Geochemical-based modelling of low salinity/smart water flooding in reservoir-scale: interpolation of flow functions using surface adsorption of sulfate in a carbonate reservoir

Low salinity water/smart water injection (LSW/SWF) is an emerging and effective enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technique because of its recovery performance, low cost, and environmentally friendly compared to other EOR approaches. In Low salinity water/smart water injection (LSW/SWF), the chemistry of injected water is improved whether by lowering water salinity or by modifying ions concentrations. The effectiveness the applicability of Low salinity water/smart water injection (LSW/SWF) on improved oil recovery at reservoir-scale was not completely understood. Thus, the main objective of this article is developing a geochemical model to model LSW/SWF at reservoir-scale and then comparing the effect of low salinity against high salinity water flooding. First, the importance of LSW/SWF was discussed; Then the paper progresses by briefly explanation of Low-Salinity Mechanisms in Carbonate reservoirs as the main type of Iranian reservoirs. After that, a geochemical model including a number of chemical reactions at crude oil-brine-rock system, was developed using the geochemical module of CMG-GEM reservoir simulator to model LSW/SWF in carbonate reservoirs. Finally, the LSW/SWF was modeled in a candidate Iranian carbonate oil reservoir. The simulation results show that the LSWF can enhance the oil recovery in the under study reservoir.

Keywords:

low salinity water flooding , sulfate adsorption , wettability alteration , geochemical reactions , multi-component ionic exchange