US3393734A - Interface advance control in pattern floods by retarding cusp formation - Google Patents

Interface advance control in pattern floods by retarding cusp formation Download PDF

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Publication number
US3393734A
US3393734A US516891A US51689165A US3393734A US 3393734 A US3393734 A US 3393734A US 516891 A US516891 A US 516891A US 51689165 A US51689165 A US 51689165A US 3393734 A US3393734 A US 3393734A
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United States
Prior art keywords
wells
production
pattern
well
quadrilateral
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Expired - Lifetime
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US516891A
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English (en)
Inventor
Donald L Hoyt
Anthony F Altamira
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Texaco Inc
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Texaco Inc
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Priority to US516891A priority Critical patent/US3393734A/en
Priority to GB56634/66A priority patent/GB1129319A/en
Priority to DE19661483794 priority patent/DE1483794A1/de
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Publication of US3393734A publication Critical patent/US3393734A/en
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    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
    • E21B43/30—Specific pattern of wells, e.g. optimising the spacing of wells
    • E—FIXED CONSTRUCTIONS
    • E21—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; MINING
    • E21B—EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS
    • E21B43/00—Methods or apparatus for obtaining oil, gas, water, soluble or meltable materials or a slurry of minerals from wells
    • E21B43/16—Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons

Definitions

  • ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A method of improving the areal sweep efficiency across a pattern of wells penetrating a subterranean hydrocarbon-bearing formation wherein the formation of a cusp at the corner well is retarded by controlling the advance ofthe flow gradients via production at the adjacent wells.
  • This invention relates generally to the production of hydrocarbons from underground hydrocarbon-bearing formations, and more particularly, to a method for increasing the overall production of hydrocarbons therefrom.
  • Another object of this invention is to provide a method whereby t-he areal sweep efficiency in pattern flooding is improved.
  • FIG. 1 discloses four units of an inverted 5spot pattern
  • FIG. la is illustrative of the interface advance in the form of a cusp toward va corner producing well in one quadrant of such al 5-spot pattern undergoing secondary recovery;
  • FIG. 2 discloses one unit of a quadrilateral side well pattern of 13 wells
  • FIGS. 2a and 2b illustrate the movement of the interface during the phases of productioin programs inpone quadrant of such a quadrilateral side well pattern undergoing secondary recovery
  • FIG. 3 k discloses a special case of a quadrilateral side well pattern of 13 wells having four additional interior production wells.
  • Another aspect to increase the sweepout eflciency involves the retardation of the development of the cusp toward the production well.
  • the method of achieving more uniform advance is to control the flow gradients so that the interface is spread out. This can be done either by choosing a particular geometry of Well positions or by adjusting the relative production rate so that the velocity of advance is not predominantly in one direction. It can be done also by shifting the gradients frequently, in both direction andmagnitude, thus preventing any one section of an interface from advancing too far out of line.
  • a pattern unit is the basic group of an injection well with surrounding production wells, the repetition of which makes up the overall pattern of the production field
  • the mobility ratio of the displacing to the displaced fluid is 1.0;
  • FIG. 1a illustrates the growth of the cusp in one Another alternative would be to have both the interior quadrant of a unit of an inverted 5-spot pattern, wherein and side wells on production till breakthrough at the the secondary flooding lluid is injected into the central interior wells, then shutting in these wells and continuing well and production is maintained at the corner wells unproduction from the side wells till breakthrough thereat, til breakthrough. Such a procedure will produce a sweepand then shutting them in and thereafter initiating and out of approximately 71%. maintaining production at the corner wells till break- Referring to FIG. 2, there is disclosed a quadrilateral through thereat.
  • FIG. 3 discloses a special case of such a pattern with 25 tained from the corner wells until breakthrough at the the addition of 4 interior production wells to define the 17- side wells, after which these wells are closed in and prospot pattern as disclosed in our cited, coassigned case. duction maintained at the corner wells till breakthrough Conversely, the 13-spot pattern can be considered as a thereat.
  • the 17-spot pattern there are cludes: four corner production wells, 2 producing side wells on 35 (a) Position of interior well (when used), as the fraceach side of the 4 x 4 well square, and four interior protion of the distance from injection well to corner well in duction wells located on the diagonals of the lpattern and a pattern unit', positioned between the central injection well and the (b) Rate distribuiton, given as the ratio of total fluid corner production wells.
  • FIG. 2a illustrates the development of the cusp toward (d) Volume of injected uid produced, in terms of pore the corner production well, retarded by spreading of the volume of any eld using the indicated pattern; and gradients, production being maintained at both the corner (e) A brief description of the production procedure and side production wells until breakthrough at the side Ifor each indicated pattern.
  • X-l-C SI S produce K to BT.
  • X-Z-A Same as X-1-A.
  • X-2 1/3 1:1 87 0 ⁇ X-z-B.
  • X-Z-C Same as X-l-C.
  • X-B-A. Produce all wells to BT of I.
  • X-3 1/3 1:1 87 0 ⁇ X-B-B.
  • X-l-C X4 1/3 None 88 0 [X4-A. Produce S only, to BT.
  • FIG. 2b illustrates the splitting of the cusp by producing at the side wells only till breakthrough thereat, as indicated by the dotted outline for the end of phase 1, and then producing from the corner production wells only till breakthrough for a sweep-out of 88% Since the hydrocarbon has re-invaded the vicinity of the shut-in side wells, additional sweep-out can be obtained by placing the side wells on production to increase the sweep-out to 90%.
  • the unswept areas in FIGS. 2a and 2b are the cross hatched portions within the solid lines.
  • Any pattern and/or rate distribution which retards the development, or the advance, of a cusp towards the production wells will increase the sweep-out of a field.
  • Two principal means of doing this are: (a) pinning down the cusp by locating production wells between the injection source and the outer production wells, and keeping these inner (or control) wells on production after breakthrough, as disclosed in our cited coassigned application; and (b) spreading out the cusp by pulling the front toward side wells until breakthrough thereat before allowing it to proceed toward the corner production wells of a pattern unit.
  • the spreading out of the cusp is in general a more advantageous procedure. It yields as good or better sweepout with less production of injection uid. Further, a higher rate distribution on corner wells of pattern units generally results in much less over-all production of injection uid, but also in less sweep (although exceptions can be found in more complicated patterns).
  • a method of producing hydrocarbons from an underground hydrocarbon-bearing formation involving an injection well surrounded by production wells located at the vertices and along the sides of a quadrilateral which comprises introducing injection fluid into said formation via said injection well, controlling the advance of said injection fluid toward said production wells located at said vertices by producing through the wells located adjacent thereto and on the sides of said quadrilateral, and producing hydrocarbons from said formation via the production wells defining said quadrilateral until breakthrough of said injection fluid thereat.
  • the production wells along the sides of said quadrilateral being at least two in number.
  • a method of producing hydrocarbons from an underground hydrocarbon-bearing formation involving an injection well surrounded by production wells located at the vertices and along the sides of a quadrilateral, and a plurality of wells defining the vertices of an interior quadrilateral positioned along the diagonals through the production wells at the vertices of said interior quadrilateral and the quadrilateral of surrounding production wells, which comprises introducing injection fluid into said formation via said injection well, producing hydrocarbons from the production wells of said interior quadrilateral and the surrounding quadrilateral side production and vertices production Wells till breakthrough of injection uid thereat.
  • the production wells along the sides of the surrounding quadrilateral being at least two in number.

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  • Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Geology (AREA)
  • Mining & Mineral Resources (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Environmental & Geological Engineering (AREA)
  • Fluid Mechanics (AREA)
  • General Life Sciences & Earth Sciences (AREA)
  • Geochemistry & Mineralogy (AREA)
  • Physical Or Chemical Processes And Apparatus (AREA)
  • Organic Low-Molecular-Weight Compounds And Preparation Thereof (AREA)
US516891A 1965-12-28 1965-12-28 Interface advance control in pattern floods by retarding cusp formation Expired - Lifetime US3393734A (en)

Priority Applications (3)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
US516891A US3393734A (en) 1965-12-28 1965-12-28 Interface advance control in pattern floods by retarding cusp formation
GB56634/66A GB1129319A (en) 1965-12-28 1966-12-19 Method of producing hydrocarbons by interface advance control in pattern floods by retarding cusp formation
DE19661483794 DE1483794A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1965-12-28 1966-12-28

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US516891A US3393734A (en) 1965-12-28 1965-12-28 Interface advance control in pattern floods by retarding cusp formation

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DE (1) DE1483794A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)
GB (1) GB1129319A (enrdf_load_stackoverflow)

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3476182A (en) * 1967-08-17 1969-11-04 Texaco Inc Method of hydrocarbon production by secondary recovery using a modified inverted 9-spot well pattern

Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2885002A (en) * 1954-12-02 1959-05-05 Jersey Prod Res Co Recovering oil after secondary recovery
US3113618A (en) * 1962-09-26 1963-12-10 Monsanto Chemicals Secondary recovery technique
US3199587A (en) * 1962-09-10 1965-08-10 Phillips Petroleum Co Recovery of oil by improved fluid drive
US3205943A (en) * 1959-08-20 1965-09-14 Socony Mobil Oil Co Inc Recovery method for petroleum
US3270809A (en) * 1963-09-11 1966-09-06 Mobil Oil Corp Miscible displacement procedure using a water bank
US3286768A (en) * 1963-09-16 1966-11-22 Mobil Oil Corp Recovery of petroleum from a subterranean reservor
US3332480A (en) * 1965-03-04 1967-07-25 Pan American Petroleum Corp Recovery of hydrocarbons by thermal methods

Patent Citations (7)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US2885002A (en) * 1954-12-02 1959-05-05 Jersey Prod Res Co Recovering oil after secondary recovery
US3205943A (en) * 1959-08-20 1965-09-14 Socony Mobil Oil Co Inc Recovery method for petroleum
US3199587A (en) * 1962-09-10 1965-08-10 Phillips Petroleum Co Recovery of oil by improved fluid drive
US3113618A (en) * 1962-09-26 1963-12-10 Monsanto Chemicals Secondary recovery technique
US3270809A (en) * 1963-09-11 1966-09-06 Mobil Oil Corp Miscible displacement procedure using a water bank
US3286768A (en) * 1963-09-16 1966-11-22 Mobil Oil Corp Recovery of petroleum from a subterranean reservor
US3332480A (en) * 1965-03-04 1967-07-25 Pan American Petroleum Corp Recovery of hydrocarbons by thermal methods

Cited By (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US3476182A (en) * 1967-08-17 1969-11-04 Texaco Inc Method of hydrocarbon production by secondary recovery using a modified inverted 9-spot well pattern

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Publication number Publication date
DE1483794A1 (enrdf_load_stackoverflow) 1970-03-26
GB1129319A (en) 1968-10-02

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