INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECT OF SEAWATER INJECTION ON OIL DISPLACEMENT FROM CARBONATE ROCK (ON THE EXAMPLE OF A FIELD IN KAZAKHSTAN)

Abstract

Increasing oil recovery is one of the most pressing issues today. Since the last century, scientists have been actively researching to enhance oil recovery. A huge number of scientists have turned their attention to this issue by using low-mineralized water (LMW). Thus, since the 90s, both theoretical and experimental research has been actively studied. Increased oil recovery depends on rock wettability and surface tension. This approach was key to a significant amount of experimental work. But, despite a lot of research, scientists still have not come to a consensus on the mechanisms that contribute to increased oil recovery. One of the main mechanisms is considered to be the movement of fine particles (i.e., clay particles) during flooding with low-mineralized water (LMW). As shown by the study of the topic of LMW, experimental work was often carried out on light oil. Experimental work with light oil has been positive. However, the interaction of the LMW with high-viscosity oil has not been deeply studied, which is relevant to the fields of Kazakhstan.