Study on three-dimensional physical simulation experiment of remaining oil distribution in narrow channel reservoir

The sand bodies of narrow channel reservoirs are predominantly composed of distributary channels, with effective sand bodies often forming narrow strips. The development of offshore oilfields typically involves large well spacing, which, combined with the distribution form of the river channels and...

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Main Authors: Kuiqian Ma, Jijun Wang, Shaohua Si, Lei Yang, Zhuo Zhao, Haochuan Ling, Zheng Wu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2025-04-01
Series:Frontiers in Earth Science
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Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1514770/full
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author Kuiqian Ma
Jijun Wang
Shaohua Si
Lei Yang
Zhuo Zhao
Haochuan Ling
Zheng Wu
author_facet Kuiqian Ma
Jijun Wang
Shaohua Si
Lei Yang
Zhuo Zhao
Haochuan Ling
Zheng Wu
author_sort Kuiqian Ma
collection DOAJ
description The sand bodies of narrow channel reservoirs are predominantly composed of distributary channels, with effective sand bodies often forming narrow strips. The development of offshore oilfields typically involves large well spacing, which, combined with the distribution form of the river channels and the well pattern, significantly influences the sweep efficiency of water flooding during the high water cut stage. This leads to a complex distribution of remaining oil, thereby increasing the difficulty of reservoir development. This study focuses on the BZ offshore narrow channel reservoir and introduces a novel three-dimensional visual experiment platform designed for the physical simulation of water flooding. Through this platform, we conducted a series of physical experiments to investigate the effects of varying channel widths, permeability differences, and well patterns on water flooding. Our experiments have successfully elucidated the distribution patterns of remaining oil both in the plane and longitudinal directions of the channel during the high water cut stage. The experimental results show that with the increase in width, the shape of the water-swept area changes from a narrow strip to a spindle, and the remaining oil around the production well begins to accumulate. The larger the permeability difference is, the more injected water preferentially advances along the high permeability zone, the worse the sweeping degree at the channel’s edge is, and the higher the accumulation degree of the remaining oil is. Through the well type adjustment, the water cut is reduced and the remaining oil near the production well and the edge of the channel is utilized. After the well pattern adjustment, the utilization of remaining oil in the river channel is also improved. This research not only provides critical insights into the dynamics of water flooding in narrow channel reservoirs but also establishes a foundational methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of CO2 flooding following water flooding. The development of the three-dimensional visual experiment platform represents a significant advancement in reservoir simulation techniques, offering a robust tool for future studies aimed at optimizing oil recovery in complex reservoir environments.
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spelling doaj-art-0f9677f4553a477abbe2dcf786ccd5182025-08-20T01:55:12ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Earth Science2296-64632025-04-011310.3389/feart.2025.15147701514770Study on three-dimensional physical simulation experiment of remaining oil distribution in narrow channel reservoirKuiqian MaJijun WangShaohua SiLei YangZhuo ZhaoHaochuan LingZheng WuThe sand bodies of narrow channel reservoirs are predominantly composed of distributary channels, with effective sand bodies often forming narrow strips. The development of offshore oilfields typically involves large well spacing, which, combined with the distribution form of the river channels and the well pattern, significantly influences the sweep efficiency of water flooding during the high water cut stage. This leads to a complex distribution of remaining oil, thereby increasing the difficulty of reservoir development. This study focuses on the BZ offshore narrow channel reservoir and introduces a novel three-dimensional visual experiment platform designed for the physical simulation of water flooding. Through this platform, we conducted a series of physical experiments to investigate the effects of varying channel widths, permeability differences, and well patterns on water flooding. Our experiments have successfully elucidated the distribution patterns of remaining oil both in the plane and longitudinal directions of the channel during the high water cut stage. The experimental results show that with the increase in width, the shape of the water-swept area changes from a narrow strip to a spindle, and the remaining oil around the production well begins to accumulate. The larger the permeability difference is, the more injected water preferentially advances along the high permeability zone, the worse the sweeping degree at the channel’s edge is, and the higher the accumulation degree of the remaining oil is. Through the well type adjustment, the water cut is reduced and the remaining oil near the production well and the edge of the channel is utilized. After the well pattern adjustment, the utilization of remaining oil in the river channel is also improved. This research not only provides critical insights into the dynamics of water flooding in narrow channel reservoirs but also establishes a foundational methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of CO2 flooding following water flooding. The development of the three-dimensional visual experiment platform represents a significant advancement in reservoir simulation techniques, offering a robust tool for future studies aimed at optimizing oil recovery in complex reservoir environments.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1514770/fullnarrow channel reservoirthree-dimensional physical simulationwell pattern adjustmentwater floodingresidual oil distribution
spellingShingle Kuiqian Ma
Jijun Wang
Shaohua Si
Lei Yang
Zhuo Zhao
Haochuan Ling
Zheng Wu
Study on three-dimensional physical simulation experiment of remaining oil distribution in narrow channel reservoir
Frontiers in Earth Science
narrow channel reservoir
three-dimensional physical simulation
well pattern adjustment
water flooding
residual oil distribution
title Study on three-dimensional physical simulation experiment of remaining oil distribution in narrow channel reservoir
title_full Study on three-dimensional physical simulation experiment of remaining oil distribution in narrow channel reservoir
title_fullStr Study on three-dimensional physical simulation experiment of remaining oil distribution in narrow channel reservoir
title_full_unstemmed Study on three-dimensional physical simulation experiment of remaining oil distribution in narrow channel reservoir
title_short Study on three-dimensional physical simulation experiment of remaining oil distribution in narrow channel reservoir
title_sort study on three dimensional physical simulation experiment of remaining oil distribution in narrow channel reservoir
topic narrow channel reservoir
three-dimensional physical simulation
well pattern adjustment
water flooding
residual oil distribution
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feart.2025.1514770/full
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