| Summary: | This paper presents a laboratory-scale experimental investigation on the performance of horizontal-vertical well configurations in conjunction with oil recovery by alkaline flooding. Emphasis focuses on the effect of the horizontal well position and length on oil recovery. The effect of three alkali solution types, [i.e. sodium carbonate (Na2CO3), sodium ortho-silicate (Na4SiO4), and sodium hydroxide (NaOH)] on cumulative oil yield, in both secondary and tertiary recovery processes is also investigated, using a linear model and various horizontal-vertical schemes.It was found that displacing Safaniya crude oil by a 1% NaOH solution results in higher oil recoveries in both linear and horizontal-vertical schemes. Moreover, the highest oil recovery through horizontal-vertical schemes was obtained by positioning the horizontal well perpendicular to the line connecting both vertical producing wells with a length that does not extend to the reservoir boundary. It was also found that the oil displacement efficiency in the tertiary process is much higher than that encountered in the secondary process. Also, increasing horizontal well length in a limited reservoir area does not increase the cumulative oil recovery.
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