# US 2018/0023374 A1 · Multi-Phase Polymer Shear Viscosity Calculation in Polymer Coreflood Simulation Study Workflow > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2018/0023374 A1 - Document ID: US20180023374A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 15/548,763 - Filed: 2016-02-03 - Published: 2018-01-25 - Earliest claimed: 2015-02-03 - Assignees: Schlumberger Technology Corporation - Applicants: Schlumberger Technology Corporation - Inventors: Shi Su; Marie Ann Giddins; Paul Naccache; Andrew Clarke; Edmund J. Fordham - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20180023374A1 ## CPC - G06F 9/455: Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines - E21B 41/00: Equipment or details not covered by groups E21B15/00 - E21B40/00 - E21B 43/16: Enhanced recovery methods for obtaining hydrocarbons - E21B 43/20: Displacing by water - E21B 49/005: {Testing the nature of borehole walls or the formation by using drilling mud or cutting data} - G06F 30/20: Design optimisation, verification or simulation (optimisation, verification or simulation of circuit designs G06F30/30) - C09K 8/584: characterised by the use of specific surfactants - C09K 8/588: characterised by the use of specific polymers {(polymeric surfactants C09K8/584)} - E21B 47/12: Means for transmitting measuring-signals or control signals from the well to the surface, or from the surface to the well, e.g. for logging while drilling - E21B 49/00: Testing the nature of borehole walls; Formation testing; Methods or apparatus for obtaining samples of soil or well fluids, specially adapted to earth drilling or wells - E21B 49/02: by mechanically taking samples of the soil - Y02A 10/40: Controlling or monitoring, e.g. of flood or hurricane; Forecasting, e.g. risk assessment or mapping - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) - E21B: EARTH OR ROCK DRILLING; OBTAINING OIL, GAS, WATER, SOLUBLE OR MELTABLE MATERIALS OR A SLURRY OF MINERALS FROM WELLS - C09K: MATERIALS FOR MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS, NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE - Y02A: TECHNOLOGIES FOR ADAPTATION TO CLIMATE CHANGE ## 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. ## Claims ### Claim 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. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising performing history matching to validate the relative permeability interpolation computer simulation model. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) 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. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) 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. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein running the simulation includes running a coreflood simulation. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The method of claim 4, wherein running the simulation includes running a reservoir simulation. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The method of claim 1, further comprising validating the determined apparent viscosity using experimental data. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) 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. ### Claim 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. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) 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. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein running the simulation includes running a coreflood simulation. ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The method of claim 9, wherein running the simulation includes running a reservoir simulation. ### Claim 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. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) 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. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the simulation includes a coreflood simulation. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The apparatus of claim 13, wherein the simulation includes a reservoir simulation. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) 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. ### Claim 18 (depends on 17) 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. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) 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. ### Claim 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.