Multi-Phase Polymer Shear Viscosity Calculation in Polymer Coreflood Simulation Study Workflow

Abstract

An apparent viscosity of an aqueous polymer composition used in a polymer flood may be determined by generating a relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model that is associated with a capillary desaturation function and that interpolates relative permeability curves for a coreflood experiment, validating the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model using experimental data generated from the coreflood experiment using a water flood performed at a plurality of incremental flow rates on a core plug, determining an interpolated relative permeability to water for the aqueous polymer composition using experimental data generated from the coreflood experiment using a multi-phase flood with the aqueous polymer composition, and determining an apparent viscosity of the aqueous polymer composition from the interpolated relative permeability to water. The determined apparent viscosity may then be used to run a simulation to model the flow of the aqueous polymer composition.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method of determining an apparent viscosity of an aqueous polymer composition used in a polymer flood, the method comprising:
 generating a relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model that is associated with a capillary desaturation function and that interpolates relative permeability curves for a coreflood experiment;   validating the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model using experimental data generated from the coreflood experiment using a water flood performed at a plurality of incremental flow rates on a core plug;   determining an interpolated relative permeability to water for the aqueous polymer composition using experimental data generated from the coreflood experiment using a multi-phase flood with the aqueous polymer composition; and   determining an apparent viscosity of the aqueous polymer composition from the interpolated relative permeability to water.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising performing history matching to validate the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein validating the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model includes running a simulation using the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model in a computer-implemented reservoir simulator. 
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising running a simulation using the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model and the determined apparent viscosity in a computer-implemented reservoir simulator to model flow of the aqueous polymer composition. 
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein running the simulation includes running a coreflood simulation. 
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 4 , wherein running the simulation includes running a reservoir simulation. 
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising validating the determined apparent viscosity using experimental data. 
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising generating a table that maps a plurality of values of the apparent viscosity against a plurality of flow conditions, wherein determining the apparent viscosity includes determining the apparent viscosity from the table. 
     
     
         9 . A method of simulating an aqueous polymer composition injection, the method comprising:
 determining an apparent viscosity of the aqueous polymer composition from a relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model that is associated with a capillary desaturation function and that is generated using experimental data generated from a coreflood experiment using a multi-phase flood with the aqueous polymer composition; and   running a simulation in a computer-implemented reservoir simulator using the determined apparent viscosity to model flow of the aqueous polymer composition.   
     
     
         10 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model further interpolates relative permeability curves for the coreflood experiment and is validated in part using experimental data generated from the coreflood experiment using a water flood performed at a plurality of incremental flow rates on a core plug. 
     
     
         11 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein running the simulation includes running a coreflood simulation. 
     
     
         12 . The method of  claim 9 , wherein running the simulation includes running a reservoir simulation. 
     
     
         13 . An apparatus, comprising:
 a memory, the memory storing a relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model that is associated with a capillary desaturation function and that is generated using experimental data generated from a coreflood experiment using a multi-phase flood with the aqueous polymer composition;   at least one processing unit; and   program code configured upon execution by the at least one processing unit to simulate an aqueous polymer composition injection to determine an apparent viscosity of the aqueous polymer composition from the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model and run a simulation in a computer-implemented reservoir simulator using the determined apparent viscosity.   
     
     
         14 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model further interpolates relative permeability curves for the coreflood experiment and is validated in part using experimental data generated from the coreflood experiment using a water flood performed at a plurality of incremental flow rates on a core plug. 
     
     
         15 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the simulation includes a coreflood simulation. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the simulation includes a reservoir simulation. 
     
     
         17 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the program code is further configured to validate the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model using experimental data generated from the coreflood experiment using a water flood performed at a plurality of incremental flow rates on a core plug. 
     
     
         18 . The apparatus of  claim 17 , wherein the program code is further configured to determine an interpolated relative permeability to water for the aqueous polymer composition using the experimental data generated from the coreflood experiment using the multi-phase flood with the aqueous polymer composition. 
     
     
         19 . The apparatus of  claim 13 , wherein the program code is further configured to perform history matching to validate the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model. 
     
     
         20 . A program product, comprising:
 a non-transitory computer readable medium; and   program code stored on the computer readable medium and configured upon execution by at least one processing unit to run a simulation in a computer-implemented reservoir simulator using an apparent viscosity of the aqueous polymer composition determined from a relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model that is associated with a capillary desaturation function and that is generated using experimental data generated from a coreflood experiment using a multi-phase flood with the aqueous polymer composition.