Experimental Study and Numerical Simulation of Polymer Flooding

Abstract

The numerical simulation of polymer flooding is a complex task as this process involves complex physical and chemical reactions, and multiple sets of characteristic parameters are required to properly set the simulation. At present, such characteristic parameters are mainly obtained by empirical methods, which typically result in relatively large errors. By analyzing experimentally polymer adsorption, permeability decline, inaccessible pore volume, viscosity-concentration relationship, and rheology, in this study, a conversion equation is provided to convert the experimental data into the parameters needed for the numerical simulation. Some examples are provided to demonstrate the reliability of the proposed approach.