Title: Optimal control of polymer flooding for enhanced oil recovery

Authors: Shurong Li; Yang Lei; Xiaodong Zhang

Addresses: College of Information and Control Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China ' College of Information and Control Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China ' College of Information and Control Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China

Abstract: Polymer flooding is one of the most important technologies for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). This paper presents a development of the research on optimal control of polymer flooding. Firstly, an optimal control model of distributes parameter system (DPS) for polymer flooding is introduced which maximises the profit by adjusting the injection concentration. Necessary conditions for optimality are obtained through application of Pontryagin's maximum principle. Then the numerical solution techniques for this OCP are summarised which include direct sequential methods and dynamic programming. Finally, conclusion remarks and further research prospects are discussed.

Keywords: optimal control; seepage equations; polymer flooding; enhanced oil recovery; EOR.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMIC.2013.052325

International Journal of Modelling, Identification and Control, 2013 Vol.18 No.2, pp.89 - 99

Published online: 31 Jul 2014 *

Full-text access for editors Full-text access for subscribers Purchase this article Comment on this article