Fluid flow in the vicinity of a horizontal well during steam injection.

摘要

This research was directed towards the investigation of fluid flow around a horizontal well. Thirty-six experiments were carried out using a physical model. The main objectives of the steamflood experiments were to study the effect of the horizontal well length, diameter, and location on the steam injection process. Furthermore, the experiments investigated the suitability of the horizontal wells as producers or injectors and examined the effect of the oil viscosity and pressure differential on the oil production performance during the steam injection process.; The steamflood experiments were divided into three types based on the point where the steam was injected into the sand pack: radial steam injection from the top or bottom of the sand pack and steam injection using a horizontal injector.; Based on the experimental results, it was concluded that horizontal wells are more effectively used as producers than injectors and that long horizontal wells have higher cumulative oil recoveries than short wells. Moreover, the effect of horizontal well diameter is more significant in the case of horizontal producers than in the case for injectors. The vertical location of the horizontal well in the formation and the oil viscosity significantly affect the oil production performance during the steam injection process.