TABLE OF CONTENTS The current challenges primarily focus on (A) improved reservoir definition, (B) tracking the movement of injected water vertically and areally to maximize the vertical and areal sweep efficiencies, and (C) to control that movement. The problem boils down to contacting the maximum possible volume of the reservoir any technology development to achieve this will be of great value in waterflood asset management.
In the years ahead, more attention will be given to managing waterflood effectively from day one. The areas that will play an increasing role are:
Improved Reservoir Definition
A detailed description of the reservoir involving spatial variation and continuity of porosity, permeability, and fluid saturation is required. An integrated geoscience-engineering model provides information about the likely fluid flow-paths and an opportunity to improve the design and performance of a waterflood.
More detailed reservoir descriptions involving geostatistics, crosswell tomography and 3D seismic are NOW being obtained. It is anticipated that geophysical techniques, combined with other geological and reservoir engineering technologies, will play important roles in describing the reservoir and in the surveillance of an ongoing waterflood. Four-dimensional seismic technology, coupled with logging and coning of observation wells, tracer monitoring, and reservoir simulation of waterflooding process will play key roles in the future.
Tracking the movement of injected water vertically and areally to maximize the vertical and areal sweep efficiencies
As discussed before, the maximization of areal and vertical sweeps lead to maximum oil recovery in a waterflood. Also, there is a profound effect of the...
