US 11,940,437 B2
Determining ultimate waterflood residual oil saturation
Yildiray Cinar, Dhahran Hills (SA); Tony R. Pham, Dhahran (SA); and Naseem J. Al-Dawood, Safwa (SA)
Assigned to Saudi Arabian Oil Company, Dhahran (SA)
Appl. No. 16/638,014
Filed by SAUDI ARABIAN OIL COMPANY, Dhahran (SA)
PCT Filed Aug. 7, 2018, PCT No. PCT/US2018/045632
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Feb. 10, 2020,
PCT Pub. No. WO2019/032597, PCT Pub. Date Feb. 14, 2019.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/542,508, filed on Aug. 8, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2020/0173975 A1, Jun. 4, 2020
Int. Cl. E21B 49/00 (2006.01); G01N 13/00 (2006.01); G01N 33/24 (2006.01)
CPC G01N 33/241 (2013.01) [G01N 13/00 (2013.01); E21B 49/00 (2013.01)] 22 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method of determining waterflood residual oil saturation, the method comprising:
testing, in a laboratory multispeed centrifuge test, a reservoir core sample to obtain a set of average water saturation (Sw,avg) and imbibition capillary pressure (Pci) data points;
applying, with a controller, a best-fit smoothing function to the data points to obtain a best-fit average saturation curve, wherein the best-fit average saturation curve represents imbibition capillary pressure (Pci) over average water saturation (Sw,avg);
converting, with the controller, the best-fit average saturation curve to an outlet-face saturation curve, wherein the outlet-face saturation curve represents imbibition capillary pressure (Pci) over outlet water saturation (Sw,outlet);
applying, with the controller, a best-fit straight line to the outlet-face saturation curve associated with a substantially constant outlet water saturation and changing imbibition capillary pressure;
determining, with the controller, a waterflood residual oil saturation (Sorw) of the core sample, the waterflood residual oil saturation associated with a point on the outlet-face saturation curve where the best-fit straight line deviates from the outlet-face saturation curve, wherein the waterflood residual oil saturation (Sorw) represents the ratio of the volume of the oil trapped in pores of the reservoir core sample under waterflooding to the total volume of the pores of the reservoir core sample; and
providing the waterflood residual oil saturation (Sorw).