Numerical Simulation of Residual Oil Flooded by Polymer Solution in Microchannels

Abstract

This paper establishes a flow equation using non-Newtonian fluid mechanics and defines the deformation of residual oil using numerical computation in order to conduct a study on the flow law of residual oil in microchannels of rock during polymer flooding, the influence of flooding fluid elasticity on the deformation of residual oil, and flooding mechanism of viscoelastic displacing fluid. Computation shows that advancing contact angle increases and receding contact angle decreases as the viscosity ratio decreases. The higher elasticity of polymer solution with higher concentration or molecular weight leads to significantly more obvious deformation of residual oil and benefits migration and stripping of residual oil. The impact of the initial wetting angle of residual oil film on deformation is analyzed. A smaller initial wetting angle corresponds to a bigger change of advancing contact angle and smaller change of receding contact angle. A better understanding of the flooding process is gained via a study on residual oil deformation in polymer flooding. Consequently, oil flooding efficiency and oil recovery can be enhanced. This is the hydrodynamic mechanism of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) by polymer flooding.