Numerical Simulation and Sensitivity Analysis of In-Situ Fluid Flow in MRI Laboratory Waterfloods of Fractured Carbonate Rocks at Different Wettabilities

Abstract

Abstract Dynamic 3D MRI in-situ fluid saturation images during laboratory waterfloods of fractured carbonate rocks provided useful insights to the oil recovery mechanisms at water-wet and oil-wet conditions. The high spatial resolution imaging data formed the basis for a numerical representation of the experiment, and the numerical model was validated by history matching the experimentally observed results. Experimentally measured multiphase functions were used to match the in-situ fluid flow propagation during waterfloods of fractured rock, improving the confidence in the simulations beyond simply relying on material balance. A numerical sensitivity analysis of the effects from variations in fracture properties identified the impacts on sweep efficiency and oil recovery in waterfloods of fractured rock.