ESTIMATION OF VOLUMETRIC SWEEP EFFICIENCY OF A

MISCIBLE FLOOD

R.O. BAKER

this article begins on the next page F

THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY PAPER 96-97 Estimation of Volumetric Sweep Efficiency of a Miscible Flood R.O. Baker Epic Consulting
Services ltd. This paper is to be presented at the 47th Annual Technical Meeting of The Petroleum Society in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 10 - 12, 1996. Discussion of this paper is invited and may be presented at the meeting if filed in writing with the technical program chairman prior to the conclusion of the meeting. This paper and any discussion filed will be considered for publication in CIM journals. Publication rights
are reserved. This is a pre-print and is subject to correction. ABSTRACT correlates well with cumulative incremental oil production. Forecasting volumetric sweep efficiency and oil Such a plot can be used to estimate miscible flood recovery of a miscible flood is difficult, yet reliable incremental recovery. If the log GOR vs. cumulative oil is a
production forecasts are required for economic analysis. straight line, this implies that the late oil rate decline will be Conventional decline curve analysis cannot be applied either harmonic or hyperbolic depending upon total fluid until well after the miscible flood is underway, and may be production rate. These surveillance techniques can identify inapplicable if oil production rates are constant or
areas in which volumetric sweep and oil recovery is increasing. Numerical simulation can usually give reliable performing below expectations. These techniques allow an estimates of oil recovery but only after a time consuming operator to continuously monitor performance and to make history match. However, simulation can be extremely time timely operational changes to maximize oil recovery.
consuming. Computer resources and man power INTRODUCTION constraints can often limit the areal extent of a model, and lt is critical that a development team has an excellent therefore limit the model's applicability for full field knowledge of reserves remaining in a reservoir to plan forecasts. optimum depletion strategies. Unfortunately the reservoir
In this study, simple methods based on waterflood engineer has a' difficult decision on predicting reserves they surveillance techniques were developed for estimating can choose from decline analysis or simulation. Determining miscible flood volumetric sweep efficiency. These methods incremental oil in a tertiary miscible flood by decline analysis can be used to predict ultimate recovery and volumetric is especially difficult because:
sweep for horizontal miscible floods in either strongly 1. Often daily fluctuations in oil rate may be gravity y - dominated system, heterogeneous systems or greater than the incremental oil rates attributed _ viscous fingering dominated systems. to miscible flooding Miscible flood simulation studies and results from actual field
projects show that a plot of gas-oil ratio (GOR)
, . ~.,,'
PAPER 96-97
THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY

Estimation of Volumetric Sweep

Efficiency of a Miscible Flood

RO. Baker
Epic Consulting Services ltd.

This paper is to be presented at the 47th Annual Technical Meeting of The Petroleum Society in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 10- 12,
1996. Discussion of this paper is invited and may be presented at the meeting if filed in writing with the technical program chairman prior
to the conclusion of the meeting. This paper and any discussion filed will be considered for publication in elM journals. Publication rights
are reserved. This is a pre-print and is subject to correction.

correlates well with cumulative incremental oil production.

ABSTRACT
Forecasting volumetric sweep efficiency and oil
recovery of a miscible flood is difficult, yet reliable
production forecasts are reqUired for economic analysis.
Conventional decline curve analysis cannot be applied
until well after the miscibie flood is underway, and may be
inapplicable if oil production rates are constant or
increasing. Numerical simulation can usually give reliable
estimates of oil recovery but only after a time consuming
history match. However, simulation can be extremely time
consuming. Computer resources and man power
constraints can often limit the areal extent ofa model, and
therefore limit the model's applicability for full field
forecasts.
In this study, simple methods based on waterflood
surveillance techniques were developed for estimating
miscible flood volumetric sweep efficiency. These methods
can be used to predict ultimate recovery and volumetric
sweep for horizontal miscible floods in either strongly
gravity _ dominated system, heterogeneous systems or
viscous fingering dominated systems.
Miscible flood simulation studies and results from actual
field projects show that a plot of gas-oil ratio (GOR)
Such a plot can be used to estimate miscible flood
incremental recovery. If the log GOR vs. cumulative oil is a
straight line, this implies that the late oil rate decline will be
either harmonic or hyperbolic depending upon total fluid
production rate. These surveillance techniques can identifY
areas in which volumetric sweep and oil recovery is
performing below expectations. These techniques allow an
operator to continuously monitor performance and to make
timely operational changes to maximize oil recovery.
INTRODUCTION
It is critical that a development team has an excellent
knowledge of reserves remaining in a reservoir to plan
optimum depletion strategies. Unfortnnately the reservoir
a
engineer has difficult decision on predicting reserves they
can choose from decline analysis or simulation. Determining
incremental oil in a tertiary miscible flood by decline analysis
is especially difficult because:
1. Often dally fluctuations in oil rate may be
greater than the incremental oil rates attributed
to miscible flooding
 2. Infill drilling and well work overs are 3. Pressure variation through the system is neglected so
occurring simultaneously as miscible floods J.lg Bg .
start up so it is difficult to attribute oil we can assume constant. It is also assumed
IS
production to tertiary miscible response J.l 0 Bo
that the voidage replacement ratio is 1.0 so tllat
3. Initial overall oil rates are constant or
pressure is constant through time.
increasing
The following derivation was adapted from Lo"'.
These factors mean that conventional decline analysis Sandrea(lO), Currier and Sid.Iear(l), Ershaghi(3).(4" Lijek(7),
cannot be applied until well after the miscible flood is
Muska!,9), Startzman and WU(l2) and is presented here for
underway.
completeness. For gas-oil and water-oil systems a large
For a more "accurate" answer, the reservoir engineer can portion of the relative permeability curve is governed by:
use munerical simulation but this approach requires
k",
detailed reservoir knowledge, usually requires fine detailed
- = e -as Q (1)
grids and is eXl'ensive and time consuming. Therefore k ro
simulation is limited to only portions of the reservoir.
Taking the natural log of (I), we get:
On the other hand., large capital intensive decisions need

~:) oc -aS
to be made on an on going basis. It is therefore critical to
determine what the incremental recove!)' and volumetric In( o (2)
sweep are in a timely fashion. Many surveillance
techniques that have been developed for waterfloods and
gas floods are applicable to miscible floods, with slight we also know that:
modifications. In this paper techniques are derived for gas
flood and modified for miscible flood. The techniques are
validated using numerical simulation. Multiple simulation
models are made increasingly more complex and realistic.
Finally, field cases are also used to validate the theories. and neglecting the solution gas-oil ratio results in:
The authors recommend supplementing conventional k",
reservoir techniques with the following plots. GOR = (constant)- (4)
k,o
• GOR vs. incremental cumulative oil
Substituting this back into equation (2) gives:
• cumulative oil Np vs. log of cumulative gas
• harmonic or hyperbolic decline In [
GOR ] = -aSo (5)
With these techniques reasonable estimates of constant
incremental recove!)' and volumetric sweep are possible for and taking the derivative with respect to time we get:
miscible floods.
The advantages of the techniques proposed here are that !!...[lnGOR] = -a dSo
they implicitly consider pattern configurations,
dt dt (6)
displacement efficiency and heterogeneity. We know from material balance calculations tllat:
Theory and Limitations
First we want to derive a relationship between gas-oil (7)
ratio (GOR) and cumulative incremental oil and volumetric
sweep. Tltis derivation is based on the following
assumptions and taking the derivative with respect to time gives:

I. Buckley - Leverett Technique applies to reservoir scale

problems. (8)
2. The late time field gas-oil ratio, after gas
breakthrough. is primarily determined by gas-oil
relative permeability curves. For a constant pressure process, Bo = constant. Also,
noting that N (original oil in place) is a constant and: