Network Modeling of EOR Processes: A Combined Invasion Percolation and Dynamic Model for Mobilization of Trapped Oil

Abstract

A novel concept for modeling pore-scale phenomena included in several enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods is presented. The approach combines a quasi-static invasion percolation model with a single-phase dynamic transport model in order to integrate mechanistic chemical oil mobilization methods. A framework is proposed that incorporates mobilization of capillary trapped oil. We show how double displacement of reservoir fluids can contribute to mobilize oil that are capillary trapped after waterflooding. In particular, we elaborate how the physics of colloidal dispersion gels (CDG) or linked polymer solutions (LPS) is implemented. The linked polymer solutions consist of low concentration partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide polymer crosslinked with aluminum citrate. Laboratory core floods have shown demonstrated increased oil recovery by injection of linked polymer solution systems. LPS consist of roughly spherical particles with sizes in the nanometer range (50-150 nm). The LPS process involve mechanisms such as change in rheological properties effect, adsorption and entrapment processes that can lead to a microscopic diversion and mobilization of waterflood trapped oil. The purpose is to model the physical processes occurring on pore scale during injection of linked polymer solutions. A sensitivity study has also been performed on trapped oil saturation with respect to wettability status to analyze the efficiency of LPS on different wettability conditions. The network modeling results suggest that weakly wet reservoirs are more suitable candidates for performing linked polymer solution injection.

The effect of nanoparticles on reservoir wettability alteration: a critical review

“…Finally, this will divert the water and nanofluid flooding to flow through a channel filled with trapped oil, altering the wettability through disjoining pressure mechanism and then enhancing oil recovery (Fig. 6) (Bolandtaba and Skauge 2011;Manzari Tavakoli et al 2018).…”

Bond percolation on simple cubic lattices with extended neighborhoods

“…Percolation is an important model in statistical physics [1,2] because of its fundamental nature and its many practical applications, like liquids moving in porous media [3,4], forest fires problems [5,6] and epidemics [7]. Consequently, researchers have devoted considerable effort to study it and many valuable advances have been made.…”

Universal behavior of site and bond percolation thresholds on regular lattices with compact extended-range neighborhoods in 2 and 3 dimensions

“…Equations ( 12) and (13) show that if we plot z versus −1/ ln(1 − p c ) or z versus 1/p c , one can directly get the value of c = 2 d η c from the slopes, and in the latter case, the value of −b from the intercept. Kagomé (3,6,3,6) Square (4 4 ) Honeycomb ( 6 surrounded by the same sequence of polygons. Each lattice is characterized by a standard notation; for example, the notation (3 4 , 6) means that each vertex is surrounded by four triangles and one hexagon, in that order.…”

“…It is well known that percolation is an important model in statistical physics [1,2]. As a paradigmatic model, it can describe diverse phenomena in various fields, such as liquids moving in porous media [3,4], forest-fire problems [5,6] and epidemics [7,8]. Considering percolation on a lattice, each edge (vertex) is occupied by a bond (site) with probability p, and clusters of neighboring occupied sites or connected bonds can be constructed.…”