Optimization of Micellar-Polymer Drive in a Stochastic Reservoir

Abstract

Micellar – Polymer drive process is one of the effective, proven and widely used non-thermal EOR methods which classified under chemical flooding. The process is preferable in reservoirs that don’t have enough aquifer assistance and also in depleted reservoirs. A successful micellar-polymer flooding operation can be enabled by having correct data of parameters like reservoir pressure, mineral types in the reservoir, phase behavior of microemulsions, reservoir temperature, salinity data, buffer stability, micellar slug, and concentrations of the surfactants. In this study, A comprehensive literature review regarding on above parameters studied with field case studies worldwide. A Micellar-polymer drive process is applied on a stochastic reservoir and the optimization of the case performed by considering the mechanisms and limitations of micellar-polymer drive process, selection and design criteria, as well as the phase behavior changes during the process to have the most effective residual oil recovery. Parameters that enables an optimal recovery is described and used as optimization parameters in a full-physics commercial reservoir simulator. Typical Injection sequence that includes water flooding, polymer injection, polymer drive, polymer taper and chase water is applied for selected time periods. Changes of Oil saturation, water viscosity, adsorbed fluid, surfactant and polymer adsorption is simulated by using the optimal values of selected optimization parameters. General solution results are given with the optimal solution and all compared with the base case. It clarified that the Micellar-polymer drive optimization maximizes cumulative oil recovery in a reservoir that has a stochastically generated permeability distribution.