Threshold Pressure Gradient in Ultra-low Permeability Reservoirs

Abstract

Abstract In a core displacement experiment, simulated oil, formation water, injected water, and distillated water were used as fluids to measure and analyze the threshold pressure gradient (TPG) for both a single- and two-phase fluid flow. A certain Chinese oil field core sample was used, which represents a typical ultra-low permeability reservoir: “block 119.” The study indicates that different types of fluids give a different TPG versus permeability power function, with index equal to approximately −1. The study also indicates that, due to the capillary pressure and the Jamin effect, the TPG for the two-phase oil and water is greater than that for the single-phase flow. By combining laboratory and field data, the effect of the TPG in the development of the ultra-low permeability reservoirs can be explained.