Simulating the effect of salinity and kaolinite concentration on low salinity water flooding in sandstone reservoir of Sabah Basin

• Published in: Materials Today: Proceedings
• Main Author: Wan Zaidel W.M.A.B.; Rosli N.R.; Mohammadian E.; Othman N.; Yusoff N.H.
• Format: Conference paper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 2022
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85129224432&doi=10.1016%2fj.matpr.2022.04.130&partnerID=40&md5=e2ec63bb756c71e2d327b13207d38968

Low salinity waterflooding (LSWF) is a technique that involves injection of water at low salinity to improve oil recovery of matured oilfields. The primary objective of this study is to determine the effects of LSWF at different salinity in sandstone reservoirs on oil recovery and to simulate the effect of rock hysteresis on oil recovery. Reservoir simulation softwares ECLIPSE 100 and Petrel were utilized to simulate low salinity waterflooding in sandstone reservoir of the Sabah Basin. This study considers salinities from 100 up to 500 ppm (parts per million) at 1100 STB/day and 500 psi bottom-hole pressure. The results revealed that the highest oil recovery was 17.78 MMSTB at 100 ppm, while the lowest was 17.00 MMSTB at 500 ppm. This demonstrates that lower salinity water result in higher oil recovery. The difference in eventual recovery is not substantial when compared to the rate of recovery. Additionally, there is a strong link between incremental oil recovery and kaolinite content as well as the compaction and sand production. Oil is indirectly mobilised because of the clay particle composition. In addition, compaction causes an increase in residual oil saturation and irreversible water saturation. Furthermore, the larger the amount of kaolinite clay, the more oil may be extracted progressively. © 2022