Research on the Development Mechanism of Air Thermal Miscible Flooding in the High Water Cut Stage of Medium to High Permeability Light Oil Reservoirs

Currently, the development of oil reservoirs with high water cut faces numerous challenges, including poor economic efficiency, difficulties in residual oil recovery, and a lack of effective development technologies. In light of these issues, this paper conducts research on gas drive development during the high water cut stage in middle–high permeability reservoirs and introduces an innovative technical approach for air thermal miscible flooding. In this study, the Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) mechanism and the dynamic characteristics of thermal miscible flooding were investigated through laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. The N 2 and CO 2 flooding experiments indicate that gas channeling is likely to occur when miscible flooding cannot be achieved, due to the smaller gas–water mobility ratio compared to the gas–oil mobility ratio during the high water cut stage. Consequently, the enhanced recovery efficiency of N 2 and CO 2 flooding is limited. The experiment on air thermal miscible flooding demonstrates that under conditions of high water content, this method can form a stable high-temperature thermal oxidation front. The high temperature, generated by the thermal oxidation front, promotes the miscibility of flue gas and crude oil, effectively inhibiting gas flow, preventing gas channeling, and significantly enhancing oil recovery. Numerical simulations indicate that the production stage of air hot miscible flooding in reservoirs with middle–high permeability and high water cut can be divided into three phases: pressurization and drainage response, high efficiency and stable production with a low air–oil ratio, and low efficiency production with a high air–oil ratio. These phases can enable efficient development during the high water cut stage in medium to high permeability reservoirs, with the theoretical EOR range expected to exceed 30%.