Experimental investigation of heavy oil recovery by hot water flooding followed by steam flooding for lower Fars reservoir, Kuwait

  • Yousef Khalaf Hashem Kuwait University
  • Hothama Alwaqyan Ministry of Public Works
  • Adel Elsharkawy Kuwait University
Keywords: Heavy oil, hot water, steam flooding, lower Fars

Abstract

In this study, hot water and steam flooding tests were conducted on eight unconsolidated sandstone core samples from Lower Fars. The hot water flooding tests were conducted at 60°C and 80°C followed by steam flooding at 153°C for the first four cores (pre-heated cores); whereas a direct steam flooding at 153°C were conducted on the last four cores. Both horizontal and vertical core flooding displacement tests were conducted.

The main objective of this work is to evaluate the efficiency of heavy oil recovery from Lower Fars reservoir using hot water flooding at various temperatures followed by steam flooding and direct steam flooding. The results of these experiments can be used to determine the optimum recovery method for Lower Fars reservoir. The average cumulative oil recovery when the cores are pre-heated for vertical setting was 77.5% compared to 74.0% for direct steam flooding. In addition, the average cumulative oil recovery when the core is pre-heated for horizontal setting was 58.4% compared to 52.0% for direct steam flooding.

Author Biographies

Yousef Khalaf Hashem, Kuwait University

Petroleum Engineering Department

College of Enfineering & Petroleum

Hothama Alwaqyan, Ministry of Public Works

Petroleum Engineer

Quality Control Unit

Adel Elsharkawy, Kuwait University

Professor

Department of Petroleum Engineering

College of Engineering & Petroleum

References

U.S. Energy Information Administration. 2016. Country Analysis Brief: Kuwait, November 2, 2016.

Clark , B., et al. 2007. The National Petroleum Council (NPC), 2007. Heavy oil 22.

Bursell, C. G., & Pittman, G. M. 1975. Performance of steam displacement in the Kern River field, Journal of Petroleum Technology, August 1975, 997-1004.

Chuansheng, S., et al. 1998. An experimental study of EOR by steam injection following water, 1998, No.142. Karma Oilfield, China, Petroleum Administration Bureau.

Willman , B. T., et al. 1961. Laboratory studies of oil recovery by steam injection, 1961, SPE. 1537-G, Petroleum Technology.

Hong, K. C. 1994. Steam quality and injection rate on steamflood performance, 1994, SPE.25788, SPE Reservoir Engineering.

Butler, R. M. 1985. A new approach to the modeling of steam assisted gravity drainage. The Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology, March 1985, 42-51.

Barge, D., et al. 2009. Steam flood piloting the Wafra field Eocene reservoir in the partitioned neutral zone, between Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, 2009, SPE.120205-MS, Bahrain, Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Oskui, G. P., Al-Naqi, A., & Dusseault, M. B. 2009. Screening potential production technologies for lower fares heavy oil asset in Kuwait, 2009, SPE.126268-MS, Kuwait, Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Alwaqyan H. O., 2014, Experimental Investigation of Oil Recovery by Hot Water and Steam Flooding for Lower Fares Heavy Oil, M Sc. thesis, June 2014, Kuwait University.

Bing-Bing Han, Wen-Long Cheng, and Yong-Le Nian. 2017. Experimental study on effect of temperature field on recovery of reservoir using hot water flooding, Energy Procedia Volume 142, December 2017, Pages 3759-3765.

Published
2019-06-02
Section
Petroleum Engineering