Experimental investigation of the effect of temperature on two-phase oil-water relative permeability

Relative permeability is affected by several flow parameters, mainly the operating temperature and fluid viscosity. Fluid viscosities change with temperature, which correspondingly affects the relative permeability. Temperature is believed to have a considerable effect on oil-water relative permeability, thus a vital input parameter in petroleum reservoir production modelling. The actual effect of temperature on oil-water relative permeability curves has been a subject of debate within the scientific community. The literature shows contradictory experimental and numerical results concerning the effect of temperature on oil-water relative permeability. This work investigates the effect of temperature on oil-water relative permeability using wellsorted unconsolidated silica sandpacks, by adopting the unsteady-state relative permeability method, and by applying numerical history matching technique. The series of experiments were conducted at different temperatures of 40, 60, and 80 degrees C under three levels of injection flow rate (0.0083, 0.0125, 0.0167 cm(3)/s) for two different oil samples. The findings show that oil-water relative permeability is a function of temperature, water injection flow rate and oil viscosity. Generally, the profile of oil and water relative permeability curve changes with varying temperature, oil viscosity and water injection flow rate at the same operating condition.