Patent ID: 7426460

Claim:
A method for optimizing the recovery of a hydrocarbon fluid in place in a stratified hydrocarbon reservoir, comprising constructing a reservoir model of the stratified hydrocarbon reservoir, characterized in that it comprises the following stages: a) selecting at least one layer of the stratified hydrocarbon reservoir where an interface between the fluid in place and a flushing fluid moves in a stationary manner, the interface separating an upstream zone and a downstream zone by: constructing an a priori interface form, assuming that the hydrocarbon fluid displacements at any point thereof are stationary, evaluating a pressure p 1 (z) at the interface for the urstream zone, evaluating a pressure p 2 (z), at the interface for the downstream zone, calculating a pressure jump at any point of the interface from the pressures p 1 (z) and p 2 (z), iteratively changing the form of the interface to minimize the pressure jump, until the jump is below a defined critical value in at least one part of the interface, the part defining the at least one layer; b) modifying the said reservoir model by assigning mean hydrodynamic properties uniformly to the at least one layer; c) determining a viscosity of the flushing fluid which allows to optimize the recovery, by selecting the viscosity which optimize the stationary displacements in said hydrocarbon reservoir, by using the said model; and d) injecting a flushing fluid having said viscosity into the stratified hydrocarbon reservoir to drive the hydrocarbon fluid to be recovered.