Research on the water flooding front based on dynamic and static data inversion – a case study

Abstract

To clarify the movement of the water flooding front in fluvial reservoirs, this research takes the BZ oilfield as an example. By considering the equivalent flow resistance theory for oil–water two-phase flow, the horizontal micro-element equivalent method and the strong heterogeneity of fluvial facies reservoir comprehensively, a calculation model for a non-piston water flooding front in a horizontal well pattern was established. First, five horizontal injection–production well groups in the BZ oilfield were taken as examples to calculate the water breakthrough time for the oil wells. The calculation results are in good agreement with the actual production performance. In detail, the advancing speed of the water flooding front in the high-permeability strip was 0.8–1.6 m/day, and the speed in the low-permeability strip was 0.12–0.35 m/day. When water is seen in the oil well, the advancing speed in the low-permeability strip is reduced, resulting in uneven displacement and the formation of non-dominant potential areas. In addition, the water flooding front advancing distance was simulated to be 300–450 m by establishing a reservoir numerical simulation model, which is close to the result of the proposed model, indicating that the calculation method is reliable. This research is of great significance for predicting the water breakthrough time of horizontal production wells, judging the weak affected area on the mainstream line, and optimizing water injection and tapping reservoir potential in good time.