Investigation into the classification of tight sandstone reservoirs via imbibition characteristics

Abstract

Tight sandstone reservoirs are often produced by shutting in the well and inducing imbibition. However, by adopting current reservoir classifications, the heterogeneity of reservoirs cannot be properly treated. Based upon the analysis of the imbibition curves and mercury intrusion porosimetry tests, Chang-7 tight sandstone reservoirs were classified into three categories according to the newly proposed standards. Imbibition tests demonstrated that for the first category, imbibition and drainage occurred continuously and never reached the plateau within the experiment duration. It was suggested that a longer shut-in time favors the production of oil. For the second category, a steady state for imbibition was reached and a shut-in time as short as three days resulted in a high imbibition rate. For the third category, a plateau was reached for the first time and imbibition restarted until a steady state was reached. The average shut-in time for the third category was eight days. Compatibility between reservoir characteristics and a soaking development regime based upon the proposed classification methods effectively enhances the oil recovery efficiency of formations with distinct petrophysical properties. This provides insight into the classification methods of tight sandstone reservoirs.