The Displacement Behaviors of Different Pore-Scales during CO2 Flooding and Huff-n-Puff Processes in Tight Oil Reservoirs Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR)

Abstract

Injecting CO2 into tight oil reservoirs is a potential approach for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and CO2 sequestration. However, the effects of different pore-scales on EOR are poorly understood, and this has a significant impact on recovery. In this paper, a pore size correction model based on X-ray computerized tomography (CT) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) was developed in order to establish the relationship between the pore radius and the transverse relaxation time. Different pore-scales are divided according to the cumulative distribution characteristics of the transverse relaxation time (T2). CO2 flooding and huff-n-puff experiments were conducted to investigate the dynamic displacement behaviors in different pore-scales. The results indicate that there are three pore-scales: micropores (T2 < 0.3 ms), intermediate pores (0.3 ms < T2 < 100 ms), and macropores (100 ms < T2). However, there are also pseudo-sweep pores (PPs), equilibrium pores (EPs), and sweep pores (SPs) in the intermediate pores, depending on whether crude oil has been produced. Interestingly, the pressurization process causes some crude oil in the large pores to be squeezed into small pores. The recovery of CO2 huff-n-puff (19.75%) is obviously lower than that of CO2 flooding (51.61%). Specifically, it was observed that the micropores (−8%) and the pseudo-sweep pores (−37%) have a negative impact on oil recovery, whereas all pore-scales exhibit positive effects during CO2 flooding. In addition, it was found that the critical pore radiuses of CO2 flooding and huff-n-puff were 2.61 ms (0.15 µm) and 25 ms (1.5 µm), respectively, in the experiments, and that there is also more oil remaining in the macropores and the sweep pores during CO2 huff-n-puff. These results provide a deeper understanding of the displacement behaviors of different pore-scales in tight oil reservoirs.