Experimental and numerical studies of rich gas Huff-n-Puff injection in tight formation

Huff-n-Puff technology is considered one of the most effective methods to increase oil recovery in shale reservoirs. Previous works were mainly focused on Bakken and Eagle Ford shales. This paper is devoted to experimental and numerical studies of rich gas injection in core samples with high organic matter content from a tight oil reservoir in Russia. Eighteen core samples from different well intervals and different sizes were used in a Huff-n-Puff experimental study. Eight of the core samples were investigated at an injection pressure of 15 MPa, while ten core samples were studied at near-miscible pressure conditions of 30 MPa. The experiment results indicate that Huff-n-Puff injection of rich gas could give an oil recovery average of 63.03% and a maximum of 88.40% at 30 MPa injection pressure. A compositional model was created utilizing a commercial simulator and history matched to experimental results. The validated model was used to investigate the effect of molecular gas diffusivity, injection pressure, injection duration, shut-in duration, production duration, and other reservoir properties on the recovery factor. Sensitivity analysis by numerical modeling shows that the molecular gas diffusivity was critical in the history matching of the model. The numerical simulation results imply that the recovery factor could be increased by extending the injection period. In contrast, the duration of a soak period does not significantly influence the recovery factor. Furthermore, the recovery factor could be increased by extension of the production due to a slow decline in the pressure gradient between the matrix and fracture at the later stage of the production. The results of the present study imply that the application of the Huff-n-Puff injection of rich gas could increase oil recovery from tight reservoirs.

Automated summary

The study focuses on rich gas injection in a tight oil reservoir in Russia using the Huff-n-Puff method, showing a high oil recovery rate at 30 MPa injection pressure. Numerical simulation suggests that extending the injection period can increase the recovery factor, while the duration of the soak period has less impact on it.