Speaker
Description
SCAL (Special Core Analysis) tests are essential for determining the prop-
erties of heterogeneous porous media under multiphase internal flow, including
capillary pressure, relative permeability, and wettability. These tests are pivotal
for predicting reservoir performance. Among them, the USS (Unsteady-State)
core flooding test is particularly noteworthy. In this test, an oil-saturated rock
sample, initially at irreducible water saturation, is subjected to a controlled
water flow at one end. This process displaces oil, which is produced at the
opposite end until breakthrough occurs, after which both oil and water are pro-
duced. The test enables the evaluation of permeability and saturation under
conditions that mimic a petroleum reservoir environment. The significance of
this experiment is heightened when the goal is to investigate the properties of
highly heterogeneous rocks characterized by elongated and irregular volumetric
discontinuities, such as laminar and/or vugular heterogeneities. These struc-
tures significantly influence the dynamics of water saturation within the porous
medium. However, boundary experimental data, such as cumulative oil pro-
duction and pressure differential, often fail to capture these changes, making
distinguishing between strongly heterogeneous structures challenging. In this
context, the present study examines the impact of synthetic laminar and vugu-
lar heterogeneities on the experimental outcomes of the USS core flooding test,
intending to determine whether these features can be characterized in a tran-
sient test. Three primary experimental outputs were analyzed: the pressure
differential between the two ends of the rock, cumulative oil production, and
saturation profiles along the core. The investigation focused on parameters such
as the thickness, quantity, and permeability ratio of laminations relative to the
core in laminar heterogeneity, as well as the quantity, size, and distribution of
vugs in vugular heterogeneity. Three-dimensional simulations were conducted
using the CMG software in a computational environment. The experimental de-
sign revealed that certain parameters exert a significantly greater influence than
others and that some experimental outputs cannot differentiate the medium’s
heterogeneity. This limitation renders these outputs potentially ineffective for
subsequent uncertainty quantification in the analysis of these porous media of
interest.
| Country | Brazil |
|---|---|
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