Microscopic gas displacement efficiency of enhanced gas recovery in carbonate gas reservoirs with edge and bottom water

Carbonate gas reservoirs with edge and bottom water contain abundant reserves, making them key production targets in the Tarim Basin, Sichuan Basin, Ordos Basin, and other petroleum provinces. Water invasion may occur in the middle and late development stages of such reservoirs, leading to reduction of gas displacement efficiency and gas recovery. In this paper, a pore-scale water-gas immiscible flow model is established by coupling the fluid flow equation and the gas-water contact (GWC) tracking equation. The process of gas displacement with water is simulated in the heterogeneous porous media generated by the quartet structure generation set (QSGS). Finally, the mechanisms of remaining gas distribution and formation are analyzed, and the variation mechanism of microscopic gas displacement efficiency is discussed. The results are obtained in three aspects. First, the remaining gas is distributed at the blind end, in the pore-throat and as clusters, with their proportions and scales jointly controlled by microscopic pore structures, wettability and capillary number. The remaining gas can be further produced by changing the production pressure differential to disturb the original pressure system and gas expansion, so as to improve the microscopic gas displacement efficiency. Second, the microscopic gas displacement efficiency is closely related to the gas flow process. Formation or expansion of each water flow path may cause rapid increase of water cut and slows down the increase of gas displacement efficiency. Third, the microscopic pore structure and wettability are the inherent features of the gas reservoir, so the capillary number can be optimized to change the mode of GWC advancement, and then to effectively improve the microscopic gas displacement efficiency. It is concluded that for real gas wells, the evolution of mechanical mechanisms of GWC advancement should be revealed depending upon the microscopic pore structure and wettability of the reservoir, and then the optimal capillary number can be determined. Furthermore, clarifying the pore-scale water-gas flow characteristics and physical mechanism of microscopic gas displacement provides guidance for the planning of enhanced gas recovery.