Experimental Study of Two Phase Relative Permeability in Iranian Carbonate Rocks

Abstract

In this paper, the effect of flow rate on relative permeability curves was investigated in Iranian carbonate rocks. Core samples were prepared from outcrop of Asmari formation. The dynamic displacement experiments were performed at 2.55, 3.55, 4.55 and 5.55 cc/hr during waterflooding and oilflooding. Relative permeabilities have been calculated with the Jones and Roszelle method and then the flow rate effect was investigated. The end-points and crossover saturations in the relative permeability curves indicate water wetness. In the waterflooding process, water relative permeability curves and end-point were not affected by the flow rate. It was observed that the oil curves vary with the flow rate, decreasing with its decrease. This variation vanishes at the middle saturations. Also, in the oilflooding, water relative permeabilities behave the same as it observed in waterflooding. It was not possible to find any trend in kro and end-point saturation with the flow rate. In contrast to sandstone, hysteresis was observed in both krw and kro curves. With increasing the flow rate, this phenomenon increases in water curves and decreases in oil curves.

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