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U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Waterflood pressure-pulsing for fractured reservoirs

Conference ·
OSTI ID:6171750
A laboratory study was conducted to evaluate some of the variables that effect the applicability of pressure- pulse flooding to fractured reservoirs. Tests were conducted on both water-wet and oil-wet cores covering a wide range of permeabilities. Recovery rates and maximum potential recovery by pressure-pulsing are indicated to be related to the permeability of the rock matrix. Recovery performance, however, was not influenced by wettability, thus indicating the applicability of the method regardless of reservoir wetting preference. The test results indicate that in a system undergoing multiple cycles of injection and production, the greatest volume of oil production is achieved during the first cycle, with lower recoveries obtained in each subsequent production cycle. Measurements of the saturation gradients that exist during both imbibition and pressure-pulsing show that the distrbution of oil and water within the rock matrix is essentially the same during the production cycle.
OSTI ID:
6171750
Report Number(s):
CONF-650572-
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English