Gas Tracers: A Decade of Learning and Experience

In interwell tracer studies, reservoir complexities often make tracer-breakthrough time difficult to assess. Although reservoir-simulation studies serve as an effective tool in predicting a breakthrough, the tracer behavior in the real porous media sometimes presents intriguing surprises. This paper discusses a crestal gas-injection project that was carried out in a supergiant heterogeneous-carbonate oil field.

Introduction

A tracer-survey study can provide a variety of information about the heterogeneity of a formation. While transient tests can provide information about reservoir continuity, thief zones are difficult, if not impossible, to detect.