Skip to content
Quest Training

Waterflood Design, Surveillance & Management Training Course

Covers waterflood design from displacement theory and pattern selection to injection water quality, VRR and Hall plot surveillance, and pattern balancing.

UPS · Upstream Operations, Exploration, Drilling, Reservoir & ProductionAll Levels#2972ClassroomEnglish , Arabic
Duration
5 Days
Download BrochureView Upcoming Dates

Free substitution at any time · 30+ days' notice: full refund minus 10%. Cancellation policy

Sectors:Oil & GasCategories:Upstream Operations, Exploration, Drilling, Reservoir & Production

Course Overview

This specialized training course provides an in-depth, practical treatment of waterflooding, the most widely applied secondary recovery method in oil fields, from the initial design of a flood through day-to-day surveillance and long-term management. It is built for teams that plan or operate waterfloods and need more than the overview given in general reservoir engineering and EOR programs, and it focuses on the decisions that determine how much additional oil a flood actually delivers. Participants will examine the displacement physics behind waterflooding, including relative permeability, wettability, mobility ratio, fractional flow, and frontal advance theory, and connect them to areal and vertical sweep efficiency in heterogeneous reservoirs. The course then addresses flood design: candidate screening, injection timing and target pressure, pattern selection and well spacing, injectivity and fracture pressure limits, and recovery forecasting. A major focus is placed on the injection system and injection water quality, covering source water selection, produced water reinjection, water compatibility and scale, oxygen and solids control, bacteria and reservoir souring, and the mechanisms that cause injectivity decline and loss of injection conformance. The course emphasizes surveillance and active flood management. Participants will apply voidage replacement ratio (VRR) tracking, Hall plots, pressure falloff and step-rate tests, water-oil ratio diagnostics, injection profiles, and interwell tracers to identify channeling, out-of-zone injection, and unbalanced patterns. Through case studies and integrated exercises, they will develop pattern balancing, rate reallocation, conformance control, and infill strategies that improve sweep, control water handling costs, and maximize waterflood recovery.

Learning Objectives

  • By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
  • Explain the displacement mechanisms and reservoir conditions that control waterflood performance.
  • Apply relative permeability, wettability, and mobility ratio concepts to waterflood evaluation.
  • Apply fractional flow and frontal advance theory to estimate displacement efficiency and breakthrough.
  • Evaluate areal and vertical sweep efficiency in layered and heterogeneous reservoirs.
  • Screen reservoirs for waterflooding and select appropriate injection timing and pressure targets.
  • Design injection patterns, well spacing, and injection rates for a waterflood development.
  • Specify injection water quality requirements for source water and produced water reinjection.
  • Assess water compatibility, scaling, corrosion, and reservoir souring risks in injection systems.
  • Monitor waterflood performance using voidage replacement ratio, Hall plots, and injection well tests.
  • Diagnose channeling, early water breakthrough, and out-of-zone injection from surveillance data.
  • Develop pattern balancing and injection reallocation plans to improve sweep efficiency.
  • Build an integrated waterflood management plan with performance indicators and optimization actions.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for reservoir engineers, petroleum engineers, production engineers, water injection and surveillance engineers, production chemists, and technical specialists involved in planning, operating, monitoring, and optimizing waterflood projects in oil fields. It is particularly relevant for professionals in national and international oil companies, field operators, and service organizations who are responsible for injection well performance, injection water treatment, pattern surveillance, voidage management, produced water handling, and secondary recovery development planning. The course is also suitable for asset and reservoir managers, field development specialists, operations supervisors, and technical decision-makers in mature fields who need a practical basis for approving injection strategies, prioritizing surveillance and remedial actions, and improving the recovery and economics of existing waterfloods.

Learning Outcomes

  • Upon completion of this course, participants will be able to:
  • Explain how displacement and sweep efficiencies combine to determine waterflood recovery.
  • Interpret relative permeability and wettability data for waterflood evaluation.
  • Calculate fractional flow, breakthrough saturation, and displacement efficiency.
  • Evaluate the impact of mobility ratio and reservoir heterogeneity on sweep.
  • Assess reservoir suitability and timing for waterflood implementation.
  • Select injection patterns and well spacing for specific reservoir conditions.
  • Estimate injectivity and set safe injection pressure limits.
  • Specify water quality targets for injection and produced water reinjection.
  • Identify scaling, corrosion, souring, and plugging risks in injection systems.
  • Track voidage replacement at field, sector, and pattern level.
  • Interpret Hall plots, pressure falloff tests, and step-rate tests.
  • Diagnose channeling, early breakthrough, and unbalanced patterns from field data.
  • Develop pattern balancing, conformance, and infill strategies to improve sweep.
  • Prepare a waterflood management plan with clear performance indicators.

Course Outline

Course Outline

Day 1

Waterflood Fundamentals and Displacement Theory

  • Role of waterflooding in secondary recovery and reservoir pressure maintenance.
  • Relative permeability, wettability, and residual oil saturation.
  • Mobility ratio and its effect on displacement stability and viscous fingering.
  • Fractional flow and Buckley-Leverett frontal advance theory.
  • Welge analysis, breakthrough saturation, and displacement efficiency.
  • Overall recovery as the product of displacement, areal, and vertical sweep efficiencies.
  • Practical Application: Construct a fractional flow curve and estimate breakthrough time and recovery for a representative reservoir.
Day 2

Waterflood Design and Pattern Selection

  • Screening reservoirs and fluids for waterflood suitability.
  • Injection timing, target pressure, and the effect of free gas saturation.
  • Peripheral, line drive, five-spot, and inverted nine-spot injection patterns.
  • Well spacing, areal sweep, and pattern conversion options.
  • Vertical heterogeneity, layering, crossflow, and the Dykstra-Parsons coefficient.
  • Injectivity estimation and fracture pressure limits for injection wells.
  • Analytical and simulation-based waterflood performance forecasting.
  • Practical Application: Design a preliminary waterflood pattern and injection plan for a representative reservoir.
Day 3

Injection Water Quality and Injection Systems

  • Source water options: seawater, aquifer water, and produced water reinjection.
  • Water compatibility testing and scale risk, including sulfate scales.
  • Dissolved oxygen, corrosion, and deaeration requirements.
  • Suspended solids, oil-in-water content, and filtration targets.
  • Bacteria control and prevention of reservoir souring.
  • Injectivity decline mechanisms and matrix versus fractured injection.
  • Injection system layout, pumps, metering, and injector well integrity.
  • Practical Application: Define an injection water quality specification and treatment scheme for a mixed seawater and produced water case.
Day 4

Waterflood Surveillance and Performance Diagnostics

  • Surveillance program design, data requirements, and data quality.
  • Voidage replacement ratio tracking at field, sector, and pattern level.
  • Hall plots and interpretation of injection well performance.
  • Pressure falloff and step-rate tests for injection wells.
  • Water-oil ratio and water cut diagnostic plots.
  • Injection and production logging profiles and interwell tracers.
  • Pattern allocation and identification of channeling and out-of-zone injection.
  • Practical Application: Interpret injection, pressure, and production data to diagnose underperforming patterns and injection wells.
Day 5

Waterflood Management and Optimization

  • Pattern balancing and injection rate reallocation.
  • Mechanical and chemical conformance control options for injectors and producers.
  • Infill drilling, pattern realignment, and flood front management.
  • Water handling capacity and produced water constraints.
  • Waterflood performance indicators and economic evaluation.
  • Waterflood management plans, periodic reviews, and decision-making.
  • Final Workshop: Develop an integrated waterflood management plan covering design review, injection water quality, surveillance, pattern balancing, conformance control, water handling, and recovery improvement.

Upcoming Dates

Selected date

Cape Town · 20 – 24 Sept 2027 · Classroom

Need more details?Chat with us on WhatsApp

CityDatesPrice per ParticipantEarly Bird
AmsterdamScheduled
2 – 6 Nov 2026€6,000—
SelectDownload Brochure
BakuScheduled
9 – 13 Nov 2026€5,300—
SelectDownload Brochure
BangkokScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€6,700—
SelectDownload Brochure
BarcelonaScheduled
16 – 20 Nov 2026€6,000—
SelectDownload Brochure
BeirutScheduled
22 – 26 Nov 2026€4,500—
SelectDownload Brochure
CairoScheduled
29 Nov – 3 Dec 2026€3,800€3,420until 9 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
Cape TownScheduled
30 Nov – 4 Dec 2026€7,700€6,930until 9 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
CasablancaScheduled
7 – 11 Dec 2026€4,700€4,230until 16 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
DammamScheduled
13 – 17 Dec 2026€4,800€4,320until 23 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
DohaScheduled
20 – 24 Dec 2026€4,700€4,230until 30 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
DubaiScheduled
20 – 24 Dec 2026€4,700€4,230until 30 Nov
SelectDownload Brochure
ErbilScheduled
27 – 31 Dec 2026€4,000€3,600until 7 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
FrankfurtScheduled
4 – 8 Jan 2027€6,200€5,580until 14 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
IstanbulScheduled
4 – 8 Jan 2027€5,300€4,770until 14 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
JeddahScheduled
10 – 14 Jan 2027€4,800€4,320until 21 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
KigaliScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€7,700€6,930until 28 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
Kuala LumpurScheduled
18 – 22 Jan 2027€4,700€4,230until 28 Dec
SelectDownload Brochure
LisbonScheduled
25 – 29 Jan 2027€6,000€5,400until 4 Jan
SelectDownload Brochure
LondonScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€5,800€5,220until 11 Jan
SelectDownload Brochure
MadinahScheduled
1 – 5 Feb 2027€4,800€4,320until 11 Jan
SelectDownload Brochure
MadridScheduled
8 – 12 Feb 2027€6,000€5,400until 18 Jan
SelectDownload Brochure
MakkahScheduled
15 – 19 Feb 2027€4,800€4,320until 25 Jan
SelectDownload Brochure
ManamaScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€5,300€4,770until 1 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
MarbellaScheduled
22 – 26 Feb 2027€6,000€5,400until 1 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
MuscatScheduled
1 – 5 Mar 2027€6,300€5,670until 8 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
OnlineScheduled
7 – 11 Mar 2027€2,700€2,430until 15 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
ParisScheduled
8 – 12 Mar 2027€6,700€6,030until 15 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
AbujaScheduled
15 – 19 Mar 2027€7,700€6,930until 22 Feb
SelectDownload Brochure
AccraScheduled
22 – 26 Mar 2027€7,700€6,930until 1 Mar
SelectDownload Brochure
AmmanScheduled
28 Mar – 1 Apr 2027€4,000€3,600until 8 Mar
SelectDownload Brochure
Cape TownScheduled
20 – 24 Sept 2027€7,700€6,930until 30 Aug
✓ SelectedDownload Brochure

Available in: Istanbul · Dubai · London · Doha · Amsterdam

Related Courses

Ready to Elevate Your Team's Capabilities?

Speak with our advisors about upcoming programmes or a bespoke corporate training plan.

Download BrochureContact Our Team