Experimental and Modeling Study on Polymer Flooding Using Micro-Model

Polymer flooding as one of the most important enhanced oil recovery techniques is investigated using experimental and modeling approaches. The under test nonhomogeneous micromodel was studied studied in polymer injection process in terms of oil recovery and breakthrough time. This process was then simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics® modeling software by a new mesh structure, most likely to sandstone reservoirs. Mesh independency threshold was obtained for this complicated mesh structure. The two-phaselaminar flow was solved to determine the movement speed of the oil and polymer solution interface. The solution was optimized for the values of reinitialization parameter ( ) in the level set equation. Results indicated a high accuracy for the breakthrough time and recovery factor with respectively 3.8% and 12.6% deviation fromexperimental data. This illustrates the significance of the developed mesh for the nonhomogenious structure of the reservoir.

Keywords:

Polymer flooding , Micromodel , Oil Recovery , Breakthrough time