A Laboratory Evaluation of the Natural Gas Huff-n-puff Method for Heavy Oil Reservoirs in the Orinoco Belt, Venezuela

Abstract

Disappearance of foamy oil phenomenon results in a fast decline in oil production in the Orinoco Belt, Venezuela. In this study the authors conducted phase behavior measurements of foamy oil-natural gas mixtures and coreflood tests in the huff-n-puff mode to (a) characterize the natural gas dissolution process in the foamy oil compared with that in live oil and dead oil, (b) examine the feasibility of cyclic natural gas injection for enhanced heavy oil recovery with foamy oil characteristics after primary production, and (c) investigate the effect of reservoir pressure, number of cycles, and injection timing on oil recovery.

Keywords:

• enhanced oil recovery
• foamy oil
• Huff and puff
• Natural gas
• unconventional experiments