Coreflood experimental study of steam displacement

Abstract

The main objective of this study was to verify experimentally whether or not a Buckley-Leverett shock front exists when steam displaces oil in a porous medium, as assumed in the Aydelotte-Pope steamflood predictive model. Experiments were conducted in which steam was injected into a core or a sand pack. Liquid saturation profiles in the core or sand pack were constructed from X-ray CT scan cross-sectional images. The liquid saturation profiles indicate the presence of three zones, namely, the steam zone, condensation zone, and a two-phase hydrocarbon zone. The profiles also indicate the possible existence of a steam shock front. However, the precise location of the steam front can not be ascertained because of the effects of the adjacent condensation bank and gravity segregation, both of which tend to distort the steam front. It appears therefore that the hypothesis of a steam shock front in the Aydelotte-Pope steam displacement model is a fair assumption.