Numerical Simulation Study of Tracking the Displacement Fronts and Enhancing Oil Recovery Based on Ferrofluid Flooding
Water flooding is crucial means to improve oil recovery after primary production. However, the utilization ratio of injected water is often seriously affected by heterogeneities in the reservoir. Identification of the location of the displacement fronts and the associated reservoir heterogeneity is...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-09-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.759862/full |
| _version_ | 1818608262825639936 |
|---|---|
| author | Tao Huang Fuquan Song Renyi Wang Xiaohe Huang |
| author_facet | Tao Huang Fuquan Song Renyi Wang Xiaohe Huang |
| author_sort | Tao Huang |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Water flooding is crucial means to improve oil recovery after primary production. However, the utilization ratio of injected water is often seriously affected by heterogeneities in the reservoir. Identification of the location of the displacement fronts and the associated reservoir heterogeneity is important for the management and improvement of water flooding. In recent years, ferrofluids have generated much interest from the oil industry owning to its unique properties. First, saturation of ferrofluids alters the magnetic permeability of the porous medium, which means that the presence of ferrofluids should produce magnetic anomalies in an externally imposed magnetic field or the local geomagnetic field. Second, with a strong external magnetic field, ferrofluids can be guided into regions that were bypassed and with high residual oil saturation. In view of these properties, a potential dual-application of ferrofluid as both a tracer to locate the displacement front and a displacing fluid to improve recovery in a heterogeneous reservoir is examined in this paper. Throughout the injection process, the magnetic field generated by electromagnets and altered by the distribution of ferrofluids was calculated dynamically by applying a finite element method, and a finite volume method was used to solve the multiphase flow. Numerical simulation results indicate that the displacement fronts in reservoirs can indeed be detected, through which the major features of reservoir heterogeneity can be inferred. After the locations of the displacement fronts and reservoir heterogeneities are identified, strong magnetic fields were applied to direct ferrofluids into poorly swept regions and the efficiency of the flooding was significantly improved. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T14:39:51Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7d1cd0abf5544880a96a3141e7278c9d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-6463 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T14:39:51Z |
| publishDate | 2021-09-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Earth Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-7d1cd0abf5544880a96a3141e7278c9d2022-12-21T22:27:58ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632021-09-01910.3389/feart.2021.759862759862Numerical Simulation Study of Tracking the Displacement Fronts and Enhancing Oil Recovery Based on Ferrofluid FloodingTao HuangFuquan SongRenyi WangXiaohe HuangWater flooding is crucial means to improve oil recovery after primary production. However, the utilization ratio of injected water is often seriously affected by heterogeneities in the reservoir. Identification of the location of the displacement fronts and the associated reservoir heterogeneity is important for the management and improvement of water flooding. In recent years, ferrofluids have generated much interest from the oil industry owning to its unique properties. First, saturation of ferrofluids alters the magnetic permeability of the porous medium, which means that the presence of ferrofluids should produce magnetic anomalies in an externally imposed magnetic field or the local geomagnetic field. Second, with a strong external magnetic field, ferrofluids can be guided into regions that were bypassed and with high residual oil saturation. In view of these properties, a potential dual-application of ferrofluid as both a tracer to locate the displacement front and a displacing fluid to improve recovery in a heterogeneous reservoir is examined in this paper. Throughout the injection process, the magnetic field generated by electromagnets and altered by the distribution of ferrofluids was calculated dynamically by applying a finite element method, and a finite volume method was used to solve the multiphase flow. Numerical simulation results indicate that the displacement fronts in reservoirs can indeed be detected, through which the major features of reservoir heterogeneity can be inferred. After the locations of the displacement fronts and reservoir heterogeneities are identified, strong magnetic fields were applied to direct ferrofluids into poorly swept regions and the efficiency of the flooding was significantly improved.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.759862/fullferrofluidtracking displacement frontenhance oil recoveryheterogeneous reservoirnumerical simulation |
| spellingShingle | Tao Huang Fuquan Song Renyi Wang Xiaohe Huang Numerical Simulation Study of Tracking the Displacement Fronts and Enhancing Oil Recovery Based on Ferrofluid Flooding Frontiers in Earth Science ferrofluid tracking displacement front enhance oil recovery heterogeneous reservoir numerical simulation |
| title | Numerical Simulation Study of Tracking the Displacement Fronts and Enhancing Oil Recovery Based on Ferrofluid Flooding |
| title_full | Numerical Simulation Study of Tracking the Displacement Fronts and Enhancing Oil Recovery Based on Ferrofluid Flooding |
| title_fullStr | Numerical Simulation Study of Tracking the Displacement Fronts and Enhancing Oil Recovery Based on Ferrofluid Flooding |
| title_full_unstemmed | Numerical Simulation Study of Tracking the Displacement Fronts and Enhancing Oil Recovery Based on Ferrofluid Flooding |
| title_short | Numerical Simulation Study of Tracking the Displacement Fronts and Enhancing Oil Recovery Based on Ferrofluid Flooding |
| title_sort | numerical simulation study of tracking the displacement fronts and enhancing oil recovery based on ferrofluid flooding |
| topic | ferrofluid tracking displacement front enhance oil recovery heterogeneous reservoir numerical simulation |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2021.759862/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT taohuang numericalsimulationstudyoftrackingthedisplacementfrontsandenhancingoilrecoverybasedonferrofluidflooding AT fuquansong numericalsimulationstudyoftrackingthedisplacementfrontsandenhancingoilrecoverybasedonferrofluidflooding AT renyiwang numericalsimulationstudyoftrackingthedisplacementfrontsandenhancingoilrecoverybasedonferrofluidflooding AT xiaohehuang numericalsimulationstudyoftrackingthedisplacementfrontsandenhancingoilrecoverybasedonferrofluidflooding |