DYNAMIC AND STATIC FORCES REQUIRED TO REMOVE DISCONTINUOUS OIL PHASE FROM POROUS MEDIA CONTAINING BOTH OIL AND WATER

Abstract

Number of experiments were carried out on samples of reservoir rocks to determine conditions required to remove oil (often termed residual oil) that remains as discontinuous phase after complete waterflood; it was found that no residual oil can be removed from porous rock until critical value of ratio of pressure drop, distance and interfacial tension between oil and water is exceeded; methods for obtaining low values of oil-water interfacial tension are described along with techniques for altering typical flooding patterns to achieve required low value of above ratio in reservoir.