Abstract
In tight heavy oil reservoirs, the formation of W/O emulsion will significantly increase the viscosity of the whole fluid-system. Meanwhile, the emulsion droplets tend to block the core pores, which will reduce the flow oil and water. In this paper, the terms of oil-water ratio, pH and other factors on heavy oil emulsification of tight sandstone in a block of Xinjiang were studied. Furthermore, in order to study the emulsification behavior in large and small pores, a large tube and a small tube are used to investigate how the hole apertures affect heavy oil emulsification. Finally, the demulsification time and dehydration rate were recorded, and the interfacial tension and viscosity were tested. The results show that heavy oil is easy to self-emulsify with water to form W/O emulsion, and it’s extremely stable. When the oil-water ratio is 3:7, the viscosity of the emulsions reaches 307 mPa·s, which is 38 times higher than that of crude oil. Acidic and alkaline conditions are benefit of demulsification and the stability of the emulsions is reduced. In small tube with higher interfacial tension, the demulsification time is shortened, and the stability of the emulsions is reduced.
