Degree

Master of Science in Engineering (MSE)

Department

Petroleum Engineering

Document Type

Thesis

Abstract

CO₂ Water Alternating Gas flooding has become an important enhanced oil recovery process in increasing oil production in medium to heavy oil reservoirs. However, CO₂ injections have the potential to cause asphaltene destabilization, leading to precipitation, deposition, and pore plugging. This study evaluated and optimized the effect of CO₂ flooding parameters to maximize oil recovery and minimized formation damage. Eclipse 300 compositional reservoir simulator was used to assess the effect of CO₂ Water Alternating Gas (WAG) Injection Rate, WAG Ratio, and CO₂ Water Alternating Gas (WAG) Injection Pressure on the reservoir. Predictive models for Cumulative Oil Production (FOPT) and Asphaltene Indicators were generated with a Response Surface Methodology (RSM) using a Central Composite Design (CCD) after parametric sensitivity analysis. Multi-Objective Optimization was carried out to identify the optimal operating window. The results of the study revealed that CO₂ Injection Rate is the most important factor affecting oil recovery, with higher injection rates yielding significantly higher cumulative oil production. CO₂ dominant ratios were observed to improve oil recovery and reduce asphaltene deposition, with water dominant ratios enhancing sweep efficiency but increasing deposition tendencies. Injection Pressure exhibited a comparatively minor effect within the studied range, with slightly nonlinear effects on formation damage. The optimal operating window was identified at a CO₂ injection rate of approximate range of 0.35 to 0.40 pv/year, a CO₂-dominant WAG ratio range of 1:1 to 1:4, and an injection pressure of approximately 2,814 psi. These conditions provide the best compromise between maximizing oil recovery and minimizing formation damage. The study demonstrated the effect of CO₂ injection rate, WAG ratio and CO₂ injection pressure on oil production and formation damage. Additionally, it revealed the significance of integrating multi-objective optimization in CO₂ EOR design and provided a framework for improving reservoir performance in asphaltene systems.

Date

2-6-2026

DOI

https://proquest.com/docview/3347958328

First Committee Chair

Fathi Boukadi

First Committee Member

Nelson Chavez

Second Committee Member

William Chirdon

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