Effect of fines migration on oil recovery from carbonate rocks

Abstract

We perform single-phase and two-phase flooding on Edwards Brown rock samples. The single-phase injection was of seawater or CaCl2 brine, at successive salinities 0.63, 0.21, 0.07, 0.05, and 0 mol/L (distilled water). For CaCl2 brine experimental run, no significant fines migration or permeability decrease is observed. For seawater experimental run, distilled water injection is found to bring about the highest concentration of produced fines and most of the permeability decrease, with the ultimate permeability decrease being 99.94%. Therefore, distilled water injection is used to stimulate fines migration in the following two-phase experimental runs. Two-phase experiments are performed on four Edwards Brown rock samples using seawater or CaCl2 brine as the aqueous phase, and Soltrol® 130 or crude oil as the oleic phase. Rock samples are initially fully saturated with 0.63 mol/L of the selected aqueous solution. This is followed by injecting the selected oil at a constant rate for at least 20 pore volumes to displace brine. Next, selected brine is injected to displace oil, and finally distilled water. For CaCl2 brine, distilled water injection is found to recover no additional oil of either type of oil. However, for seawater, the fines production observed during distilled water injection is found to reduce water relative permeability by two orders of magnitude when Soltrol® 130 is used and by three orders of magnitude when crude oil is used. The seawater experimental runs also brought about additional oil recovery during distilled water injection: 18% when Soltrol® 130 is used and 3.4% when crude oil is used. This last result can be attributed to the plugging of pores due to fines migration, which can divert further injected water into previously unswept pores. Cited as: Almutairi, A., Saira, S., Wang, Y., Le-Hussain, F. Effect of fines migration on oil recovery from carbonate rocks. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2023, 8(1): 61-70. https://doi.org/10.46690/ager.2023.04.06