The single well chemical tracer (SWCT) test can be used to evaluate an Improved oil recovery (IOR) process quickly and inexpensively. The one-spot procedure takes advantage of the nondestructive nature of the SWCT method. The single-well (one-spot) pilot is carried out in three steps. First, Sor for the target interval is measured (see Residual oil evaluation using single well chemical tracer test. Then an appropriate volume of the IOR fluid is injected into the test interval and pushed away from the well with water.

Using the single well chemical tracer (SWCT) test avoids the problems of too-wide well spacing and excessive tracer dispersion caused by layering that can occur with well to well tests. In the SWCT test, the tracer-bearing fluid is injected into the formation through the test well and then produced back to the surface through the same well. The time required to produce the tracers back can be controlled by controlling the injected volume on the basis of available production flow rate from the test well. In a single-well test, tracers injected into a higher-permeability layer will be pushed farther away from the well than those in a lower-permeability layer, as indicated in Figure 1a; however, the tracers in the higher-permeability layer will have a longer distance to travel when flow is reversed. As the tracer profiles in Figure 1b show, the tracers from different layers will return to the test well at the same time, assuming that the flow is reversible in the various layers.

Interwell tracer tests are widely used. This article reviews some of the studies reported in open literature. The selection introduces different problems that have been addressed, but the original papers should be studied to obtain a more detailed description of the programs. The Snorre field is a giant oil reservoir (sandstone) in the Norwegian sector of the North Sea. Injection water and gas were monitored with tracers, 18 and the resulting tracer measurements are discussed in this page.

Tracers are used in well to well tests to gather data about the movement and saturation of fluids and hydrocarbons in the subsurface. Chemical tracers can be used to gather data about water or gas. This article discusses some of the commonly used chemical water tracers for well to well tests. Chemical tracers can also be used in a single well configuration to estimate residual oil saturation or connate water saturation. Application of several nonradioactive chemical tracers has been reported in the literature.

Tracers are used in well to well tests to gather data about the movement and saturation of fluids and hydrocarbons in the subsurface. Chemical tracers can be used to gather data about water or gas. This article discusses some of the commonly used chemical gas tracers for well to well tests. Chemical tracers can also be used in a single well configuration to estimate residual gas saturation. As early as 1946, Frost[1] reported the use of helium as a tracer under gas injection.

Well-to-well tracer tests contribute significantly to the reservoir description, which is essential in determining the best choice of production strategy. Direct dynamic information from a reservoir may be obtained, in principle, from three sources: production history, pressure testing, and tracer testing. The value and importance of tracer tests are broadly recognized. Tracer testing has become a mature technology, and improved knowledge about tracer behavior in the reservoir, improved tracer analysis, and reduction of pitfalls have made tracer tests reliable. Many tracer compounds exist; however, the number of suitable compounds for well-to-well tracers is reduced considerably because of the harsh environment that exists in many reservoirs and the long testing period. Radioactive tracers with a half-life of less than one year are mentioned only briefly in this chapter because of their limited applicability in long-term tests. Tracers may be roughly classified as passive or active. In principle, a passive tracer blindly follows the fluid phase in which it is injected. Interpretation of tracer-production curves must account for this. The results from the application of active tracers may give information about fluid saturation and rock surface properties. This information is especially important when enhanced-oil-recovery techniques that use expensive fluids such as surfactants, micellar fluids, or polymers are considered. In the last 50 years, many tracer studies have been reported and even more have been carried out without being published in the open literature. Wagner[1] pointed out six areas in which tracers could be used as a tool to improve the reservoir description. Many companies apply tracer on a routine basis. The reservoir engineer's problem generally is a lack of adequate information about fluid flow in the reservoir. The information obtained from tracer tests is unique, and tracer tests are a relatively cheap method to obtain this information. The information is an addendum to the general field production history and is used to reduce uncertainties in the reservoir model. Tracer tests provide tracer-response curves that may be evaluated further to obtain relevant additional information. Primarily, the information gained from tracer testing is obtained simply by observing breakthrough and interwell communication.

The single-well chemical tracer (SWCT) test is an in-situ method for measuring fluid saturations in reservoirs. Most often, residual oil saturation is measured; less frequently, connate water saturation (Swc) is the objective. Either saturation is measured where one phase effectively is stationary in the pore space (i.e., is at residual saturation) and the other phase can flow to the wellbore. Recently, the SWCT method has been extended to measure oil/water fractional flow at measured fluid saturations in situations in which both oil and water phases are mobile. The SWCT test is used primarily to quantify the target oil saturation before initiating improved oil recovery (IOR) operations, to measure the effectiveness of IOR agents in a single well pilot and to assess a field for bypassed oil targets.

A successful well to well tracer test is more than selecting the right tracer. It involves determining the appropriate timing, designing the field test, and collecting and analyzing the samples. A well designed sampling program will produce high quality tracer-response curves for further interpretation. The timing for tracer injection depends on the information that is requested. Normally, it is desirable to inject the tracer early in the injection process to obtain information as soon as possible and be able to take the necessary actions to optimize the production strategy.

Selecting the appropriate tracer, and understanding the information gathered during a well to well tracer test requires consideration of how various tracers interact with, and therefore flow, through reservoir rock. When tracers are flowing in the reservoirs, it is normally a requirement that the compounds follow the phase they are going to trace. The best example of a passive water tracer is tritiated water (HTO). The HTO will, in all practical aspects, follow the water phase. For gas tracers, there are no known passive tracers.

Tracers are used in well to well tests to gather data about the movement and saturation of fluids and hydrocarbons in the subsurface. Radioactive tracers can be used to gather data about water or gas. This article discusses some of the commonly used radioactive gas tracers. Several authors report the use of radioactive gas tracers in oilfield applications. The tracers most frequently applied have been tritiated methane, tritiated ethane, and 85Kr.