Micellar-polymer flood tested in Bradford field

Journal Article · Mon Nov 01 04:00:00 EST 1982 · Pet. Eng. Int.; (United States)

OSTI ID:6133425

Hause, W R; Haws, G W; Ondrusek, P S

Investigates the yielding of only 14,103 bbl of oil from a 24-acre test site (5.9% of the oil remaining in the reservoir after conventional waterflooding) after a micellar-polymer flood. A major contribution to the poor performance of the tertiary recovery project (funded, in part, by the US DOE) is believed to be poor vertical conformance which permitted channeling between wells, coupled with low permeability. Pressure parting in the reservoir, which occurred during the polymer-injection phase, may have contributed to the vertical conformance problem. An earlier pilot test of the micellar oil recovery process had recovered 50% of the oil in the affected zone. This was due to the presence of a permeable middle zone found in less than 5% of the site under consideration. There is no way to evaluate the slug's unit displacement efficiency in this project, but it was probably impaired by the tightness of the rock. There was no indication that the poor oil recovery was caused by lack of mobility control. There is always the possibility that the micellar slug and polymer solutions were adversely affected by interactions with reservoir fluids and the rock to a greater extent than indicated by the laboratory core floods.

• OSTI ID: 6133425
• Journal Information: Pet. Eng. Int.; (United States), Journal Name: Pet. Eng. Int.; (United States) Vol. 54:13; ISSN PEEID
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
CHANNELING
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FEDERAL REGION III
FIELD TESTS
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
MECHANICS
MICROEMULSION FLOODING
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NORTH AMERICA
OIL YIELDS
PENNSYLVANIA
PERMEABILITY
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
RECOVERY
RESERVOIR FLUIDS
ROCK MECHANICS
TESTING
US DOE
US ORGANIZATIONS
USA
WATERFLOODING
YIELDS