Conference · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1972 · Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States)

OSTI ID:5004017

Pujol, L; Boberg, T C

This study deals with the adequacy of scaling methods used for steam-flooding studies in laboratory models of reservoirs containing viscous oils. For highly viscous oils, it was found that accurate capillary pressure scaling is not required. For these oils, the ratio of capillary to viscous forces is so low that unscaled capillary pressures have negligible effect on oil recovery behavior. However, in the case of medium-viscosity oils (less than 10,000 cp), unscaled capillary pressures result in prediction of optimistic oil recovery. A technique to bring capillary pressures into scale was investigated, but found to give only qualitative improvement. The technique caused predicted recovery behavior to be sensitive to flooding rates. Model predictions, after adjustment to field conditions to correct for differences between model and field starting oil saturations and injected steam quality, agree closely with numerical 2-dimensional, 3-phase calculations of the steam drive process. Oil recovery was found to depend mainly on the heat input per unit volume of reservoir sand. Injection rate was found to be a much less important variable. (17 refs.)

• Research Organization: Esso Production Research Co.
• OSTI ID: 5004017
• Report Number(s): CONF-721167-
• Conference Information: Journal Name: Soc. Pet. Eng. AIME, Pap.; (United States) Journal Volume: SPE-4191
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
ACCURACY
ENERGY SOURCES
ENERGY TRANSFER
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID FLOW
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HEAT TRANSFER
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
OIL SATURATION
OIL WELLS
PETROLEUM
RECOVERY
SATURATION
SCALE MODELS
STEAM INJECTION
STRUCTURAL MODELS
TESTING
THERMAL RECOVERY
VISCOSITY
WELLS