Using High-Intensity Water Flooding for Improving Mature Oidfield Performance for Sustainable Development

Abstract

Most of the mature oilfields are on the verge of being abandoned. Drilling infill wells or chemical displacement is a standard method to improve mature oilfield performance. But these methods are not economical. For the sustainable and economic development of mature oilfields, large displacement natural water flooding was applied for improving mature oilfield performance. After high-intensity water flooding, most of the mature oilfields are in high water-cut and high recovery stages, and it is difficult for performance prediction. In this study, the displacement flux (P.A.), was applied to characterize the scouring intensity. Two types of relative permeability curves were obtained through high-intensity waterflooding (HIWF) experiments, including one type of continuous relative permeability curve of different displacement fluxes and the second type of multiple relative permeability curves of different displacement fluxes under re-saturated conditions. In addition, a two-dimensional five-point pattern model was established to compare the calculation results. Finally, a numerical model of a real reservoir in a mature oilfield was generated to test the method. The results demonstrate that using the type I relative permeability curve is fast and accurate to characterize the performance of the high water cut stage for sustainable development.