Water Flooding and EOR Lecture Slides 1 - 20

Water Flooding and
Enhanced Oil Recovery

PE – 414
Petroleum reservoir Oil and Gas Recoveries
Oil recovery operations traditionally have been subdivided into three stages:
• primary,
• secondary, and
• Tertiary
Primary production: the initial production stage, resulted from the displacement
energy naturally existing in a reservoir.
Secondary recovery: the second stage of operations, usually was implemented after
primary production declined. Traditional secondary recovery processes are
waterflooding, pressure maintenance, and gas injection, although the term
secondary recovery is now almost synonymous with water flooding.
Tertiary recovery: the third stage of production, was that obtained after water
flooding (or whatever secondary process was used). Tertiary processes used miscible
gases, chemicals, and/or thermal energy to displace additional oil after the
secondary recovery process became uneconomical.
The drawback to consideration of the three stages as a chronological sequence is

that many reservoir production operations are not conducted in the specified order.
A well-known example is production of the heavy oils.
“Enhanced Oil Recovery” (EOR)

The term “tertiary recovery” fell into disfavor in petroleum engineering literature
and the designation of “enhanced oil recovery” (EOR) became more accepted.
Another descriptive designation commonly used is “improved oil recovery” (IOR),

which includes EOR but also encompasses a broader range of activities (e.g.,
reservoir characterization, improved reservoir management, and infill drilling).
Primary Recovery Energy Mechanism

Primary recovery results from the use of natural energy present in a reservoir as the
main source of energy for the displacement of oil to producing wells.
These natural energy sources are solution gas drive, gas-cap drive, natural water-
drive, fluid and rock expansion, and gravity drainage.
The particular mechanism of lifting oil to the surface, once it is in the wellbore, is
not a factor in the classification scheme.
Secondary Recovery Energy Mechanism

Secondary recovery results from the augmentation of natural energy through
injection of water or gas to displace oil toward producing wells.
Gas injection, in this case, is either into a gas cap for pressure maintenance and gas-
cap expansion or into oil-column wells to displace oil immiscibly according to
relative permeability and volumetric sweep out considerations.
Gas processes that are based on other mechanisms, such as oil swelling, oil viscosity
reduction, or favorable phase behavior, are considered EOR processes.
EOR Mechanism
EOR results principally from the injection of gases or liquid chemicals and/or the
use of thermal energy.
Hydrocarbon gases, carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen, and flue gases are among the
gases used in EOR processes.
The use of a gas is considered an EOR process if the recovery efficiency significantly
depends on a mechanism other than immiscible frontal displacement characterized
by high-interfacial-tension (IFT) permeabilities.
EOR Mechanism (Cont’d)

A number of liquid chemicals are commonly used, including polymers, surfactants,
and hydrocarbon solvents.
Thermal processes typically consist of the use of steam or hot water, or rely on the
in-situ generation of thermal energy through oil combustion in the reservoir rock.
EOR processes involve the injection of a fluid or fluids of some type into a reservoir.
The injected fluids and injection processes supplement the natural energy present in
the reservoir to displace oil to a producing well.
EOR Mechanism (Cont’d)

The injected fluids interact with the reservoir rock/oil system to create conditions
favorable for oil recovery.
These interactions might, for example, result in lower IFTs, oil swelling, oil viscosity
reduction, wettability modification, or favorable phase behavior.
The interactions are attributable to physical and chemical mechanisms and to the
injection or production of thermal energy.
Simple waterflooding and the injection of dry gas for pressure maintenance or oil
displacement are excluded from the definition.
Oil Recovery Mechanisms
Water Flooding – A Secondary Recovery Mechanism
Secondary oil recovery refers to the additional recovery that results from the
conventional methods of water injection and immiscible gas injection.
Usually, the selected secondary recovery process follows the primary recovery but it
can also be conducted concurrently with the primary recovery.
Water-flooding is perhaps the most common method of secondary recovery.
However, before undertaking a secondary recovery project, it should be clearly
proven that the natural recovery processes are insufficient; otherwise there is a risk
that the substantial capital investment required for a secondary recovery project
may be wasted.
Reservoir Characteristics – Must be Considered:
 Reservoir geometry
 Fluid properties
 Reservoir depth
 Lithology and rock properties
 Fluid saturations
 Reservoir uniformity and pay continuity
 Primary reservoir driving mechanisms
Reservoir Characteristics – Must be Considered:
 Reservoir geometry
 Fluid properties
 Reservoir depth
 Lithology and rock properties
 Fluid saturations
 Reservoir uniformity and pay continuity
 Primary reservoir driving mechanisms
Reservoir Characteristics – Must be Considered (Cont’d):
Reservoir Geometry:
Dictate the methods by which a reservoir can be produced through water-
injection practices, if offshore – No. of platforms required.
Presence of Water Drive and its strength.
Fluid Properties:
Viscosity to determine mobility ratio
Reservoir depth:
Directly impact on technical and economic aspects.
Injection pressure can be a limiting factor, (usual pressure gradient 1 psi/ft),
excessive pressure may cause fracturing.
Lithology and rock properties:
Most influential properties are:
 Porosity – Fracture porosity impact, clay mineral presence
𝒊𝒘
 Permeability – Tight reservoirs, general relationship 𝑷𝒊𝒏𝒋 ∝
𝒉𝑲
 Clay content – may reduce k

 Net thickness – related with above relationship
Fluid saturations:
High saturation is favorable.
Reservoir Uniformity And Pay Continuity:
Through thief zone, rapid channeling and bypassing will develop, maycontain less
residual oil than the other layers, and their flooding will lead to relatively
lower oil recoveries than other layers.
Areal continuity of the pay zone is also a prerequisite for a successful water-
flooding project.
Breaks in pay continuity and reservoir anisotropy caused by depositional
conditions, fractures, or faulting need to be identified and described before
determining the proper well spanning and the suitable flood pattern orientation.
Primary reservoir driving mechanisms
Primary Reservoir Driving Mechanisms:
Main driving mechanism and there POSSIBLE recoveries:
OPTIMUM TIME TO WATERFLOOD
The most common procedure for determining the optimum time to start water-
flooding is to calculate:
 Anticipated oil recovery
 Fluid production rates
 Monetary investment
 Availability and quality of the water supply
 Costs of water treatment and pumping equipment
 Costs of maintenance and operation of the water installation facilities
 Costs of drilling new injection wells or converting existing production
wells into injectors
SELECTION OF FLOODING PATTERNS
Selection of flood pattern is a very early step in designing.
The objective is to select the proper pattern that will provide the injection fluid with
the maximum possible contact with the crude oil system.
This selection can be achieved by:
1. converting existing production wells into injectors or
2. drilling infill injection wells.
SELECTION OF FLOODING PATTERNS (Cont’d)
Following factors must be considered, while selection:
 Reservoir heterogeneity and directional permeability
 Direction of formation fractures
 Availability of the injection fluid (gas or water)
 Desired and anticipated flood life
 Maximum oil recovery
 Well spacing, productivity, and injectivity
The selection of a suitable flooding pattern for the reservoir depends on the number
and location of existing wells.

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Water Flooding and

Enhanced Oil Recovery

The drawback to consideration of the three stages as a chronological sequence is

“Enhanced Oil Recovery” (EOR)

Another descriptive designation commonly used is “improved oil recovery” (IOR),

Primary Recovery Energy Mechanism

Secondary Recovery Energy Mechanism

EOR Mechanism (Cont’d)

EOR Mechanism (Cont’d)

 Clay content – may reduce k

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