Influence of Reservoir Pore-Throat Structure Heterogeneity on Water-Flooding Seepage: A Case Study of Yanchang Formation in Ordos Basin

Abstract

The microscopic pore-throat structure of low-porosity and ultralow permeability sandstone reservoirs controls the seepage characteristics, which directly affects the water injection development efficiency of oilfields. Different from typical tight sandstone reservoirs, macropores and mesopores are more developed in the pore-throat structure of this type of reservoir, which changes the dominance of micropores over seepage capacity. Based on the full-range pore-throat structure characterization method and fractal theory, many experimental methods are used to study the influence of the microscopic pore-throat structure over the seepage characteristics in the Chang 9 reservoir in the Yanchang Formation of the Ordos Basin. The results of 12 typical samples show that the pore-throat structure has multifractal characteristics, and the occurrence degree of movable fluid and seepage capacity vary greatly, showing strong microscopic heterogeneity. Following characterization of the full-range pore-throat structure, the relative proportion of macropores and mesopores determines the physical properties of the reservoir. The pore-throat scale and structural heterogeneity have a significant impact on porosity, while the pore-throat structure connectivity has a crucial impact on permeability. Quartz provides resistance to compaction and preserves more primary pores. Additionally, the relationship between clay minerals and physical properties is not significant. Only illite and I/S mixed layers have a slight effect on permeability reduction. Furthermore, laumontite cementation is the key factor in the destruction of the pore-throat structure. Porosity has a significant effect on movable fluid occurrence and is more closely related to the two-phase seepage. Permeability controls the oil displacement efficiency in the anhydrous period, and porosity controls the oil displacement efficiency in the final period. The fractal dimension has some significant controls on the pore-throat structure, which are reflected in the fact that the higher the homogeneity of macropores is and the higher the heterogeneity of mesopores and micropores is, the better the reservoir development will be. In particular, the degree of macropore development guarantees reservoir quality. The control of the fractal dimension on the seepage capacity is complex, especially for mesopores and micropores; the higher the degree of heterogeneity is, the stronger the seepage capacity will be. The occurrence of movable fluid is significantly affected by the scale and heterogeneity of the pore-throat structure, which is reflected as stronger heterogeneity of the pore-throat structure and poorer relative seepage capacity.