Horizontal Well Segmentation for Microbial EOR
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current microbial single well huff and puff enhanced oil recovery methods are hindered by long construction periods, complex processes, frequent well opening and closing, limited spread of microbial oil-displacing agents, and issues like water blocking and channeling, which reduce reservoir energy supplementation and oil output.
Innovation Solution
The method involves screening and segmenting horizontal wells for enhanced oil recovery, injecting microbial oil-displacing agents into swallowing segments, and simmering the well to enhance oil displacement, eliminating the need for separate water injection wells and reducing well manipulation, thereby increasing the agent's spread and reservoir energy supplementation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conventional microbial single well huff and puff method is used, then microbial oil-displacing agent can be injected into the reservoir, but the construction period becomes long (7 months to 140 days) and the construction process becomes complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the horizontal well into multiple swallowing segments and exhaling segments based on reservoir parameters and perforation parameters. This segmentation allows parallel processing of different segments, significantly reducing the overall construction period while maintaining effective oil recovery in each segment.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent performs preliminary well testing and segmentation before the actual microbial injection. By pre-dividing the well into functional segments and preparing the injection system in advance, the construction process is streamlined, avoiding delays during the actual oil recovery operation.
2Ease of manufacture
If conventional single well huff and puff construction is used, then the well can be treated, but the well must be opened and closed multiple times, affecting reservoir energy supplementation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent enables continuous injection of microbial oil-displacing agent through the horizontal well by maintaining the well in a continuous production state. The segmented approach allows the agent to be injected through swallowing segments while exhaling segments continuously produce, eliminating the need for repeated well opening and closing operations.
3Device complexity
If injection fluid is injected from a single well, then the construction is simple, but the oil-displacing agent cannot be transferred and diffused to the remote well zone, resulting in small spread range
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the horizontal well into multiple injection zones (swallowing segments) distributed along the wellbore. This allows the microbial oil-displacing agent to be injected at multiple locations simultaneously, enabling diffusion to both near-well and far-well zones, thereby significantly expanding the agent's spread range while maintaining relatively simple construction.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from single-point injection (vertical well) to multi-point distributed injection along the horizontal dimension. By utilizing the horizontal well's extended geometry, the agent can reach remote reservoir zones that would be inaccessible from a single injection point, effectively using spatial dimensionality to overcome the spread range limitation.
4Loss of energy
If water injection is used for energy supplementation, then reservoir energy can be maintained, but water blocking effect and water channeling occur, making it difficult to effectively supplement reservoir energy
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the physical and chemical parameters of the injected fluid by using microbial oil-displacing agent instead of conventional water. The microbial agent has different viscosity, surface tension, and flow characteristics that prevent water blocking and channeling effects, allowing effective energy supplementation while avoiding the harmful effects of conventional water injection.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This approach shortens the construction period, simplifies the process, enhances oil output by increasing the agent's communication scope, reduces interfacial tension and viscosity, and prevents water-related issues, leading to improved energy supplementation and oil displacement.
Implementation Method 1
Through the action of the microorganisms themselves and their metabolites, The wellbore and near-surface formations of the target intervals of the oil production well are treated to degrade paraffin and heavy hydrocarbons to improve the physical properties of crude oil, reducing the flow resistance of crude oil
Implementation Method 2
The injection-production construction refers to injecting the injection fluid into the target interval of the water injection well after the treatment of the target interval of the oil production well, the injected water flows to the target interval of the oil production well to displace the oil and gas in the reservoir
Data Source
AI summary
An enhanced oil recovery method includes: screening out implementation well that meet the requirements of a preset standard; selecting the target interval that can be used for enhanced oil recovery in the implementation well; obtaining the reservoir parameters and perforation parameters of the target interval, so as to divide the target interval into several groups of swallowing and exhaling segments, injecting the infection liquid containing and simmer the well for a period of time; and after the well simmering, the oil-water mixture replaced by the injection fluid is produced from each exhaling segment.