SPE 114347

The Methods of Improving Polymer Flooding Performance at Northwest

Area of Lamadian
Z.B.Shao, SPE, S.L.Gao, E&D Research Institute of Daqing Oil Field Company; F.S.Huang, G.B.Hu, The No.6 Subcompany
of Daqing Oil Field Company, and W.Yan, E&D Research Institute of Daqing Oil Field Company
Copyright 2008, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the 2008 SPE/DOE Improved Oil Recovery Symposium held in Tulsa, Oklahoma, U.S.A., 1923April2008.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
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Abstract
This paper describes the main methods to improve the effect of polymer flooding with the process of project optimization and
implementation in northwest area of Lamadian oil field. According to the well pattern characteristics and conditions of oil
strata in this area.. Compared to the 5-spot well pattern, the connectivity factors and the sweep of the injected water by line in
diagonal increased on both sides of fault. Investment was decreased and the number of inefficient wells to be reduced result
from injection and production wells are completely utilized. Based on the reservoir geological features, ultra-high molecular
weight polymer was one of the better option for the case design. According to the reservoir dynamic performance during
polymer flooding process, integrated adjustment measures were applied to every developing stages. By means of above
methods, the incremental oil recovery can be achieved to 15.3% of northwest area polymer flooding in Lamadian.

Introduction
Oil zones PI1-2 lies on the northwest area is a sediment with wide channel sand body distribution, great thickness, large size
sand particles, and high permeable layers. According to the geological conditions of the reservoir, well pattern optimization
and individual case design was applied at different injection stations; methods of higher polymer concentration and 25
million deltons ultra-high molecular weight; and separate layer injection were also adopted during polymer injection.
Additional integrated adjustment measures such as induced fracturing, water shut-off, perforating into previously
undeveloped layers are used. Significant effectiveness achieved of polymer flooding at northwest area..
1-7

1 Geological features

1.1 General situation of northwest area of Lamadian
The target oil zones by polymer flooding is PI1-2 layer in the northwest area of Lamadian oilfield. The average effective
thickness is 14.18 m. The total number of wells is 328. Line in diagonals well pattern was applied in this area, and the well
spacing is 237 m.

1.2 Sedimentary characteristics of oil zones
Layer PI1 is a small plain straight channel and distributary channel with diversion crevasse. Its width only around 200 m.
Layer PI21 is a large high-bending distributary channel sedimentation with large scale, and the width is about 300 m. Layer
PI22 and PI23 are the large sandy braided river sedimentation with width of single channel sand body is about 500 m and
300m. The development of the sedimentary units is shown in Table 1.

Table 1 The development of PI1 layer in northwest area
sedimentary units effective thicknessm Effective permeabilitym
2

PI1 0.59 0.639
PI2
1
4.94 0.877
PI2
2
3.33 1.024
PI2
3
5.32 0.935
PI1-2 14.18 0.923

2 Case design before polymer injection
According to the oil layers characteristics and situation of exploitation, optimization of the design which was different from
the other blocks of polymer injection was taken.
2 SPE114347

2.1 Optimal design of well spacing to maximize the connectivity factor
The practice of polymer flooding shows that reasonable well pattern and well spacing is foundation and prerequisite to ensure
polymer flooding results. The well pattern and well spacing must be adapted to geological characteristics, and increase
connectivity factor
[8-14]
. The 237 212m line in diagonal pattern was used in northwest area .The well pattern and well
space is better adopted the geological characters of PI1-2 and has the following advantages:

Firstly it is helpful to increase connectivity factors. Northwest area develop 17 faults in deferent sizesthe strike of the
fault for the north west to 30 ~60 degreeby the injection and production wells syncline pattern which are perpendicular to
the fault row to the ranks of the North East, making fault does not exist on both sides died oil zone, significantly increased
the reserves on both sides of the fault control levels (Fig.1).













5-spot well pattern with 212m line in diagonal pattern with 212m

Fig. 1 Comparison of different well patterns

Second, it is conducive to the use of the old wells. The original injector should be change into producer if adpote 5-spot
well patten (Fig.2).


P11-2 injectors
P11-2 producers
infilling producers for polymer flooding

infilling injectors for polymer flooding









5-spot for water flooding with 212m, line in diagonal pattern with 212m

Fig.2 Comparison of line in diagonal with 212m and pattern of original water flooding

Northwest area applies the line in diagonal pattern , which avoid the nine injection wells change to oil wells and increase
0.81 km
2
polymer flooding area. So expected to increase oil production more than 5.5 10
4
t.

2.2 Better effectiveness by higher molecular weight polymer applycation
The experimental results show that high molecular weight polymer has better viscous, the greater resistance factor and
residual resistance factor, and help to expand the polymer flooding swept volume and improve the efficiency of oil
displacement (Fig.3).
When polymer molecular radius is five times less than the pore radius of the reservoir, no plug happed. The average pore
radius of northwest area is much larger than the higher molecular weight polymer size. Therefore ultra-high molecular weight
polymer (Table 2) can be injected in this area.Northwest area PI1-2 reservoir sedimentary features is a major area of river
sand sediment, large sand body size distribution, great thickness, coarse sandstone, high permeability, therefore selected 25
million ultra-high molecular weight polymer.
15-17
.
SPE114347 3

Fig. 3 Ultra high and medium molecule weight pol ymer comparing relationship curve

Table 2 Relationship between permeability and RMS radius in northwest area

2.3 Higher polymer concentration slug application
For the relatively serious heterogeneity of the oil strata, the higher polymer concentration slug is can be injected prior to
midum concentration polymer slug injection. Consequencely, favourable sweep volume and effectiveness can be obtained by
utilization of polymer .
18-22
Based on the pre-flush dynamic behaivoir and the reservoir characteristics before the polymer
injection at Northwest, 91 wells have been taken higher polymer concentration polymer injection. In the meanwhile, PI(90)
value increased 162.4% from 5.35 MPa to 8.69 MPa . The profile of water in-take has been improved markedly (Table 3).
The average incremental oil production is 12933t more than the average.( Fig.4)

Table 3 Injection profile changes of high concentration wells
higher concentration injection well Medium concentration injection well
Type Before injection
%
After injection
%
difference%
Before injection
%
After injection
%
difference%
High absorbent
layer
50.5 25.3 -25.2 48.6 36.4 -12.2
Low absorbent
layer
11.3 27.4 16.1 13.9 21 7.1
Other
absorbent layer
38.2 47.3 9.1 37.5 42.6 5.1




Core number
Permeability
7-23 7-2388 5-J 263 5-J 2638 RMS radiusm
0.2-0.4um
2
1.24 3.4 0.54 1.6
Core ratio% 15 22 20 19
0.4-0.6um
2
3.05 1.805 4.38 3.08
Core ratio% 10 25 13 16
0.6-0.8um
2
4.05 3.17 6.05 2.91 3.87
Core ratio% 20 25 13 20 20
1.0-2.0um
2
5.19 6.25 9.8 8.07 7.33
Core ratio% 35 25 17.4 60 36
2-3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
0 500 1000 1500
(mg/L)

(
m
P
a
.
s
)
2500
1200
25million
Viscosity
(mPa.s)
12million
Concentration (mg/L)

4 SPE114347
















ig. 4 Comparison between the area of higher pol ymer concentration injection and medium concentration injection

.4 Seperate layers
er injection is to improve inter-effective means of difference, for the 113 well of northwest area layer
res applied in the area of northwest by separated layer.
rget oil layers at the stage of the
lo
e of the water
cu
Integrated adjustment methods during different stages
.1 The methods to improve the profile of water in-take
e of stages during polymer flooding to reduce the difference
higher polymer concentration injection at the very beginning of polymer flooding, the profile of water in-

Fig. 5 Water intake profile before and after higher pol ymer concentration injection

40
70
100
1.1 3 5 7 9 11 2.1 3 5 7 9 11 3.1 3 5 7 9 11 4.1 3 5 7 9
Higher polymer concentration
medium polymer concentration
F
2
Stratified layer polym
which has high permeability contrast takes stratified injection. Among them, 52 wells adopted the ordinary separated, and 61
wells adopted by rubber sealing. The ratio is 72.0% account of the total wells. The result from sepertate layer reduced the
difference between the oil layers.
23
The following cases are the measu
(1) Increasing injection of the poor layers but not limited the water in-take of the main ta
west water cut. The result of it can be obtained that 36 m
3
increased injection volume among the 13 injectors
(2) Increasing injection of the poor layers but limited the water in-take of the main target oil layers at the stag
t increasing. The result of it can be obtained that 33 m
3
increased injection volume to the layers which the permeability is
lower or medium and 38 m
3
decreased injection volume to the layer of high permeability among the 20 injectors

3

3
3.1.1 Injecting high concentration polymer in the middl
between oil zones
Althoug the slug of
take will be back to the uneven distribution from the favourable profile as the time delayed. Focus on this problem, 54
injectors were adopted the manner of higher polymer concentration during the middle stage of polymer flooding again. The
good view can be seen by this kind of method that injection pressure increased 0.7MPa and the injection volume be limited of
the higher permeable layers. In the meanwhile, the increasing extend of water cut around these wells lower 0.46% than
average (Fig.5, Fig. 6).

After higher concentration injection
Before higher concentration injection
%

SPE114347 5

Fig. 6 The water cut changes with higher pol ymer concentration injection

.1.2 Improving water in-take condition of the reservoir by induced fracture
rs can be improved by the induced fracture
.2 Method of improving production profile
g the poor oil zones
ervoir, fracturing can be used to enhance seepage in the
.2.2 Controling the lower and invalid productivity through water shutoff
mer flooding, the measure of block those layers
.3 Expanding sweep by perforating into previously undeveloped layers
polymer flooding. Therefore, the measure of
.4 Large polymer bank size application
ing is to improve the mobility between oil and water and to increase the swept
er bank size and higher polymer concentration applied at the
1 Injection effect
r areas, the increasing speed of injection pressure at thenorthwest relative fast, before injection in
3
The effectiveness of polymer flooding of midum and lower permeable laye
method. 37 injectors have been adopted this kind of methods result in the injection pressure decreased 1.0MPa, and the water
in-take volume increased 26m
3
.

3
3.2.1 Improving productivity through fracturin
In order to improve the ability of the producing fluid in the poor res
low permeable sublayer. 115 wells have been fractured in northwest area and oil production of individual producer have been
increased by 4047t. The oil recovery can be enhanced 1.59%.

3
Since of the difference get increased between layers at the later stage of poly
of ultra water cut can low the invalide polymer solution production. Consequencely, the average value of decreased fluid
production for individual well is 79t per day, increased oil production is 4t per day, and the water cut decreased 7.8% per day,
the polymer solution production decreased 318mg/L per day among 25 wells adopted this measure.

3
The connectivity factor of polymer flooding is one of the key of affectting
perforating into previously undeveloped layers can be adopted to increase the connectivity fator of the oil zones for polymer
flooding.
24-25
The average value of increased fluid production for individual well is 35t per day, increased oil production is
7t per day, and the water cut decreased 5.6% per day among 9 wells adopted this measure.

3
An important mechanism of polymer flood
volume. Based on theory,

oil recovery efficiency decreases with increased mobility of the injectant. Consequently to avoid
fingering, a continuous polymer flood could be used instead of a water flood. However, because polymer solutions are more
expensive than water, economics limit the volume of polymer that should be injected. Based on our economic evaluation,
optimum effectiveness can be obtained if a suitable time to end polymer injection is chosen, followed by a water-injection
stage. For Daqing, the optimum polymer mass has been up to 1,076mg/L.The periodical recovery of the block increased by
15.3%, which was 2.65% higher than the adjacent block Beidong area.

sis of the effectiveness of polymer flooding 4 Analy
The manner of higher polymer molecular weight,large polym
area of northwest resulting the favourable benefit.

4.
Comparing the othe
Water
cut
(%)
The whole area 0.78%
Higher polymer
concentration
The response wells 0.32%
Time (month)

6 SPE114347
northwest area is lower, the increasing speed during the initial polymer flooding is larger than other blocks. Whats more, the
increasing scope of the injection pressure was apparently higher than other blocks, which was 185.5 %( Table 4).

Table 4 Injection pressure change among different areas
Areas -4 Area-5 Northwest Area-2 Area-3 Area
Initial pressure, MPa 4.14 7.59 7.59 7.96 5.83
Highest pressure, MPa 11.82 13.18 13.21 13.63 12.04
Increased pressure, % 185.5 73.6 71.0 41.6 106.5

.4 Overall effect
parison of water cut changing among the number of sites. The water cut changing was almost same with
ent options described above, 450.210
4
t cumulative increased oil production obtained, the
in

Fig.7 The water cut ch g among different areas

Conclusion
) Line in diagonal well pattern is a better choice for the northwest of Lamadian.
well as the individual well design are the
dian.
e method to improve sweep.
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Fig. 7 shows the com
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60
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0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4
Pore volume, PV
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an
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(1
(2) Polymer slug with ultra higher molecular weight and high concentration , as
preconditions of successful by polymer flooding to the northwest of Lamadian.
(3) Large polymer bank size lead a favourable benefit for the northwest of Lama
(4) Integrated adjustment measure during the stages of polymer flooding is an effectiv
(5) The oil recovery in the northwest of Lamadian by polymer flooding can be achievied to 15.3%.


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