Mechanisms and Influencing Factors of High-Temperature and Pressure Huff-n-Puff Imbibition Process in Continental Shale Oil Reservoirs

Dong, Dapeng; Wei, Jianguang; Zhao, Guozhong; Yang, Ying; Song, Ge; Zhou, Xiaofeng; Li, Fuquan; Yu, Shaojun; Cui, Huanqi; Wang, Qingzhen; Fu, Lanqing

doi:10.1061/JLEED9.EYENG-4851

Technical Papers

Sep 29, 2023

Mechanisms and Influencing Factors of High-Temperature and Pressure Huff-n-Puff Imbibition Process in Continental Shale Oil Reservoirs

Publication: Journal of Energy Engineering

Volume 149, Issue 6

https://doi.org/10.1061/JLEED9.EYENG-4851

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Abstract

As continental shale oil is explored and developed on a larger scale, its high starting pressure gradient in the shale matrix poses challenges for flow. This paper investigates the effect of imbibition development and the mechanism of oil mobilization under high temperature and high pressure using self-developed dynamic huff-n-puff imbibition equipment based on micropore and percolation characteristics. Using six different injection fluids—slickwater, imbibition agent CY-IMNF-1, sand-carrying agent, guanidine gel breaking fluid, imbibition agent #G-1, and

{CO}_{2}

—this study involved an experimental investigation of high-temperature and high-pressure huff-n-puff imbibition at a pressure of 30 MPa and a temperature of 110°C. The effect of injection fluids on imbibition development recovery is analyzed, and the contribution of different scale pores to the oil recovery of continental shale is quantified. It was found that slickwater huff-n-puff resulted in the highest imbibition oil recovery, followed by imbibition agent CY-IMNF-1. Shale oil production in nanopores and micropores was mainly achieved through slickwater huff-n-puff, and the pore and throat size limit for oil mobilization was found to be 4–7 nm. Based on a synergy perspective, optimizing the hybrid system of slickwater and

{CO}_{2}

is suggested. This study provides technical support for developing similar continental shale reservoirs with high-temperature and high-pressure huff-n-puff imbibition.

Practical Applications

Based on a self-made experimental device and two-dimensional (2D) nuclear magnetic resonance testing, the quantitative evaluation method of sensitivity of different shale pores to external fluids is established. The results show that the oil recovery rate of imbibition using sliding water is the highest, the oil in nanopores and micropores is mainly produced through huff-n-puff by slickwater, and the limit radius of oil mobility in pores and throats was found to be 4–7 nm. The research findings have important implications for huff-n-puff experiments and the formulation design of shale fracturing fluid systems.

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Data Availability Statement

All data, models, and code generated or used during the study appear in the published article.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Postdoctoral Scientific Research Developmental Fund of Heilongjiang Province China (LBH-Z21084), the Guiding Science and Technology Planning Project of Daqing (zd-2021-36), and the Natural Science Foundation of Heilongjiang Province (LH2022E019).

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

Journal of Energy Engineering

Volume 149 • Issue 6 • December 2023

Copyright

History

Received: Nov 1, 2022

Accepted: May 8, 2023

Published online: Sep 29, 2023

Published in print: Dec 1, 2023

Discussion open until: Feb 29, 2024

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