Title: Utilisation of multiple gas injection to enhance oil recovery for fractured-cavity carbonate heavy oil reservoir

Authors: Fayang Jin; Dong Li; Wanfen Pu; Yibo Li; Bin Li; Chengdong Yuan; Yafei Chen; Neng Wang

Addresses: State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, School of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Sichuan, Chengdu 610500, China ' State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, School of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Sichuan, Chengdu 610500, China ' State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, School of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Sichuan, Chengdu 610500, China ' State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, School of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Sichuan, Chengdu 610500, China ' State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, School of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Sichuan, Chengdu 610500, China ' State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, School of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Sichuan, Chengdu 610500, China ' State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, School of Petroleum and Natural Gas Engineering, Southwest Petroleum University, Sichuan, Chengdu 610500, China ' Natural Gas Company of Xinjiang Oil Field Company, Xinjiang, Karamay 834000, China

Abstract: Gas injection has been proven to be a valuable enhanced oil recovery (EOR) process for light oil reservoirs and ordinary heavy oil reservoirs, but it was rarely proposed as an EOR process for fractured-cavity carbonate heavy oil reservoir. This study aims to investigate the feasibility of the gas injection based on flooding and cycle stimulation method with respect to enhancing oil recovery for fractured-cavity carbonate heavy oil reservoir. Thus, a representative physical model of core was designed, and some gas flooding and cyclic gas stimulation experiments were conducted. The experimental results show that gas injection can enhance the oil recovery in fractured-cavity carbonate reservoir and carbon dioxide is the optimal injected gas in this study. Also, gravity drainage plays an important role in fractured-cavity carbonate reservoir besides the various recovering mechanisms in conventional reservoir. In addition, Tahe heavy oil has a strong capacity of oxygen consumption due to the high content of polar compound. [Received: May, 1, 2015; Accepted: February 29, 2016]

Keywords: fractured-cavity carbonate reservoir; heavy oil; gas flooding; cycle gas stimulation; enhanced oil recovery.

DOI: 10.1504/IJOGCT.2017.083860

International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Technology, 2017 Vol.15 No.1, pp.77 - 93

Received: 01 May 2015
Accepted: 29 Feb 2016
Published online: 25 Apr 2017 *

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