Obtaining a better understanding of the reservoir fundamental parameters and the important factors that influence secondary recovery is the first part of this course. With a clear focus on developing the reservoir aiming at maximizing oil recovery and minimizing operating cost, water flooding, as a prime secondary recovery method, is examined thoroughly. Selecting specific criteria for implementing water flooding at different for different reservoirs and subsurface conditions will be presented. Key elements required for calculating recovery factor, mobilization, displacement & sweep efficiencies, fractional flow analysis, and heterogeneity & gravity segregation interaction and their influence on displacement/recovery are fully covered.

This course provides a profound knowledge of water flooding technology with emphasis on applications in both green and brown oil fields. This course goes beyond fundamentals and principles to reach out to very serious issues concerning increasing recovery from oil fields with minimum operating cost. Design, application, and challenges will be entertained during the course. Case studies will be used as a venue for the latest technology applications in different regions of the globe.

Course Objectives

Understand the fundamentals of waterflooding as the most attractive EOR methods.

Understand the design and applications of waterflooding technology.

Understand the procedure of optimization of waterflooding via chemically modification.

Understand the waterflooding remaining challenges.

Learning Objectives

After completing this course, participants will be able to:

Understand the fundamentals, applications, impact, challenges, and limitations of waterflooding technology

Understand and utilize the frontal advance theory and the Buckley-Leverett method

Assess, maintain, and integrate the required data to design a successful waterflooding project

Understand the influence of CCA, SCAL and other reservoir characterization aspects on waterflooding and make decisions on their usage

Optimize chemically modified waterflooding projects

Specialists in reservoir engineering, secondary recovery, EOR, and IOR

Day 1

Introduction to Multiphase Flow in Petroleum Reservoirs

• Main Differences between Single Phase and Multiphase
• Model for Describing Multiphase Flow in Porous Media
• Miscible / Immiscible Flow in Porous Media

Wettability

• Surface Kinetics
• Wetting and Non-Wetting Phases
• Young’s Equation
• Rock Wettability
• Factors that Influence Wettability
• Drainage and Imbibition Processes
• Lab Measurement of Wettability

Surface/Interfacial Tension

• Capillary Pressure
• Capillary Pressure Curves
• Factors Influence Capillary Pressure
• Lab Measurement of Capillary Pressure
• Lab Measurement of IFT
• Converting IFT Lab data to Reservoir Data
• Height above FWL and Capillary Pressure Relationship
• Transition Zone, Capillary Pressure, Permeability, and Saturation Profiles of the Wetting and Non-Wetting Phases Interrelations

Day 2

Relative Permeability

• Definition of Relative Permeability
• Factors that Influence Relative Permeability
• Relative Permeability Curves
• Lab Determination of Relative Permeability
• Relative Permeability Relationships

CCA/SCA Versus Reservoir Characterization

• Examples of relationships between relative permeability and other rock characteristics
• Characterization techniques for differentiating rock types and assigning results to those rock types

Validation of CCA/SCA Data

• What to Look for during Review of SCA Reports
• A Systematic Approach to Data Validation
• Review Checklists

Day 3

Residual Oil Saturation (ROS) Issue

• Ambiguity and Alternative Definitions
• Difficulties in Determining Issues
• Estimating Relative Permeability Data
• Effect of Wettability

Capillary Number

• Interrelation between Viscous Forces and IFT Forces
• Critical Capillary Number for Water-Wet and Oil-Wet Reservoirs and Its Effect on Mobility of ROS
• Mobility Ratio Implications

Saturation Functions

• Johnson Saturation Function
• Cuddy et al. Saturation Function
• Skelt-Harrison Saturation Function

Fractional Flow

• Optimization of the S-Shape Curve
• What to Learn from the S-Shape Profile

Optimization of Waterflooding by ASP

• Process Description
• Role Experimental Study
• Field Applications
• Case Studies

Day 4

Waterflooding Applications

• Microscopic Efficiency
• Microscopic Displacement
• Areal Sweep Efficiency
• Vertical Sweep Efficiency
• Global Sweep Efficiency
• Bukley-Leverett Frontal Advance Theory
• Sources and Treatment of Injected Water
• Well Injectivity
• Waterflooding Implementation
• Role of Geology and Reservoir Heterogeneity on Waterflood Design

Day 5

Chemical Modified Waterflooding Envelop

• Ionic Exchange Concept
• LoSal/HiSal
• Effect of Temperature
• Effect of Salinity