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Glenn Pool surfactant flood pilot tests, Part II: Field operations

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7159749

A surfactant flood pilot test was conducted in a 20-acre, four inverted five-spot pattern in the Glenn Pool Field. The field had been waterflooded and the pay zone, the Upper Sand, was at a depth of 1500 feet. The crude oil had a viscosity of 4.0 cp at a reservoir temperature of 95/sup 0/F. The process consisted of sequential injection of 35% PV of preflush, 10% PV of sulfonate slug and 35% PV of polymer solution, followed by drive water. Injection operation was smooth as no injection well plugging was observed during sulfonated and polymer solution injection. On the other hand, production operation was somewhat hampered due to plugging of producers. Low equivalent weight sulfonate precipitated out around the producers and contributed to the plugging problem. Solvent treatment corrected this situation quite effectively. Although a large oil bank was observed in the two observation wells and all other observation well behavior indicated a successful process performance, the total oil production was rather disappointing. About 63,000 barrels of incremental oil were produced. During the test, through reinterpretation of existing data and a pulse test program, it was established that there was no clear separation between the Upper and Middle Sands. The impermeable shale streaks separating these two zones were not continuous. The implication was that injected fluids were not confined in the Upper Sand. This made the interpretation of field data very difficult.

Research Organization:
Chevron Oil Field Research Co.
OSTI ID:
7159749
Report Number(s):
CONF-861080-
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English