Determination of residual oil saturation behind a waterflood--a case history

Journal Article · Sat Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1972 · SPE of AIME Mid-Continent Sect. Improved Oil Recovery; (United States)

OSTI ID:5965426

Elkins, L F; Poppe, R E

Extensive testing of previously produced wells and coring and logging of a new well behind a peripheral waterflood in an offshore bar sand found no significant pockets of oil bypassed by the flood. Extensive analysis of the cores and logs of the test well and a material balance on the entire reservoir both showed overall average residual oil saturation behind the flood probably is less than 25% under reservoir conditions. In this nominal 31% porosity 800 md permeability reservoir, this corresponds to about 400 bbl tank oil per acre ft. Thus, this reservoir is at best a marginal target for tertiary recovery under present economic conditions. Special core analysis and comparison with well logs indicates a high probability that routine core analysis during the development of the field overstated actual porosity in this sand. Similarly, a widespread petroleum engineering practice of estimating interstitial water saturation from a plot of irreducible water saturation vs. permeability understates actual interstitial water saturation in this reservoir.

• OSTI ID: 5965426
• Journal Information: SPE of AIME Mid-Continent Sect. Improved Oil Recovery; (United States), Journal Name: SPE of AIME Mid-Continent Sect. Improved Oil Recovery; (United States) Vol. SPE-3788
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
ENERGY SOURCES
EVALUATION
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MEASURING METHODS
OIL SATURATION
OIL WELLS
PERMEABILITY
PETROLEUM
POROSITY
RESIDUAL PETROLEUM
SATURATION
WATERFLOODING
WELL LOGGING
WELLS