Insights into CO2 huff-n-puff mechanisms from laboratory experiment and single-well pilot test in the Lucaogou tight oil reservoir, Jimsar sag, China

CO2 huff-n-puff has been accepted as an effective technique to improve oil recovery in tight oil reservoirs. Even though CO2 EOR mechanisms were extensively investigated from laboratory experiments, the links of experimental results to field-scale performance have not been widely investigated as few pilot tests were conducted. In this study, laboratory experiments and CO2-huff-n-puff pilot test were performed. First, phase behaviors of the Lucaogou crude oil and oil-CO2 mixtures were investigated via Pressure-Volume-Temperature (PVT) tests including flash evaporation, constant composition extension (CCE), and CO2 injection and slim tube tests, respectively. Experimental results showed that due to the higher concentration of the intermediate components, the saturation pressure of the Lucaogou crude oil is 6.18 MPa, which is much smaller than the initial and current formation pressures. The oil viscosity decreased from 24.8 mPa s to 3.0 mPa s and swelling factor increased to 1.848 after about 85 mol% CO2 dissolved. Moreover, slim tube test showed the minimum miscible pressure of the Lucaogou crude oil is 24.28 MPa, which is smaller than the current formation pressure, indicating multi-contact miscibility could be reached easily. Second, fracturing fluid imbibition and CO2 huff-n-puff experiments were carried out to evaluate the performance of CO2 EOR after fracturing. The oil recovery factor increased after imbibition time and the number of huff-n-puff cycles, and was impacted by petrophysical properties, like porosity and pore structure. In addition, performance of CO2 huff-n-puff pilot test in the J30 well was reported. Approximately 1.9% of original oil in place was recovered after one huff-n-puff cycle, showing a significant potential of CO2 EOR in the Lucaogou tight formation. Analysis of oil production rate, composition and density of produced oil shows the dominant EOR mechanisms in the early production stage were miscibility and CO2 vaporization, then viscosity reduction. Findings from this study will provide insights on CO2 EOR in tight oil reservoirs.

Automated summary

The study investigates the mechanism and performance of CO2 Huff-n-puff technology in improving oil recovery in tight oil reservoirs through laboratory experiments and pilot tests. The results show that CO2 dissolving can reduce the oil viscosity and increase the dissolution factor, and the oil recovery factor can be effectively increased through Huff-n-puff cycles in fractured Lucaogou tight formation. This study provides valuable insights into the mechanism of CO2 EOR in tight oil reservoirs.