Basra University for oil & gas

College of oil and gas Engineering

Oil & gas engineering department

Water flooding
Fluid injectivity

Ali K. Al-Maliki, MSc

December, 2017

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 Water flooding

Outline
Fluid injectivty
Factors affecting fluid injectivity
Injectivity for radial system
Injectivity for regular well patterns

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 Fluid injectivity

Productivity vs Injectivity

qo = PI x ∆P Productivity index for producers

iw = I x ∆P Injectivity index for injectors

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 Fluid injectivity

Water injectivity
The rate at which water can be injected per unit pressure difference between
the producer and the injector

𝐢𝐰
𝐈=
∆𝐏
I = Injectivity index, bbl/day/psi
iw = Injection rate, bbl/day
∆𝐏 = Difference between injection & producing well BHP, psi

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 Fluid injectivity

Why do we need to estimate Injection rate and injection pressure

1- To predict the oil recovery performance

2- To consider the size of injection equipment & pumps

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 Fluid injectivity

Factors affecting fluid injectivity:

1- Rock and fluid properties

2- Area swept by the injected water and oil bank

3- Fluid mobilities in the water and oil zones Some of these factor
can not be changed
4- Well geometry, pattern, spacing and wellbore radii
Well pattern,
5- Bottom hole injection pressure injection pressure,
bottom hole pressure
6- Producing well bottom hole pressure can be selected to
attain the optimum
7- Average reservoir pressure at start of injection recovery performance
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 Fluid injectivity: Radial system

Radial System
Iw= water injection rate, bbl/day
h = net pay thickness, ft Oil bank
K= absolute permeability, md Ko/μo
Kro= Relative permeability to oil in oil bank at Swi
Krw=Relative permeability to water in water bank at re
r
average SwBT
Water
r=Radius of water bank, ft Kw/μw
re= Radius of oil bank, ft
r‘w= effective wellbore radius, ft
rw = Wellbore radius, ft
μo & μw = Viscosities of oil & water
Dp= applied pressure differential, psi 7
 Fluid injectivity: Radial system

Radial System

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 Fluid injectivity: Radial system

Radial System

 At early time of an injection well, both oil and Oil bank

water zones are radial around the injection Ko/μo

well
re
r

 Oil and water zones continue to be circular Water

Kw/μw
till the oil bank radius reaches a distance
about 70% of the distance between the
injector and the producer
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 Fluid Injectivity: Regular patterns
Injection rate and injection pressure for regular well patterns
 Deppa & Muskat mathematical formulas for different well patterns

 Assumptions:
1- Mobility ratio, M=1
2- Steady state flow
3- No gas in the reservoir

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 Fluid Injectivity: Regular patterns
𝒅
Injectivity equation for Direct line drive pattern ≥𝟏 M=1
𝒂

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 Fluid Injectivity: Regular patterns
𝒅
Injectivity equation for staggered line drive pattern 𝒂
≥𝟏 M=1

S = skin factor at injection well

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 Fluid Injectivity: Regular patterns
Injectivity equation for 5-Spot pattern M=1

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 Fluid Injectivity: Regular patterns
Injectivity equation for 7-Spot pattern M=1

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 Fluid Injectivity: Regular patterns
Injectivity equation for 9-Spot pattern M=1

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 Fluid Injectivity: Regular patterns
Injectivity for regular well patterns: Non-Unity mobility ratio

 The calculated injection rate from Deppa & Muskat method must be adjusted

 A correction factor is used which is called Conductance ratio γ

 Then, the injection rate is calculated as

𝑖𝑤 = γ 𝑖𝑤 𝑏𝑎𝑠𝑒

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 Fluid Injectivity: Regular patterns
Injectivity for regular well patterns: Non-Unity mobility ratio

iw = γ iw base
Calculated from
Deppa & Muskat
𝛄 = Conductance ratio formulas
iw base = Base water injection rate when M=1, bbl/day
iw = water injection for non-unity M, bbl/day

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 Fluid Injectivity: Regular patterns
Conductance ratio for 5-Spot pattern When M=1, Conductance ratio=1
Iw is constance

Conductance
ratio is a function When M<1,
of M and EA of Conductance ratio &
Iw decrease with
the injected water increasing EA

When M>1,
Conductance ratio &
Iw increase with
increasing EA

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 Fluid Injectivity: Regular patterns

 When fluid mobilities in the water zone and

oil zone of the reservoir are equal, i.e. M=1,
fluid injectivity does not change as the flood
front advances

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 Fluid Injectivity: Regular patterns

Conductance ratio for other well patterns

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