Predictive Model for Oil Reservoirs in the Niger Delta Under Xanthan Polymer Flooding

This study developed a mathematical model to evaluate the effectiveness of Xanthan polymer flooding in enhancing oil recovery from Niger Delta reservoirs with low oil viscosity and homogeneous temperature based on the polymer solution viscosity which is a direct function of polymer concentration. Experimental results showed that increasing polymer concentration from 200mg/L to 1000mg/L increases the polymer solution viscosity and thereby improves oil recovery. The developed model predicted optimal oil recovery of 127.5 MMm3 at a polymer concentration of 600mg/L, with a percentage error of 2.91% when validated by the Buckley-Leverett model. The results demonstrate the importance of optimizing Xanthan polymer concentration for efficient oil recovery through a simple predictive model.