Mechanism of Alcohol Displacement of Oil from Porous Media

Abstract

RONALD L. REED MEMBER AIME Alcohol floods of consolidated sandstone cores have shown the process to be strongly dependent on the phase behavior of the particular alcohol-oil-water system used. This means that in many cases the mechanism does not conform to the idea of a piston-like displacement. Instead, it is found that by changing the alcohol it is possible to change the relative velocities of the oil and water and, in fact, the entire mechanism of the process. The effects of rate, viscosity, initial saturation, distance travelled and hysteresis of relative perme-ability on the alcohol flooding mechanism are discussed .