ALKALINE FLOODING IN POROUS RESERVOIRS: 1-D SIMULATION WITH BUCKLEY-LEVERETT THEORY

Abstract

The increasing global demand for crude oil necessitates the development of techniques that maximize recovery from reservoirs beyond conventional primary and secondary methods. Primary recovery typically extracts 5% to 30% of the original oil in place (OOIP), while secondary methods like water flooding can improve recovery to 30%–50%, leaving significant quantities of oil trapped due to capillary forces, rock wettability, and high viscosity. Chemical enhanced oil recovery (EOR), particularly alkaline flooding, has emerged as a promising method to improve recovery by altering oil-water interfacial properties. Alkaline agents such as sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and sodium carbonate (Na₂CO₃) react with acidic crude oil components to generate surfactants in situ, reducing interfacial tension, enhancing emulsification, and promoting oil mobilization.
This study presents a one-dimensional (1-D) simulation of alkaline flooding using the Buckley-Leverett theory to model the frontal displacement of oil by alkaline solutions in a porous medium. The simulation examines the underlying mechanisms of alkaline flooding, including wettability alteration, interfacial tension reduction, and improved displacement efficiency. Results provide insight into the dynamics of alkaline flooding, highlighting its potential to enhance oil recovery from mature reservoirs while offering a cost-effective and efficient EOR strategy. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of chemical EOR processes and support the optimization of alkaline flooding applications in complex reservoir conditions