The performance of miscible enhanced oil recovery displacements in geostatistically generated permeable media using horizontal wells

The effect of heterogeneity on the performance of enhanced oil recovery (EO R) processes with horizontal wells was investigated using a three-dimension al, finite difference, chemical flood simulator (UTCHEM). We used the reser voir and fluid properties typical of an oil field from the Middle East regi on. Several three-dimensional heterogeneous permeable media, each with diff erent permeability variation and spatial correlations, were generated geost atistically using the matrix decomposition method to cover a wide range of permeability variation and correlation lengths. Initially: simulations of m iscible displacements with one horizontal injector and one horizontal produ cer were performed in all these heterogeneous reservoirs. The displacement performances of the two horizontal wells in each of the heterogeneous reser voirs were then compared with that obtained with two vertical M,ells tone i njector and one producer). For all the permeable media, the effect of the a mount of crossflow on the displacement behavior was also investigated. The stud?, shows that the performance of miscible EOR processes with horizontal wells is strongly affected by the permeability variation and the spatial c orrelation of the reservoir heterogeneity. The combination of high permeabi lity variation and high correlation length significantly reduces the perfor mance of horizontal wells.