Study on the Microscopic Distribution Pattern of Residual Oil and Exploitation Methods Based on a Digital Pore...

Area of Science:

• Petroleum Engineering
• Enhanced Oil Recovery
• Reservoir Engineering

Background:

• Global energy demand necessitates efficient petroleum extraction.
• Polymer flooding is crucial for enhanced oil recovery but lacks detailed understanding of microscopic residual oil distribution and displacement mechanisms.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of polymer concentration, molecular weight, and interfacial tension on residual oil distribution and displacement efficiency.
• To establish a digital pore network model for simulating polymer flooding processes.

Main Methods:

• Established a digital pore network model using mercury intrusion data.
• Visualized pore structure with 3Dmax software.
• Simulated oil displacement under varied polymer concentrations, molecular weights, and interfacial tensions.

Main Results:

• Moderate increase in polymer concentration (1000-2000 mg/L) improved recovery by ~1.45%.
• Higher molecular weights (16-24 million) increased recovery by ~1.07-1.37%.
• Lowering interfacial tension significantly enhanced recovery to 71.72%.

Conclusions:

• Adjusting polymer parameters optimizes microscopic residual oil distribution.
• Enhanced oil displacement efficiency provides a foundation for improved oilfield recovery and reservoir development.