Abstract
Summary In this work, a series of solvent- and water-injection scenarios were conducted on horizontal five-spot glass micromodels that were saturated initially with heavy oil. Sandstone and limestone rock look-alike and network patterns with different pore structures were used in the experiments. The results show that the ultimate oil recovery of a water-alternating-solvent (WAS) scheme was greater than that of a simultaneously water-alternating-solvent (SWAS) scheme, and the efficiency of a solvent-soak scheme also offers a greater recovery. Likewise, the WAS scheme resulted in greater oil recovery when compared with continuous solvent injection (CSI), with the same amount of solvent consumption. Furthermore, some pore-scale phenomena, such as viscous fingering, diffusion of solvents into heavy oil, and localized entrapment of oil and solvent because of heterogeneity and/or water blockage, are also illustrated. The results of this work can be helpful for better understanding and verification of flow transport and pore-scale events during different solvent-based-injection scenarios in heavy-oil reservoirs.
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