In order to explore the effect of wettability and pore throat heterogeneity on oil recovery efficiency in porous media, physical simulation experiment and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements were conducted to investigate how crude oil residing in different sized pores are recovered by water flooding. Experimental results indicate that the recovery factor of water flooding is governed by spontaneous imbibition and also pore throat heterogeneity. It is found that intermediate wetting cores lead to the highest final recovery factor in comparison with water wet cores and weak oil wet cores, and the recovery oil difference in clay micro pore is mainly because of the wettability, the difference in medium pore and large pore is affected by pore throat heterogeneity. Water wet core has a lower recovery factor in medium and large pore due to its poor heterogeneity, in spite of the spontaneous imbibition effect is very satisfying. Intermediate wetting cores has significant result in different sized pore and throat, the difference in medium pore and large pore is affected by pore throat heterogeneity.

We use physical simulation experiment and nuclear magnetic resonance methods to investigate crude oil distribution after immiscible CO₂ flooding schemes in tight sandstone cores. Experimental results indicate that water-wet cores lead to the highest final recovery factor in comparison with intermediate wet cores and weak oil-wet cores, and the recovery oil difference in clay micropore is mainly because of the heterogeneity, and the difference in medium pore and large pore is affected by asphaltene precipitation phenomenon. Therefore, it is important to enhance the recovery in the clay micropores and reduce the impact of cores permeability reduction caused by asphaltene precipitation. Based on this investigation on the residual oil saturation in pore throats, immiscible CO₂ flooding can be a potential method to improve recovery efficiency in tight oil reservoir.