Permeability Enhancement Mechanism of Acidizing in Steam-Assisted Gravity Flooding Wells

Abstract

Steam-assisted gravity oil drainage (SAGD flooding) is a cutting-edge technology for the development of oils which is gradually replacing steam huff and puff and is being used more and more widely. Low-permeability interlayers are generally developed in oil reservoirs in China, which may shield the migration of steam, oil and gas. Targeted acidizing fracturing was proposed to break through the low-permeability interlayers, and hence, the problem that the hindrance to the expansion of the steam chamber led to heat loss and seriously affected the development effect could be solved. A typical kind of well with SAGD flooding actually applied in China, Shuyi District of Liaohe Oilfield, was taken as the example for studying the optimization of crack parameters. Based on the study of reservoir sensitivity characteristics in this well, the formulations of working fluids for targeted acidizing fracturing were developed by optimizing the weight percentages of main acid solution and additives. The formula of ‘4% hydrochloric acid + 2% polyphosphoric acid + 5% fluoroboric acid + 4% acetic acid’ could be used as the acidizing fracturing working fluid for typical blocks of the Shuyi District of Liaohe Oilfield, which can increase the permeability of the natural core by 40.19–57.06%. Studies on targeted acidizing fracturing are beneficial for enhancing the oil recovery of oil reservoirs.