Method of analyzing fluid saturation using computerized axial tomography
AssigneeShell Oil Company
InventorsHarold J. Vinegar, Scott L. Wellington
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A method using computerized axial tomography (CAT) to model flood performance in a petroleum reservoir using model rock or core from the reservoir of interest. The method uses X-rays of two different energy levels and dopes one of the fluids in the core with a strong photoelectric absorbing material. Multiple scans are conducted at the two energy levels during the displacement process. The resulting data permits calculation of the oil, water and gas phase saturations.
Claims10
A method for determining the saturations of a plurality of fluids in a sample of porous material with an X-ray Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) apparatus, comprising:
- doping a preselected fluid with an X-ray absorbing material,
- imaging such a sample in such a CAT apparatus employing at least two different preselected mean energy levels for at least a portion of such a sample to determine linear attenuation coefficient data for said fluids in said at least a portion of such sample at said preselected energies, and
- determining the saturations of each of said fluids in said at least a portion of such a sample from said data.
A method for determining the saturations of a plurality of fluids in a sample of porous material employed to simulate an enhanced oil recovery process with an X-ray Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) apparatus, comprising:
- doping a preselected fluid with an X-ray absorbing material,
- imaging such a sample during said simulation of such a process in such a CAT apparatus employing at least two different preselected mean energy levels for at least a portion of such a sample to determine linear attenuation coefficient data for said fluids in said at least a portion of such sample at said preselected energies, and
- determining the saturations of each of said fluids in said at least a portion of such a sample from said data.
A method for determining the saturation of a fluid in a sample of porous material with an X-ray Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) apparatus, comprising:
- doping such a fluid with an X-ray absorbing material,
- imaging such a sample in such a CAT apparatus employing at least two different preselected mean energy levels for at least one preselected volume of such a sample to determine linear attenuation coefficient data for such a fluid in said at least one preselected volume at said preselected energies, and
- determining the saturation of such a fluid in said at least one preselected volume from said data.
A method for determining the saturations of a plurality of fluids during fluid flow in a sample of porous material with an X-ray Computerized Axial Tomography (CAT) apparatus, comprising:
- doping a preselected fluid with an X-ray absorbing material,
- imaging such a sample in such a CAT apparatus employing at least two different preselected mean energy levels for at least a portion of such a sample to determine linear attenuation coefficient data for said fluids in said at least a portion of such sample at said preselected energies, and
- determining the saturations of each of said fluids in said at least a portion of such a sample from said data.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.