Effect of Core Heterogeneity on Core-Flooding Experiments: a Simulation Study

What is it about?

This paper presents a simulation study for effects of heterogeneity on core-flooding experiments. The implicit finite differences approach was used to solve the diffusivity equation for 1D-linear flow of a slightly compressible fluid. The core sample has been discretized to grid-blocks with 4 different configurations for the permeability.

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Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Photo by Pawel Czerwinski on Unsplash

Why is it important?

In cases of old oil fields with no new well-drilling, there is always a limitation in number of cores that can be used for core-flooding experiments. This makes use of heterogeneous cores a vital option. The study shows that although for the same average permeability, the pressure gradients along the core sample is a function of heterogeneity. Thus, core-flooding of heterogenous cores by a conventional core-holder will show misleading results. A core-holder with taps or pressure sensors to measure pressure gradients at sections along the core sample is a crucial issue to obtain meaningful results.

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