The Role of Capillarity in Two-Phase Flow through Porous Media

When determining experimentally relative permeability and capillary pressure as a function of saturation, a self-consistent system of macroscopic equations, that includes Leverett's equation for capillary pressure, is required. In this technical note, such a system of equations, together with the conditions under which the equations apply, is formulated. With the aid of this system of equations, it is shown that, at the inlet boundary of a vertically oriented porous medium, static conditions pertain, and that potentials, because of the definition of potential, are equal in magnitude to pressures. Consequently, Leverett's equation is valid at the inlet boundary of the porous medium, provided cocurrent flow, or gravity-driven, countercurrent flow is taking place, and provided the porous medium is homogeneous. Moreover, it is demonstrated that Leverett's equation is valid for flow along the length of a vertically oriented porous medium, provided cocurrent flow, or gravity-driven, countercurrent flow is taking place, and provided the porous medium is homogeneous and there are no hydrodynamic effects. However, Leverett's equation is invalid for horizontal, steady-state, forced, countercurrent flow. When such flow is taking place, it is the sum of the pressures, and not the difference in pressures, which is related to capillary pressure.     

The Physical Origin of Interfacial Coupling in Two-Phase Flow through Porous Media

Recently developed transport equations for two-phase flow through porous media usually have a second term that has been included to account properly for interfacial coupling between the two flowing phases. The source and magnitude of such coupling is not well understood. In this study, a partition concept has been introduced into Kalaydjian's transport equations to construct modified transport equations that enable a better understanding of the role of interfacial coupling in two-phase flow through natural porous media. Using these equations, it is demonstrated that, in natural porous media, the physical origin of interfacial coupling is the capillarity of the porous medium, and not interfacial momentum transfer, as is usually assumed. The new equations are also used to show that, under conditions of steady-state flow, the magnitude of mobilities measured in a countercurrent flow experiment is the same as that measured in a cocurrent flow experiment, contrary to what has been reported previously. Moreover, the new equations are used to explicate the mechanism by which a saturation front steepens in an unstabilized displacement, and to show that the rate at which a wetting fluid is imbibed into a porous medium is controlled by the capillary coupling parameter, . Finally, it is argued that the capillary coupling parameter, , is dependent, at least in part, on porosity. Because a clear understanding of the role played by interfacial coupling is important to an improved understanding of two-phase flow through porous media, the new transport equations should prove to be effective tools for the study of such flow.     

On the use of conventional cocurrent and countercurrent effective permeabilities to estimate the four generalized permeability coefficients which arise in coupled,two-phase flow

In the case of coupled, two-phase flow of fluids in porous media, the governing equations show that there are four independent generalized permeability coefficients which have to be measured separately. In order to specify these four coefficients at a specific saturation, it is necessary to conduct two types of flow experiments. The two types of flow experiments used in this study are cocurrent and countercurrent, steady-state permeability experiments. It is shown that, by taking this approach, it is possible to define the four generalized permeability coefficients in terms of the conventional cocurrent and countercurrent effective permeabilities for each phase. It is demonstrated that a given generalized phase permeability falls about midway between the conventional, cocurrent effective permeability for that phase, and that for the countercurrent flow of the same phase. Moreover, it is suggested that the conventional effective permeability for a given phase can be interpreted as arising out of the effects of two types of viscous drag: that due to the flow of a given phase over the solid surfaces in the porous medium and that due to momentum transfer across the phase 1-phase 2 interfaces in the porous medium. The magnitude of the viscous coupling is significant, contributing at least 15% to the total conventional cocurrent effective permeability for both phases. Finally, it is shown that the nontraditional generalized permeabilities which arise out of viscous coupling effects cannot equal one another, even when the viscosity ratio is unity and the surface tension is zero.     

Steady-state countercurrent flow in one dimension

Two phase countercurrent steady-state flow through permeable media in one dimension is discussed. For steady-state countercurrent flow in water wet porous media, a saturation profile is predicted with the water saturation decreasing in the direction that the water phase is flowing. The de la Cruz and Spanos equations predict that the Muskat relative permeability curves for countercurrent flow will be less than the Muskat relative permeability curves for steady-state cocurrent flow. This result has immediate implications regarding the use of external drive techniques to determine relative permeabilities based on the Buckley-Leverett theory and Muskat's equations. These equations and current experimental evidence involving countercurrent flow indicate that Muskat's equations do not adequately describe the multiphase flow of immiscible fluids.     

Numerical Investigations of the Steady State Relative Permeability of a Simplified Porous Medium

The purpose of this paper is to investigate, by flow simulations in a uniform pore-space geometry, how the co and countercurrent steady state relative permeabilities depend on the following parameters: phase saturation, wettability, driving force and viscosity ratio. The main results are as follows: (i) with few exceptions, relative permeabilities are convex functions of saturation; (ii) the cocurrent relative permeabilities increase while the countercurrent ones decrease with the driving force; (iii) with one exception, phase 2 relative permeabilities decrease and phase 1 relative permeabilities increase with the viscosity ratio M=₁/₂; (iv) the countercurrent relative permeabilities are always less than the cocurrent ones, the difference being partly due to the opposing effect of the viscous coupling, and partly to different levels of capillary forces; (v) the pore-level saturation distribution, and hence the size of the viscous coupling, can be very different between the cocurrent and the countercurrent cases so that it is in general incorrect to estimate the full mobility tensor from cocurrent and countercurrent steady state experiments, as suggested by Bentsen and Manai (1993).(Now at AS Norske Shell, Norway.) e-mail:     

Positive Effect of Flow Velocity on Gas–Condensate Relative Permeability: Network Modelling and Comparison with Experimental Results

Positive velocity dependency of relative permeability of gas–condensate systems, which has been observed in many different core experiments, is now well acknowledged. The above behaviour, which is due to two-phase flow coupling in condensing systems at low interfacial tension (IFT) conditions, was simulated using a 3D pore network model. The steady-dynamic bond network model developed for this purpose was also equipped with a novel anchoring technique, which was based on the equivalent hydraulic length concept adopted from fluid flow through pipes. The available rock data on the co-ordination number, capillary pressure, absolute permeability, porosity and one set of measured relative permeability curves were utilised to anchor the capillary, volumetric and flow characteristics of the constructed network model to those properties of the real core sample. Then the model was used to predict the effective permeability values at other IFT and velocity levels. There is a reasonable quantitative agreement between the predicted and measured relative permeability values affected by the coupling rate effect.     

Models for Ground Water Flow: A Numerical Comparison Between Richards' Model and the Fractional Flow Model

In this paper we compare two models for flow in porous media. The first is the well known Richards' equation, which is based on the assumption that the air in the unsaturated zone has infinite mobility. This means that it models a single phase. In the second and more general full two-phase approach, the air is considered as a separate phase. Here, we use the fractional flow equation.We study the difference between the two models numerically by varying the relative contribution of the different physical terms (the gravity and the total velocity) in the fractional flow equation. Richards' equation is considered as the limit of the fractional flow approach when the mobility of the air-phase tends to infinity. In particular, we are interested in determining the parameter intervals where the two models differ significantly, and we will quantify the asymptotic behavior.The equations are studied in the two-dimensional (2D) case. The study is based on a relative permeability depending quadratically on the saturation, and a capillary pressure expressed by a cubic function of the saturation.     

Macroscopic Two-phase Flow in Porous Media Assuming the Diffuse-interface Model at Pore Level

The paper presents a model for two-phase flow, where liquid and gas are treated as one fluid with variable density. A one-component fluid and the diffuse-interface model for two-phase flow are assumed at pore level. The wetting properties of the fluid are described by the Cahn theory. Macroscopic equations are deduced in the framework of the Marle formalism. It is shown that two-phase flow in porous media can be described by the Cahn–Hilliard equation for the mass density. The concept of relative permeability is not needed. For non-neutral wetting, it is shown that a capillary pressure exists but that it is not a function of state. Two numerical illustrations are presented, one of them showing that the model is, at least in a simple steady-state situation, compatible with the generalized two-continuum model.     

考虑热流固耦合作用的多孔介质孔隙尺度两相流动模拟

为了研究深层油气资源在岩石多孔介质内的运移过程, 使用一种基于Darcy-Brinkman-Biot的流固耦合数值方法, 结合传热模型, 完成了Duhamel-Neumann热弹性应力的计算, 实现了在孔隙模拟多孔介质内的考虑热流固耦合作用的两相流动过程. 模型通过求解Navier-Stokes方程完成对孔隙空间内多相流体的计算, 通过求解Darcy方程完成流体在岩石固体颗粒内的计算, 二者通过以动能方式耦合的形式, 计算出岩石固体颗粒质点的位移, 从而实现了流固耦合计算. 在此基础上, 加入传热模型考虑温度场对两相渗流过程的影响. 温度场通过以产生热弹性应力的形式作用于岩石固体颗粒, 总体上实现热流固耦合过程. 基于数值模型, 模拟油水两相流体在二维多孔介质模型内受热流固耦合作用的流动过程. 研究结果表明: 热应力与流固耦合作用产生的应力方向相反, 使得总应力比单独考虑流固耦合作用下的应力小; 温度的增加使得模型孔隙度增加, 但当注入温差达到150 K后, 孔隙度不再有明显增加; 温度的增加使得水相的相对渗流能力增加, 等渗点左移.      

Generalized relative permeability coefficients during steady-state two-phase flow in porous media,and correlation with the flow mechanisms

A parametric experimental investigation of the coupling effects during steady-state two-phase flow in porous media was carried out using a large model pore network of the chamber-and-throat type, etched in glass. The wetting phase saturation,S ₁, the capillary number,Ca, and the viscosity ratio,k, were changed systematically, whereas the wettability (contact angleθ _e ), the coalescence factorCo, and the geometrical and topological parameters were kept constant. The fluid flow rate and the pressure drop were measured independently for each fluid. During each experiment, the pore-scale flow mechanisms were observed and videorecorded, and the mean water saturation was determined with image analysis. Conventional relative permeability, as well as generalized relative permeability coefficients (with the viscous coupling terms taken explicitly into account) were determined with a new method that is based on a B-spline functional representation combined with standard constrained optimization techniques. A simple relationship between the conventional relative permeabilities and the generalized relative permeability coefficients is established based on several experimental sets. The viscous coupling (off-diagonal) coefficients are found to be comparable in magnitude to the direct (diagonal) coefficients over board ranges of the flow parameter values. The off-diagonal coefficients (k _rij /Μ _j ) are found to be unequal, and this is explained by the fact that, in the class of flows under consideration, microscopic reversibility does not hold and thus the Onsager-Casimir reciprocal relation does not apply. Thecoupling indices are introduced here; they are defined so that the magnitude of each coupling index is the measure of the contribution of the coupling effects to the flow rate of the corresponding fluid. A correlation of the coupling indices with the underlying flow mechanisms and the pertinent flow parameters is established.     

Application of X-ray CT investigation of CO<Subscript>2</Subscript>–brine flow in porous media

A clear understanding of two-phase flows in porous media is important for investigating CO₂ geological storage. In this study, we conducted an experiment of CO₂/brine flow process in porous media under sequestration conditions using X-ray CT technique. The flow properties of relative permeability, porosity heterogeneity, and CO₂ saturation were observed in this experiment. The porous media was packed with glass beads having a diameter of 0.2 mm. The porosity distribution along the flow direction is heterogeneous owing to the diameter and shape of glass beads along the flow direction. There is a relationship between CO₂ saturation and porosity distribution, which changes with different flow rates and fractional flows. The heterogeneity of the porous media influences the distribution of CO₂; moreover, gravity, fractional flows, and flow rates influence CO₂ distribution and saturation. The relative permeability curve was constructed using the steady-state method. The results agreed well with the relative permeability curve simulated using pore-network model.     

Relative permeabilities from two- and three-dimensional pore-scale network modelling

We present a computer study of two-phase flow in a porous medium. The porous medium is represented by an isotropic network of up to 80 000 randomly placed nodes connected by thin tubes. We then simulate two-fluid displacements in this network and are able to demonstrate the effects of viscous and capillary forces. We use the local average flow rates and pressures to calculate effective saturation dependent relative pemeabilities, fractional flows and capillary pressures. Using a radial Buckley-Leverett theory, the mean saturation profile can be inferred from the solution of the fractional flow equation, which is consistent with the computed saturation. We show that the relative permeability may be a function of both viscosity ratio and capillary number.     

An Alternative Description of Viscous Coupling in Two-Phase Flow through Porous Media

A new formalism is developed to describe the viscous coupling phenomena between two immiscible, flowing fluids in porous media. The formulation is based on the notation of ‘two-phase mixture’ in which the relative motion between an individual phase and the mixture in porous media can be described by a diffusion equation. The present formulation is derived from Darcy's law with cross-terms without making further approximations. However, the new formulation requires fewer effective parameters to be determined experimentally, thus offering a more viable tool for the study of two-phase flow dynamics with viscous coupling in porous media. Moreover, it is found that no new term appears in the present model in cases with and without viscous coupling; instead, the incorporation of viscous coupling only modifies the effective parameters. It can thus be concluded that viscous coupling does not represent a fundamentally new phenomenon within the framework of the present formulation.     

A filtered mass density function approach for modeling separated two-phase flows for LES I: Mathematical formulation

The overall objective of this study is to develop a full velocity-scalar filtered mass density function (FMDF) formulation for large eddy simulation (LES) of a separated two-phase flow. Required in the development of the two-phase FMDF transport equation are the local instantaneous equations of motion for a two-phase flow previously derived by Kataoka. In Kataoka’s development, phase interaction terms are cast in terms of a Dirac delta distribution on the phase interface. For this reason, it is difficult to close these coupling terms in the instantaneous formulation and this difficulty is propagated into the phase-coupling terms in the FMDF transport equation. To address this point a new derivation of the local instantaneous equations for a separated two-phase flow is given. The equations are shown to be consistent with the formulation given by Kataoka, and in the development, a direct link between the conditionally surface-filtered coupling terms, arising in the FMDF formulation, and LES phase-coupling terms is established. Clarification of conditions under which conditionally filtered interphase conversion terms in the marginal FMDF transport equations may be disregarded in a separated continuum-dispersed phase flow is discussed. Modeling approaches and solutions procedures to solve the two-phase FMDF transport equation via Monte-Carlo methods are outlined.     

Relative Permeability Analysis of Tube Bundle Models

The analytical solution for calculating two-phase immiscible flow through a bundle of parallel capillary tubes of uniform diametral probability distribution is developed and employed to calculate the relative permeabilities of both phases. Also, expressions for calculating two-phase flow through bundles of serial tubes (tubes in which the diameter varies along the direction of flow) are obtained and utilized to study relative permeability characteristics using a lognormal tube diameter distribution. The effect of viscosity ratio on conventional relative permeability was investigated and it was found to have a significant effect for both the parallel and serial tube models. General agreement was observed between trends of relative permeability ratios found in this work and those from experimental results of Singhal et al. (1976) using porous media consisting of mixtures of Teflon powder and glass beads. It was concluded that neglecting the difference between the average pressure of the non-wetting phase and the average pressure of the wetting phase (the macro-scale capillary pressure) – a necessary assumption underlying the popular analysis methods of Johnson et al. (1959) and Jones and Roszelle (1978) – was responsible for the disparity in the relative permeability curves for various viscosity ratios. The methods therefore do not account for non-local viscous effects when applied to tube bundle models. It was contended that average pressure differences between two immiscible phases can arise from either capillary interfaces (micro-scale capillary pressures) or due to disparate pressure gradients that are maintained for a flow of two fluids of viscosity ratio that is different from unity.     

Origin and quantification of coupling between relative permeabilities for two-phase flows in porous media

An extended formulation of Darcy's two-phase law is developed on the basis of Stokes' equations. It leads, through results borrowed from the thermodynamics of irreversible processes, to a matrix of relative permeabilities. Nondiagonal coefficients of this matrix are due to the viscous coupling exerted between fluid phases, while diagonal coefficients represent the contribution of both fluid phases to the total flow, as if they were alone. The coefficients of this matrix, contrary to standard relative permeabilities, do not depend on the boundary conditions imposed on two-phase flow in porous media, such as the flow rate. This formalism is validated by comparison with experimental results from tests of two-phase flow in a square cross-section capillary tube and in porous media. Coupling terms of the matrix are found to be nonnegligible compared to diagonal terms. Relationships between standard relative permeabilities and matrix coefficients are studied and lead to an experimental way to determine the new terms for two-phase flow in porous media.     

A Steady-State Upscaling Approach for Immiscible Two-Phase Flow

The paper presents a model for computing rate-dependent effective capillary pressure and relative permeabilities for two-phase flow, in 2 and 3 space-dimensions. The model is based on solving the equations for immiscible two-phase flow at steady-state, accounting for viscous and capillary forces, at a given external pressure drop. The computational performance of the steady-state model and its accuracy is evaluated through comparison with a commercial simulator ECLIPSE. The properties of the rate-dependent effective relative permeabilities are studied by way of computations using the developed steady-state model. Examples presented show the dependence of the effective relative permeabilities and capillary pressures, which incorporate the effects of fine scale wettability heterogeneity, on the external pressure drop, and thereby on the dimensionless macro-scale capillary number. The effective relative permeabilities converge towards the viscous limit functions as the capillary number tends to infinity. Special cases, when the effective relative permeabilities are rate-invariant, are also studied. The applicability of the steady-state upscaling algorithm in dynamic displacement situations is validated by comparing fine-gridded simulations in heterogeneous reservoirs against their homogenized counterparts. It is concluded that the steady-state upscaling method is able to accurately predict the dynamic behavior of a heterogeneous reservoir, including small scale heterogeneities in both the absolute permeability and the wettability.