SPE Journal
Volume 17, Number 2, June 2012, pp. 455-468

SPE-135125-PA

Quantifying the Impact of Permeability Heterogeneity on Secondary-Recovery Performance

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DOI  More information 10.2118/135125-PA http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/135125-PA

Citation

  • Rashid, B., Muggeridge, A.H., Bal, A., and Williams, G. 2012. Quantifying the Impact of Permeability Heterogeneity on Secondary-Recovery Performance. SPE J.  17 (2): 455-468. SPE-135125-PA. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/135125-PA.

Discipline Categories

  • 6.5.5 Evaluation of Uncertainties
  • 6.8 Fundamental Research in Reservoir Description and Dynamics
  • 6.7.2 Recovery Factors

Keywords

  • heterogeneity, recovery factor, uncertainty

Summary

An improved heterogeneity/homogeneity index is introduced that uses the shear-strain rate of the single-phase-velocity field to characterize heterogeneity and rank geological realizations in terms of their impact on secondary-recovery performance. The index is compared with the Dykstra-Parsons coefficient (Dykstra and Parsons 1950) and the dynamic Lorenz coefficient (Shook and Mitchell 2009). The results show that the index's ranking ability is preserved for miscible and immiscible displacements at different viscosity/mobility ratios. Neither the Dykstra-Parsons coefficient (Dykstra and Parsons 1950) nor the dynamic Lorenz coefficient (Shook and Mitchell 2009) can consistently discriminate between different realizations in terms of breakthrough time and oil recovery at 1 pore volume injected (PVI) for tracer flow or adverse viscosity-ratio miscible and immiscible floods.

© 2012. Society of Petroleum Engineers

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History

  • Original manuscript received: 3 July 2010
  • Meeting paper published: 20 September 2010
  • Revised manuscript received: 5 April 2011
  • Manuscript approved: 12 April 2011
  • Published online: 24 January 2012
  • Version of record: 11 June 2012