Paper: SIMULATION OF A CO2 FLOOD IN THE SLAUGHTER FIELD WITH GEOSTATISTICAL RESERVOIR CHARACTERIZATION

Texaco has been operating a CO2 flood in the Sundown Slaughter Unit in Hockley County, Texas since January of 1994.
The CO: flood was originally justified by analogy with an adjacent CO2 flood. A CO2 flood simulation was later done to predict and optimize the performance of the flood. With actual production data from the CO2 flood available, the simulation forecast was redone and updated. Specific objectives of this new, revised simulation study were to use geostatistical reservoir characterization to improve the representation of reservoir heterogeneity and to use more representative relative permeability curves and residual saturation values. A team was formed for the new simulation study which included both geologists and engineers with members both from the operating division and Texaco's research organization. Four new geostatistical reservoir models were developed, each with a
different level of effective heterogeneity. The basic idea was to adjust the reservoir characterization to improve the CO2 flood match and forecast. All the new models as well as the old model could be used to match the waterflood history equally well with moderate adjustments in the water-oil relative permeability curves. The correct level of reservoir heterogeneity was not needed to do a waterflood match. However, all the models were not equally valid in matching and predicting CO2 flood performance. The predicted CO2 flood performance was substantially different for these models and indicates that a good waterflood history match is not sufficient for a good CO2 flood prediction.
The reservoir heterogeneity in a model must be substantially correct for a successful CO2 flood match. Adjusting the gas relative permeability curve for a CO2 flood history match can compensate for moderate, but not large, errors in the reservoir heterogeneity. This paper describes the methods used for conducting the waterflood and CO2 flood history matches, for making the CO2 flood forecast, and for evaluating the different geostatistical realizations. In addition, the important sensitivities of a tertiary CO2 flood forecast to the reservoir description and the gas relative permeability are discussed and quantified.