Classification methods of conglomerate reservoirs based on the adsorption and retention law of surfactant-polymer binary systems

Abstract Factors such as clay minerals and micropore structure can lead to the adsorption and retention of chemical agents when the components of surfactant-polymer systems enter porous media. This study aims to clarify the influence of adsorption and retention of surfactant-polymer components on reservoir permeability and oil displacement efficiency and then classify the reservoirs into types. The natural cores of conglomerate reservoirs from the Badaowan Formation in the 7th block are selected as research objects to reveal the adsorption law of surfactant-polymer components on different minerals and different micro pores through the dynamic oil displacement method based on physical model and the N element calibration method. Experimental results show that the adsorption capacity of clay minerals for surfactant-polymer components is significantly higher than that of carbonate and skeleton minerals, and different clay minerals differ in adsorption capacity for surfactant-polymer components depending on their cation exchange capacity and end surface adsorption activity. In addition, the adsorption and retention capacities of reservoirs for surfactant-polymer components are closely related to the type and content of clay minerals. The combination type of clay minerals controls the adsorption activity of surfactant-polymer components, and the values of polymer and the surfactant are quantitatively calculated to be 11.3 and 21.4 mg/g, respectively. The adsorption strength of surfactant-polymer components is controlled by the content of clay minerals. With increasing clay content, the adsorption strength of the polymer ranges from 0.5 to 2.5 mg/cm3, and that of the surfactant ranges from 1.0 to 4.5 mg/cm3. On this basis, the “N element calibration method” is used to determine the occurrence state and content of chemical agents in micropores for different permeability samples after surfactant-polymer binary flooding. Research results show that the polymer and surfactant components mainly have two types of occurrence form in micropores, including the complex pores accumulated by clay minerals and the intersections of small pores and throats. With decreasing reservoir permeability, the number and content of detected N element gradually increase, indicating an increase in the adsorption and retention of polymer and surfactant, and the influence on the reservoir seepage capacity also increases. Finally, the conglomerate reservoirs in the Badaowan Formation from the 7th block are divided into four types after considering the influence of clay minerals and micropore structure on the adsorption and retention of surfactant-polymer components, and the reasonable classification of reservoir types can effectively enhance the oil recovery of surfactant-polymer binary flooding.