Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2025, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (1): 261-272.doi: 10.11743/ogg20250118

• Methods and Technologies • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Microscopic analysis of gas and water retention mechanisms and CO2 injection for enhanced gas recovery of tight sandstones: A case study of the Daniudi gas field, Ordos Basin

Zhongqun LIU1,2(), Ying JIA1(), Bin LIANG3, Chong CHEN3, Jun NIU1, Yabing GUO1, Qingyan YU1, Qian LI1   

  1. 1.Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute,SINOPEC,Beijing 102206,China
    2.State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development,Beijing 102206,China
    3.Southwest Petroleum University,Chengdu,Sichuan 610500,China
  • Received:2024-09-04 Revised:2024-12-31 Online:2025-02-28 Published:2025-03-03
  • Contact: Ying JIA E-mail:liuzq.syky@sinopec.com;jiaying.syky@sinopec.com

Abstract:

The microscopic gas and water retention mechanisms in tight, low-permeability reservoirs are yet to be clarified, severely limiting the enhancement of oil and gas recovery of these reservoirs. The study delves into the microscopic mechanisms of gas and water retention in tight sandstone reservoirs and evaluates the feasibility of CO2 injection for enhancing recovery rates via innovative microscopic experimental methods and numerical simulations. Specifically, we establish an entirely new microscopic retention experimental process, while overcoming the limitations of traditional experimental methods, such as ultra-low experimental pressures (less than 0.20 MPa), and the mismatch between experimental processes and actual production conditions. Combined with the microscopic numerical simulation technique, we identify four primary gas and water retention types in tight sandstone reservoirs, i.e., blind end-corner retention, bypassing retention, cut-off retention, and “H-shaped” pore retention. On this basis, the mechanisms behind CO2 injection for enhancing gas recovery of tight, low-permeability reservoirs can be concluded. That is, the CO2 injection serves to strip water film, facilitate the mass transfer and diffusion replacement of methane, as well as effectively displace gas, significantly increasing natural gas recovery from tight pore throats. The results reveal that CO2 injection can enhance natural gas recovery rate by 10 % to 19 %, representing an innovative technological approach for the efficient exploitation of tight, low-permeability gas reservoirs.

Key words: microscopic experiment, numerical simulation, microscopic retention mechanism, CO2 injection for enhancing recovery rate, tight and low-permeability gas reservoir, Daniudi gas field

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