Gas Injection Into Fractured Reservoirs Above Bubble Point Pressure

Abstract

Among all enhanced oil recovery (EOR) scenarios, gas injection seems to be promising for implementation in naturally fractured reservoirs. The use of CO₂ has received considerable interest as a method of EOR but a major drawback is its availability and increasing cost. Therefore, an alternative gas like CH₄ or N₂ must be considered to meet the economic considerations. To investigate the efficiency of oil recovery by CO₂, N₂, and CH₄ injection in fractured carbonate rock, a series of experiments was designed. Both miscible and immiscible schemes for gas injection were carried out on a low-permeable outcrop carbonate rock that was surrounded by fracture, established with a novel experimental method. The experiments aimed to investigate the potential of oil recovery by secondary and tertiary gas injection under high-temperature conditions. The matrix block was saturated using a recombined mixture of Iranian live oil, and by pumping water into the annular space, the space between rubber sleeve and outer jacket, high overburden pressure was exerted to obtain the desired homogeneous saturation. Using a back-pressure regulator, the pressure was kept above the bubble point pressure. The inlet was attached to a constant pressure pump injecting gas or water above the bubble point pressure, and the overburden pressure was removed gradually and the inlet fluid inflated the rubber sleeve. The amount of produced water from the annular space was recorded to estimate the distance between the rubber sleeve and sand face. This distance creates the fracture surrounding the core. Gas was injected into the fracture at pressures above the bubble point of the oil. Oil recovery as a function of time was monitored during the experiments. Results from both secondary and tertiary gas injection experiments indicate that CO₂ injection at elevated pressure and temperature is more efficient than N₂ and CH₄ injection.