Optimizing Oil Recovery: A Sector Model Study of CO₂-Water-Alternating-Gas and Continuous Injection Technologies

Optimizing oil recovery from mature reservoirs remains a key challenge in the petroleum industry. This study evaluates the efficiency of CO₂-WAG injection compared to continuous CO₂ and water flooding using a sector model of the X Oil Field. A compositional reservoir simulator was employed to analyze oil recovery under water-wet and mixed-wet conditions, incorporating three-phase relative permeability and wettability effects. The results show that continuous CO₂ flooding yields the highest oil recovery, with water-wet systems outperforming mixed-wet reservoirs. CO₂-WAG injection provides a balanced approach, enhancing recovery while enabling CO₂ sequestration, but remains less effective than continuous CO₂ flooding. Water flooding, though the least efficient in terms of oil recovery, demonstrates long-term production stability. The gas–oil ratio (GOR) is notably higher in CO₂-WAG, indicating gas breakthrough challenges. These findings emphasize the significant role of wettability in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and suggest that continuous CO₂ flooding is the most effective technique for maximizing production in heterogeneous reservoirs. This study contributes valuable insights for optimizing injection strategies, improving hydrocarbon recovery, and supporting sustainable reservoir management.