SPE 144251

Application of Polymer Flooding with High Molecular Weight and

Concentration in Heterogeneous Reservoirs
Zhang Xiaoqin, Daqing Oilfield Company Limited, PetroChina

Copyright 2011, Society of Petroleum Engineers

This paper was prepared for presentation at the SPE Enhanced Oil Recovery Conference held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 1921 July 2011.

This paper was selected for presentation by an SPE program committee following review of information contained in an abstract submitted by the author(s). Contents of the paper have not been
reviewed by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and are subject to correction by the author(s). The material does not necessarily reflect any position of the Society of Petroleum Engineers, its
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ABSTRACT
Daqing oilfield is a heterogeneous sandrock oilfield with multilayers. The application of polymer flooding in the field
has obtained significantly technological and economic effects. On the bases of numerous lab experiments, it is indicated
that polymer solutions of high concentration and molecular weight have better absorption and captation toward the
layers than normal solutions do. Besides, the resistance and residual resistance coefficients are much larger. The higher
the concentration and molecular weight are, the larger the increment in viscoelasticity is. Once polymer flooding with
high concentration and molecular weight is applied, the residual oil saturation will decrease and displacing efficiency
will increase. All these lead to higher increment in recovery rate.
Three pilot tests were conducted by means of high concentration and molecular weight. On the bases of the obtained
results, industrialized application of the recovery method first began in the N1 block of Sazhong Area in Daqing oilfield
in Jan. 2009. In that block, the molecular weight of the polymer solution was 25million Dalton and the concentration
was 2000mg/L. Maximum decrement in water cut was 30 percent and enhanced recovery rate was 8.3 %. It was
estimated that enhanced recovery rate could ultimately reach 18 percent by the end. The successful application of
polymer flooding with high concentration and molecular weight in Daqing oilfield would provide practical experience
for the development of similar reservoirs.

INTRODUCTION
Daqing oilfield is a heterogeneous sandrock oilfield with multilayers. Polymer flooding was applied in
1995 and since then on, the annual production by polymer flooding had been more than 10 million tons
for 9 years and cumulative production was over 100 million tons. The application of polymer flooding in
the field had obtained significantly technological and economic effects. At present, with the conditions of
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target layers getting worse and worse, enhanced recovery rate decreased while the consumption of
polymer powders increased year by year. For the effective and sustainable development of Daqing
oilfield, it is of urgent importance to find a new injection method of polymer flooding, which can greatly
enhance recovery rate.
1. Lab researches on polymer flooding of high concentration and molecular
weight
The molecular weight and concentration of the polymer solutions injected in polymer flooding are of
great importance to oil displacement. Compared with the normal polymer solutions used in Daqing
Oilfield, of which the molecular weight is about 12-16million and the concentration is 1000mg/L,
polymer solution of high concentration and molecular weight shows special physicochemical and
oil-displacing properties. Numbers of lab researches are carried out and certain new acquisitions are
obtained.

1.1 Researches on adsorption and mobility

Researches were carried on adsorption and mobility. The molecular weight of the polymer used was
25million Dalton and the quartz sands used are of 80-120 mesh. Static adsorptions were measured under
different concentrations of the solutions ranging from 500 to 3500mg/L. Results showed that as
concentration increased, adsorption increased as well. Adsorption equilibrium reached when the
concentration was 2500mg/L. It could be concluded that polymer solutions of high concentration and
molecular weight had higher adsorption.

Figure 1 Static adsorption as a function of polymer concentration

SPE 144251 3

Relatively high coefficients of resistance and residual resistance were of advantage to polymer
flooding. Experiments were carried out on the two coefficients of different polymer solutions. Size of the
man-made homogeneous cores was 10cm2.5cm and effective permeability ranged from 700mD to
800mD. Molecular weight of the polymer was 25million Dalton and the salinity of the disposed sewage
was 4500mg/L. Results indicated that the higher the concentration was, the higher the resistance
coefficient was. Residual increased as the concentration increased and equilibrium reached when the
concentration was above 2500mg/L. (Figure 2, 3)

Figure 2 resistance coefficient as a Figure 3 Residual resistance coefficient as a

function of concentration function of concentration

1.2 Effects of molecular weight and concentration on viscoelasticity

Steady-state experiments indicated that under the underground shearing rate of 10s-1, when the
molecular weight increased from 12million Dalton to 25million Dalton, elasticity increased by 9 times
and viscosity doubled. When concentration increased from 1000mg/L to 2000mg/L, elasticity increased
by 9 times and viscosity increased by 2.5 times. It could be concluded that increasing concentration and
molecular weight had a greater influence on elasticity than on viscosity. (Figure 4, 5)

Figure 4 Molecular weight being different, Figure 5 Concentration being different,

viscosity as a function of shearing rate viscosity as a function of shearing rate
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1.3 Effects of molecular weight and concentration on displacing efficiency

Series of oil displacing experiments were carried out. Size of the man-made homogeneous cores was
10cm2.5cm and effective permeability was 400mD. The amount of polymer solutions used was
1200mg/L.PV. Results showed that as the concentration and molecular weight increased, oil displacing
efficiency was also enhanced. As the concentration of the polymer solutions with the same molecular
weight increased from 1000mg/L to 3000mg/L, recovery rate was enhanced from 5.0% to 7.4%.
Meanwhile, concentration being the same, molecular weight increased from 7 million Dalton to 35
million Dalton, recovery rate was enhanced from 4.2% to 6.6%. (Figure 6)

Figure 6 Recovery rate as a function of concentration (the same amount of polymer solutions)

2. Field tests of polymer flooding with high concentration and molecular

weight
On the bases of theoretical and experimental researches, three field tests had been conducted in Daqing
oilfield since 2001. In the tested blocks, target layers were located in the PI group, five-spot area well
pattern was applied and injection-production spacing was about 237 to 250m. Injected polymer molecular
weight was 25million, concentration was about 2000 mg/L and injection rate was about 0.11 to 0.13PV/a.
In the year to March 2011, polymer flooding had come to an end and subsequent water flooding began
for two blocks. The last block was still in the storage period of water cut by polymer flooding. General
geological features of the three blocks were listed in the below Table 1.
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Table 1 general geological situation of the tested blocks

Well Oil-bearing Pore OIP P Effective
Name Location Spacing Wells Area Volume 104t (m2) Thickness
2 4 3
(m) (km ) (10 m ) (m)
WN
PI1-2 237 49 1.67 603.0 355.0 0.912 13.1
Block
WM
PI1-7 250 25 1.87 543.7 350.5 0.691 17.9
Block
E N1
PI1-4 250 27 2.00 487.6 283.5 0.625 10.1
Block

Better development results were obtained by polymer flooding of high concentration and molecular
weight in the three tested blocks. For the WN and WM blocks, polymer flooding was shifted from normal
flooding of 16 million Dalton and 1000mg/L to flooding of high concentration and molecular weight
when the consumptions of polymer solution reached 294mg/L, PV and 233mg/L, PV. For the WM Block,
19 of the 27 producers had responded for the second time, and water cut decreased by different degrees.
The 9 central producers all responded and the minimum water cut in the central well area decreased by
5.2% after response. For the E N1 Block, it was shifted to designed polymer flooding directly after water
flooding. All the producers responded, maximum region water-cut decrement reached 25% and maximum
water-cut decrement for 5 producers reached 30%. These leaded to the higher enhanced recovery rate
than that of normal polymer flooding. So far, polymer flooding had come to an end for two tested blocks.
Results showed that regional enhanced recovery rate was about 20% and the rate near the central wells
was about 25%. For the E N1 Block, which was still under polymer flooding, enhanced recovery rate was
about 13.2% and it was estimated that the ultimate enhanced rate would be 19.3%. Figure 7 and Table 2
showed the water cut and the development of the tested blocks.

Figure 7 water cut as a function of injected PV in the tested blocks

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Table 2 development of the tested blocks

Normal polymer Polymer
Name Injection flooding Flooding General Concentration EOR
Rate consumption consumption Water-cut (mg/L) (%)
(PV/a) (mg/L.PV) (mg/L.PV)
WN Block 0.13 294 1697 93.5 818 18.7
WM Block 0.11 233 1668 92.8 533 19.9
EN1Block 0.12 0 1286 89.1 885 13.2

3. Industrialized application of polymer flooding with high concentration and

molecular weight
On the bases of the recovery efficiency from the three tested blocks, industrialized application of the
new method in Daqing oilfield began in Jan. 2009. E W N1 Block was chosen as the tested block. For the
block, interest layers were located in the P1 1-4 layers, the area was 7.75km2,OIP was 1606.88104t and
porous volume was 2968.38104m3. There were 442 wells (238 producers and 204 injectors) in the block
and five-spot area pattern was applied with shortened injection-production spacing of 125m. The layers
were mainly composed of channel sands with a thickness of 16.6m, an effective thickness of 12.2m and
an overall permeability of 0.652m2. The layers were of obvious rhythmic features and residual oil was
mainly located in the top part of the positive rhythmic reservoir. Polymer flooding of high concentration
and molecular weight could be applied in the block to displace the top residual oil.
Polymer flooding of the new method for E W N1 Block began in Jan. 2009. Molecular weight
of the injected polymers were 25 million Dalton, average injected concentration was 2030mg/L and
injection rate was 0.22PV/a. 95 percent of the producers in the block responded and maximum decrement
in water cut was 30%, which was far more than 15% of the normal polymer flooding. By the end of Mar.
2011, injected polymer solution was 1456.75104m3, injected layer porous volume was 0.61PV and
consumption of polymer was 1099.3 mg/L.PV. Overall water cut was 88.5% and enhanced recovery rate
was 10.8%, which provided potent efficiency for industrialized application of polymer flooding of the
new method.
SPE 144251 7

Figure 8 Water cut as a function of injected PV in E W N1 Block

4. Conclusion
1. Numbers of lab researches indicated that polymer solutions of high concentration and molecular
weight possessed such properties contributing to oil displacement as higher adsorption, capitation,
coefficients of resistance and residual resistance. Increasing concentration and molecular weight had a
greater influence on elasticity than on viscosity. To certain extents, the higher the concentration and
molecular weight were, the higher the displacing efficiency and enhanced recovery rate were.
2. Pilot tests and industrialized application of polymer flooding with high concentration and
molecular weight were conducted in Daqing oilfield. It was demonstrated that the displacing method
could obviously enhanced recovery rate and decrease water cut. It could further enhance recovery rate by
more than 20 percent after water flooding and it showed the prospect of widely application.
3. Liquid production of producers decreased quickly in the flooding process, in order to get better
efficiency, the injection-production spacing should be less than 200m when the technology was applied in
Daqing oilfield.