Experimental and Theoretical Studies on Effects of Heterogeneity on Channeling in Waterflooding

Abstract

Water channeling is easy to occur during the process of water flooding in heterogeneous reservoirs. It leads to injected water noneffective cycling, the recovery decreasing and the development cost rising. By means of physical experiments and theoretical analysis, characteristics of water channeling are studied in different heterogeneous reservoirs. The result shows that when permeability contrast is lesser than 5.88, the development performance of reservoirs is similar to homogeneous reservoirs and water cut rises slowly after water breakthrough. If permeability contrast is higher than 5.88, the recovery curve has an inflexion, water cut rises rapidly and water channeling is easy to occur after breakthrough. Therefore, permeability contrast should be lesser than 5.88 in terms of layer series division in interlayer heterogeneous reservoirs. Measures must be taken to avoid water channeling when permeability contrast is higher than 5.88 in inner heterogeneous reservoirs.