Improved oil recovery (IOR) methods for shale-oil reservoirs are considered relatively new concepts compared with IOR for conventional oil reservoirs. Different IOR methods—including CO2, surfactant, natural gas, and water injection—have been investigated for unconventional reservoirs using laboratory experiments, numerical simulation studies, and limited pilot tests. For a variety of reasons, CO2 injection is the most-investigated option. In this paper, numerical simulation methods of compositional models were incorporated with logarithmically spaced, locally refined, and dual-permeability reservoir models and local grid refinement (LGR) of hydraulic-fracture conditions to investigate the feasibility of CO2 injection in shale oil reservoirs.
Introduction
Advancements in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing enabled unconventional liquids-rich reservoirs (ULRs), such as shale and source-rock formations and very tight reservoirs, to change the oil industry.
