Scale Deposition During Water Flooding and the Effect on Reservoir Performance

Scale deposition during waterflooding, driven by the incompatibility between injected seawater and formation of water, poses significant challenges to reservoir performance. This study examines the mechanisms of inorganic scale formation and assesses its impact on productivity index, permeability, and pressure dynamics using the ECLIPSE simulator. A five-layered reservoir model with one injector and one producer (spaced 700 feet apart) was simulated under varying seawater injection rates of 1000, 3000, and 5000 stock tank barrels per day (stb/day). The results revealed rapid water breakthrough and escalating water cuts (34–38%) across scenarios, with scale deposition concentrated in layers 3 and 4, reducing permeability by up to 47% and productivity index by 50%. Layer 3 exhibited a threefold higher scaling due to the intense mixing of seawater and the formation of water. The study highlights the necessity of sulfate removal, alternative water sources, well repositioning, and preemptive scale inhibition to minimize reservoir damage caused by scale-induced permeability impairment.