Modeling the mobilization of connate water while injecting water to displace oil

The presence of connate water in an oil reservoir can significantly affect oil recovery. The mobility of the connate water can have adverse effects on the success of injected additives that were designed to increase oil recovery. The research was an effort to characterize the mechanisms involved in the displacement process of connate water. The work in the dissertation was a detailed analysis of the displacement test.;This dissertation was the first effort to characterize the connate water mechanisms by creating a set of relative permeability curves. The curves described the injected water displacing connate water in a system that contained oil. The method used to create the relative permeability curves was based on the Buckley/Leverett theory for fractional flow of water in an oil reservoir.;Buckley/Leverett has been used to describe oil and water displacement processes. After examining the concentration profiles, it was determined that the profiles resembled the oil and water fractional flow curves. The Buckley/Leverett theory was modified to characterize connate water flow rate. Relative permeability curves were created from values determined using the expanded Buckley/Leverett theory. The relative permeability curves described the mobility of connate water as the water saturation increased due to water injection. The combined set of permeability values could be used in a multi-component computer simulation routine to predict how the oil recovery was influenced by connate water mobility in an enhanced oil recovery program.