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The Vertical Sweep Efficiency

The vertical sweep efficiency (Ev) refers to the fraction of the vertical section of the reservoir that is contacted by the injected fluid. Ev depends on factors like permeability variation and mobility ratio. Permeability, which can vary more than an order of magnitude between strata, is the most influential property affecting waterflood performance. There are two main methods used to model permeability variation and calculate Ev: the positional method which assumes fluid remains at the same elevation as it moves, and the permeability ordering method which sequences permeabilities from core data and divides the reservoir into layers of equal thickness.

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803 views4 pages

The Vertical Sweep Efficiency

The vertical sweep efficiency (Ev) refers to the fraction of the vertical section of the reservoir that is contacted by the injected fluid. Ev depends on factors like permeability variation and mobility ratio. Permeability, which can vary more than an order of magnitude between strata, is the most influential property affecting waterflood performance. There are two main methods used to model permeability variation and calculate Ev: the positional method which assumes fluid remains at the same elevation as it moves, and the permeability ordering method which sequences permeabilities from core data and divides the reservoir into layers of equal thickness.

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ASaifulHadi
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© © All Rights Reserved
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VERTICAL SWEEP EFFICIENCY

The vertical sweep efficiency, Ev is defined as the fraction of the vertical section of the pay zone that is
the injection fluid. This particular sweep efficiency depends mainly on:
1) Mobility Ratio,M
2) Total volume injected, Wi In this case water volume injected, in real case (designed water)
Due to the non-uniformity of the permeabilities, any injected fluid will tend to move through the
reservoir with an irregular front. The area of the greatest uncertainty in designing waterflood is the
quantitive knowledge of permeability variation within the reservoir.
Permeability variation is the most significant parameter influencing the vertical sweep efficiency.
1) Describe and define the permeability variation in mathematical terms.
2) Determine the minimum number of layers that are sufficient to model the performance of
fluids.
3) Assign proper average rock properties for each layer (the zonation problem)

Reservoir Vertical Heterogeneity
How to organize and utilize the large amount of data available from core and well log analyses?
Parameters that varies greatly aerially and vertically within the reservoir: porosity, connate water
saturation and permeability. The most influential rock properties variation to waterflood is permeability.
Usually permeability varies more than an order of magnitude between strata.
Degree of heterogeneity was described by permeability variation, V which was designed by Dykstra and
Parsons. The value of V which is close to zero defines the completely homogeneous reservoir system
and one for completely heterogeneous reservoir system.


Equation 1 Coefficient of V which represents the permeability variation and degree of heterogeneity of a system.
Craig (1971) proposed a hypothetical reservoir that consists of 10 wells with detailed permeability data
given for each well and depth interval to illustrate the use of Dykstra and Parsons Permeability variation.

Minimum Number of Layers
Based on computer study, Craig has made some guidelines to determine the minimum number of layers
needed to predict waterflood performance. He simulated the five-spot pattern waterflood performance
composed of 100 layers with permeability variation range of 0.4 to 0.8. The minimum number of layers
was determined as a function of mobility ratio and permeability variation (V and M).
[ can refer to the table guideline in tarek ahmed books.]

The Zonation Problem
In calculating waterflooding, it is recommended and desirable to divide the reservoir into number of
layers of equal thickness but varies in porosity and permeability.
In the industry, traditionally there are two method used to assign average permeability of each layer:
1) Positional method
2) Permeability Ordering Method.
Positional Method
This method describes the layers to their relative location within the vertical rock column and assumes
that the injected fluid remains in the same elevation as it moves from the injector to producer.
Miller and Lents (1966) proposed that the average permeability in the selected elevation (layers) should
be calculated using geometric-average permeability.


Equation 2 Geometric Average Permeability
If all the thicknesses are equal, then:



Permeability Ordering Method
This method is based on Dykstra and Parsons (1950) permeability sequencing technique, which perhaps
the most widely used approach in Petroleum Industry to determine the vertical sweep efficiency. The
core analysis permeabilities are arranged in decreasing order, and the probability scale is further divided
into percents increments equally in which each increment representing a layer.
>Permeability of each layer is determined by permeability that corresponds to the midpoint of each
interval.
[Plot of porosity vs percentage of thickness with greater porosity > on a Cartesian-probability scale]
Calculation of Vertical Sweep Efficiency
Basically, there are 2 methods to calculate vertical sweep efficiency E
v
since in the past:
1) Stiles method
2) Dysktra-Parsons method
Basic assumption of the two methods is that the reservoir is composed of an idealized layered system.
The layered system is selected with layers of descending permeability based on the permeability
ordering approach. The other assumptions are:
i) Linear flow
ii) Piston-like displacement (Piston Flow)
iii) Immiscible displacement
iv) No cross-flow between layers
v) The distance water has traveled through each layer is proportional to the permeability of
the layer

Figure 1 Idealized Layered System
Their basic idea is to determine the frontal position in each layer at the time water breakthrough
happens.
Flow capacity of each layer probably defined by the product of permeability and thickness, kh. Due to
this, the flow rates of oil and water can be calculated for all layers to calculate the water oil ratio WOR.


Equation 3 Water Oil Ratio

Stiles Method

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