Effect of injection of water and/or CO2 in oil recovery in reservoirs with geological characteristics similar to the pre-salt reservoirs

• Grant number: 09/05895-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2009
• End date: May 31, 2010
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Mechanical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Denis José Schiozer
• Grantee: Rogério Machado Oliveira
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Mecânica (FEM). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

In order to production forecast in oil fields by numerical flow simulation, it is firstly necessary to execute a detailed study about the reservoir geological characteristics, such as, rock and fluid properties and rock-fluid properties. It is also necessary to define the location of wells and its operational parameters. All these factors should contribute to defining the best production strategy. Another important aspect to be analyzed is related to the injection fluid in order to increase the oil recovery. This work aims to analyze a reservoir with geological characteristics similar to those recently discovered in pre-salt reservoirs of the Brazilian coast in the Santos Basin, seeking to define the most adequate alternative of fluid injection for oil recovery. Two fluids, water and CO2, are considered in the studies. The reservoir flow simulation will be executed in a compositional commercial simulator. By the analysis of graphs of objective functions, it will be determined the more appropriate strategy of injecting for these reservoirs, which have as one of its main features, the high concentration of CO2. The importance of this analysis is directly involved with the current policy of reducing emissions of gases responsible for greenhouse effect. The use of CO2 in the recovery of additional oil is superior to simple geological sequestration of CO2, since it increases the oil production. (AU)