Numerical Analysis of Imbibition Front Evolution in Fractured Sandstone under Capillary-Dominated Conditions

Fractures serve as primary conduits having a great impact on the migration of injected fluid into fractured permeable media. Appropriate transport properties such as relative permeability and capillary pressure are essential for successful simulation and prediction of multi-phase flow in such systems. However, the lack of a thorough understanding of the dynamics governing immiscible displacement in fractured media, limits our ability to properly represent their macroscopic transport properties. Previous experimental observations of imbibition front evolution in fractured rocks are examined in the present study using an automated history-matching approach to obtain representative relative permeability and capillary pressure curves. Predicted imbibition front evolution under different flow conditions resulted in an excellent agreement with experimental observations. Sensitivity analyses, in combination with direct experimental observation, allowed exploring the competing effects of relative permeability and capillary pressure on the development of saturation distribution and imbibing front evolution in fractured porous media. Results show that residual saturations are most sensitive to matrix relative permeability to oil, while the ratio of oil and water relative permeability, rock heterogeneity, boundary condition, and matrix–fracture capillary pressure contrast, affect displacement shape, speed, and geometry of the imbibing front.     

Efficiency of Capillary Imbibition Dominated Displacement of Nonwetting Phase by Wetting Phase in Fractured Porous Media

The critical and optimum injection rates as well as the critical fracture capillary number for an efficient displacement process are determined based on the experimental and numerical modeling of the displacement of nonwetting phase (oil) by wetting phase (water) in fractured porous media. The efficiency of the process is defined in terms of the nonwetting phase displaced from the system per amount of wetting phase injected and per time. Also, the effects of injection rate on capillary imbibition transfer dominated two-phase flow in fractured porous media are clarified by visualizing the experiments. The results reveal that as the injection rate is increased, fracture pattern begins to become an effective parameter on the matrix saturation distribution. As the rate is lowered, however, the system begins to behave like a homogeneous system showing a frontal displacement regardless the fracture configuration.     

Investigating the Fracture Network Effects on Sweep Efficiency during WAG Injection Process

In this study, the main recovery mechanisms behind oil/water/gas interactions during the water-alternating-gas (WAG) injection process, in a network of matrix/fracture, were fundamentally investigated. A visual micromodel was utilized to provide insights into the potential applications of WAG process in fractured oil-wet media as well as the possibility of observing microscopic displacement behavior of fluids in the model. The model was made of an oil-wet facture/matrix network system, comprised of four matrix blocks surrounded with fractures. Different WAG injection scenarios, such as slug arrangements and the effects of fluid injection rates on oil recovery were studied. A new equation representing the capillary number, considering the fracture viscous force and matrix capillary force, was developed to make the experimental results more similar to a real field. In general, WAG tests performed in the fractured model showed a higher oil recovery factor compared with the results of gas and water injection tests at their optimum rates. The results showed that the presence of an oil film, in all cases, was the main reason for co-current drainage and double displacement of oil under applied driving forces. Furthermore, the formation of oil liquid bridges improved the recovery efficiency, which was greatly influenced by the size of fracture connecting the two matrix blocks; these connecting paths were more stable when there was initial water remaining in the media. Analyzing different recovery curves and microscopic view of the three phases in the transparent model showed that starting an injection mode with gas (followed by repeated small slugs of water and gas), could considerably improve oil recovery by pushing water into the matrix zone and increasing the total sweep efficiency.     

Displacement of Cr(III)–Partially Hydrolyzed Polyacrylamide Gelling Solution in a Fracture in Porous Media

During waterflooding of a fractured formation, water may channel through the fracture or interconnected network of fractures, leaving a large portion of oil bearing rock unswept. One remedial practice is injection of a gelling solution into the fracture. Such placement of a gelling mixture is associated with leak-off from the fracture face into the adjoining matrix. Design of a gel treatment needs understanding of the flow of gelling mixture in and around the fracture. This flow is addressed here for Cr(III)–partially hydrolyzed polyacrylamide formulation through experiments and conceptual model. A fractured slab was used to develop a lab-model, where the flow along the fracture and simultaneous leak-off into the matrix can be controlled. Also, the fracture and matrix properties had to be evaluated individually for a meaningful analysis of the displacement of gelling solution. During this displacement, the gelling fluid leaked off from the fracture into the matrix as a front, resulting in a decreasing velocity (and pressure gradient) along the fracture. With pressure in the fracture held constant with time, the leak-off rate decreased as the viscous front progressed into the matrix. The drop in leak-off rate was rapid during the initial phase of displacement. A simple model, based on the injection of a viscous solution into the dual continua, could explain the displacement of Cr(III)–polyacrylamide gelling mixture through the fractured slab. This study rules out any major complication from the immature gelling fluid, e.g., build-up of cake layer on the fracture face. The model, due to its simplicity may become useful for quick sizing of gel treatment, and any regression-based evaluation of fluid properties in a fracture for other applications.     

基于孔与裂隙网络模型的平行微裂隙对驱油的影响规律研究

认识双重多孔介质中油水两相微观渗流机制是回答形成什么类型的裂隙网络可提高油藏采收率的关键. 微裂隙的分布可以提高多孔介质的绝对渗透率,但对于基质孔隙中的流体介质,微裂隙的存在会引起多孔介质中局部流体压力和流场的变化,导致局部流动以微裂隙流动为主,甚至出现窜流现象,降低驱油效率. 本文基于孔与裂隙双重网络模型,在网络进口设定两条平行等长且具有一定间隔的微裂隙,分析微裂隙的相对间隔(微裂隙之间距离/喉道长度)和微裂隙相对长度(微裂隙长度/喉道长度)对于微观渗流特征的影响. 结果表明:随微裂隙相对长度的增加,出现驱油效率逐渐降低,相对渗透率曲线中的油水共渗区水饱和度和等渗点增加,油水两相的共渗范围减小等现象;随着微裂隙之间相对间隔增大,周围越来越多的基质孔穴间的压力差减小,在毛管压力的限制下,驱替相绕过这些区域,而导致水窜现象.      

Time-Dependent Shape Factors for Uniform and Non-Uniform Pressure Boundary Conditions

Matrix–fracture transfer functions are the backbone of any dual-porosity or dual-permeability formulation. The chief feature within them is the accurate definition of shape factors. To date, there is no completely accepted formulation of a matrix–fracture transfer function. Many formulations of shape factors for instantly-filled fractures with uniform pressure distribution have been presented and used; however, they differ by up to five times in magnitude. Based on a recently presented transfer function, time-dependent shape factors for water imbibing from fracture to matrix under pressure driven flow are proposed. Also new matrix–fracture transfer pressure-based shape factors for instantly-filled fractures with non-uniform pressure distribution are presented in this article. These are the boundary conditions for a case for porous media with clusters of parallel and disconnected fractures, for instance. These new pressure-based shape factors were obtained by solving the pressure diffusivity equation for a single phase using non-uniform boundary conditions. This leads to time-dependent shape factors because of the transient part of the solution for pressure. However, approximating the solution with an exponential function, one obtains constant shape factors that can be easily implemented in current dual-porosity reservoir simulators. The approximate shape factors provide good results for systems where the transient behavior of pressure is short (a case commonly encountered in fractured reservoirs).     

Pore-Scale Flow in Surfactant Flooding

Recovery of oil from the blocks of an initially oil-wet, naturally fractured, reservoir as a result of counter-current flow following introduction of aqueous wettability-altering surfactant into the fracture system is considered, as an example of a practical process in which phenomena acting at the single pore-scale are vital to the economic displacement of oil at the macroscopic scale. A Darcy model for the process is set up, and solutions computed illustrating the recovery rate controlling role of the bulk diffusion of surfactant. A central ingredient of this model is the capillary pressure relation, linking the local values of the pressure difference between the oleic and aqueous phases, the aqueous saturation and the surfactant concentration. Using ideas from single capillary models of oil displacement from oil-wet tubes by wettability-altering surfactant, we speculate that the use of a capillary pressure function, with dependences as assumed, may not adequately represent the Darcy scale consequences of processes acting at the single pore-scale. Multi-scale simulation, resolving both sub-pore and multi-pore flow processes may be necessary to resolve this point. Some general comments are made concerning the issues faced when modelling complex displacement processes in porous media starting from the pore-scale and working upwards.     

Explicit Rate–Time Solutions for Modeling Matrix–Fracture Flow of Single Phase Gas in Dual-Porosity Media

One of the widely used methods for modeling matrix–fracture fluid exchange in naturally fractured reservoirs is dual porosity approach. In this type of modeling, matrix blocks are regarded as sources/sinks in the fracture network medium. The rate of fluid transfer from matrix blocks into fracture medium may be modeled using shape factor concept (Warren and Root, SPEJ 3:245–255, 1963); or the rate–time solution is directly derived for the specific matrix geometry (de Swaan, SPEJ 16:117–122, 1976). Numerous works have been conducted to study matrix–fracture fluid exchange for slightly compressible fluids (e.g. oil). However, little attention has been taken to systems containing gas (compressible fluid). The objective of this work is to develop explicit rate–time solutions for matrix–fracture fluid transfer in systems containing single phase gas. For this purpose, the governing equation describing flow of gas from matrix block into fracture system is linearized using pseudopressure and pseudotime functions. Then, the governing equation is solved under specific boundary conditions to obtain an implicit relation between rate and time. Since rate calculations using such an implicit relation need iterations, which may be computationally inconvenient, an explicit rate–time relation is developed with the aid of material balance equation and several specific assumptions. Also, expressions are derived for average pseudopressure in matrix block. Furthermore, simplified solutions (originated from the complex general solutions) are introduced applicable in infinite and finite acting flow periods in matrix. Based on the derived solutions, expressions are developed for shape factor. An important observation is that the shape factor for gas systems is the same as that of oil bearing matrix blocks. Subsequently, a multiplier is introduced which relates rate to matrix pressure instead of matrix pseudopressure. Finally, the introduced equations are verified using a numerical simulator.     

Microscale Visual Study of End Effects at Permeability Discontinuities

The physical effect of multiphase fluid distribution and flow at permeability boundaries has not been fully investigated, particularly at the pore scale (1–100 μm), although such behaviour can significantly affect the overall scaled-up reservoir trapping capacity and production performance. In this article, microscale physical models have been used to qualitatively study the pore scale flow events at permeability boundaries, both high to low and vice versa, to gain a better understanding of the role of these boundaries and water saturation on multiphase displacement behaviour at the pore scale. We have used etched glass models of stripes of large and small (a factor of two) pores with circular matrix. Capillary pressure, which is the controlling parameter is itself dependant on pore size and its spatial distribution, the magnitude of the interfacial tensions and the wettability between the fluids and the solid surface of the models. Sometimes, the only way the non-wetting fluid can penetrate the boundary is through a fortuitous leakage, whereby the presence of an initial saturation reduces the controlling capillary pressure. Examples are demonstrated including mechanisms of end-effects and how capillary boundary resistance (due to capillary forces) can be broken down and fluid movement across the boundary can develop. These micromodel experiments show vividly that connate water can assist in these processes, particularly oil trapping and leakage of water across a permeability boundary.     

A New Mathematical Model for Force Gravity Drainage in Fractured Porous Media

In force gas/oil gravity drainage process in fractured porous media, gas is flowing in both matrix and fractures leading to produce a finite gas pressure gradient. Consequently, viscous force plays an important role for displacing matrix oil toward fractures in addition to gravity force that is required to be modeled appropriately. A new analytical model for estimation of steady state oil saturation distribution with assumption of fixed gas pressure gradient throughout the matrix is presented. Moreover, based on some results of this analytical model a different numerical formulation is developed to predict the performance of oil production process. Comparison of the results obtained from this numerical model with the results of a conventional simulator demonstrates that the newly developed model can be applied with satisfactory accuracy. Numerical simulations show that the viscous displacement in fractured porous media can reduce the capillary threshold height, and thus it suggests the force gravity drainage as a favorable production mechanism when the matrix length is close to the threshold height.     

致密油藏动态裂缝扩展机理及应用

致密油藏采用注水吞吐补充地层能量取得了一定效果. 但多轮次注水吞吐后, 地层压力和产量降低快. 本文考虑了致密油藏复杂的裂缝形态, 根据艾尔文理论及弹性力学剖析I型裂缝尖端附近的应力场分布, 基于渗流力学、裂缝性致密油藏特征及动态裂缝渗流规律, 建立了多裂缝交叉裂缝扩展渗流模型, 结合注水诱导裂缝扩展机理及断裂力学能量守恒原理, 得到裂缝扩展长度. 依据致密油藏逆向渗吸原理, 提出将注水吞吐转为不稳定脉冲注水. 对比分析注水吞吐、脉冲注水2种能量补充发方式, 预测10年累计采油、压力及剩余油分布. 结果表明, 裂缝净内压随着注水量的增加而升高, 当应力场强度因子达到断裂韧度, 在裂缝尖端会发生扩展. 扩展及延伸的天然裂缝相互沟通, 呈现不规则复杂缝网, 在复杂缝网中主要发生逆向渗吸作用. 脉冲注水累计产油高、注水波及面积广、逆向渗吸作用强. 裂缝性致密油藏水平井注水吞吐转变为脉冲注水方式, 能够充分发挥动态缝网的逆向渗吸及线性驱替作用, 实现有效驱油的目的.      

Development of an Analytical Time-Dependent Matrix/Fracture Shape Factor for Countercurrent Imbibition in Simulation of Fractured Reservoirs

In dual porosity modeling of naturally fractured reservoirs, fluids exchange between the high porous matrix blocks and high permeable fracture systems is governed by transfer function. Therefore, transfer function, and specially shape factor as the main part of it, control fluids flow behavior, which certainly have significant effects on development and management plan of naturally fractured reservoirs. Also several formulations have been proposed for shape factor by a number of researchers, nearly all of them derived for expansion mechanism. But, shape factor is a phase sensitive parameter that can greatly affect results of simulation. Moreover, several shortcomings are inherent in the derived expressions of shape factor for imbibition process. The main aim of this work is to develop a new time-dependent matrix–fracture shape factor specific to countercurrent imbibition. In this study, fluid saturation distribution within a matrix block is analytically derived by solving capillary–diffusion equation under different imposed boundary conditions for the process where countercurrent imbibition is the dominant oil drive mechanism. The validity of the solutions is checked against literature experimental data (Bourbiaux and Kalaydjian, SPERE 5, 361–368, SPE 18283, 1990) and also by performing single porosity fine grid simulations. Then, the concept of analogy between the transport phenomena is employed to propose a new expression for matrix–fracture transfer function that is used to derive transient shape factor. It is illustrated in this article that time variation of imbibtion rate and shape factor can be used to diagnose different states of imbibition process. Although, the displacement process and employed approaches are completely different in this and other studies (Chang, Technical report, 1993; Kazemi and Gilman (eds.) Flow and contaminant transport in fractured rock. Academic Press, San Dieg, 1993; Zimmerman et al., Water Resour Res, 29, 2127–2137, 1993; Lim and Aziz, J Pet Sci Eng 13, 169–178, 1995), but we arrived at the consistent values of shape factor under limiting condition of pseudo steady state flow. This means that after establishment of pseudo steady state, shape factor is only controlled by matrix geometry regardless of the displacement process, i.e., expansion or imbibition mechanism, However, shape factor is completely phase sensitive and process dependent during unsteady and late-transient states. Finally, boundary condition dependency of shape factor is investigated.     

Immiscible Displacement in the Interacting Capillary Bundle Model Part II. Applications of Model and Comparison of Interacting and Non-Interacting Capillary Bundle Models

In the first part of this work (Dong et al., Transport Porous Media, 59, 1–18, 2005), an interacting capillary bundle model was developed for analysing immiscible displacement processes in porous media. In this paper, the second part of the work, the model is applied to analyse the fluid dynamics of immiscible displacements. The analysis includes: (1) free spontaneous imbibition, (2) the effects of injection rate and oil–water viscosity ratio on the displacement interface profile, and (3) the effect of oil–water viscosity ratio on the relative permeability curves. Analysis of a non-interacting tube bundle model is also presented for comparison. Because pressure equilibration between the capillaries is stipulated in the interacting capillary model, it is able to reproduce the behaviour of immiscible displacement observed in porous media which cannot be modelled by using non-interacting tube bundle models.     

Modeling the effects of capillary pressure with the presence of full tensor permeability and discrete fracture models using the mimetic finite difference method

Capillary dominated flow or imbibition—whether spontaneous or forced—is an important physical phenomena in understanding the behavior of naturally fractured water-driven reservoirs (NFR’s). When the water flows through the fractures, it imbibes into the matrix and pushes the oil out of the pores due to the difference in the capillary pressure. In this paper, we focus on modeling and quantifying the oil recovered from NFR’s through the imbibition processes using a novel fully implicit mimetic finite difference (MFD) approach coupled with discrete fracture/discrete matrix (DFDM) technique. The investigation is carried out in the light of different wetting states of the porous media (i.e., varying capillary pressure curves) and a full tensor representation of the permeability. The produced results proved the MFD to be robust in preserving the physics of the problem, and accurately mapping the flow path in the investigated domains. The wetting state of the rock affects greatly the oil recovery factors along with the orientation of the fractures and the principal direction of the permeability tensor. We can conclude that our novel MFD method can handle the fluid flow problems in discrete-fractured reservoirs. Future works will be focused on the extension of MFD method to more complex multi-physics simulations.

     

Fluid transfer between tubes in interacting capillary bundle models

The interacting capillary bundle model proposed by Dong et al. [Dong, M., Dullien, F.A.L., Zhou, J.: Trans. Porous Media 31, 213–237 (1998); Dong, M., Dullien, F.A.L., Dai, L., Li, D.: Trans. Porous Media 59, 1–18 (2005); Dong, M., Dullien, F.A.L., Dai, L., Li, D.: Trans. Porous Media 63, 289–304 (2006)] has simulated correctly various aspects of immiscible displacement in porous media, such as oil production histories at different viscosity ratios, the effects of water injection rate and of the oil–water viscosity ratio on the shape of the displacement front and the independence of relative permeabilities of the viscosity ratio. In the interacting capillary bundle model pressure equilibrium was assumed at any distance x measured along the bundle. Interaction between the capillaries also results in transfer of fluids across the capillaries. In the first part of this paper the process of fluid transfer between two capillaries is analysed and an algebraic expression for this flow is derived. Consistency with the assumption of pressure equilibration requires that all transfer must take place at the positions of the oil/water menisci in the tubes without any pressure drop. It is shown that fluid transfer between the tubes has no effect on the predictions obtained with the model. In the second part of the paper the interacting tube bundle model is made more realistic by assuming fluid transfer between the tubes all along the single phase flow regions across a uniform resistance, resulting in pressure differences throughout the single phase regions between the fluids present in the different tubes. The results of numerical simulations obtained with this improved interacting capillary bundle model show only small differences in the positions of the displacement front as compared with the predictions of the idealized model.     

Effects of vapor pressure/velocity and concentration on condensation heat transfer for steam–ethanol vapor mixture

When a steam–ethanol vapor mixture condenses on a vertical flat plate, the form of the condensate film changes and many drops are created. This non-film condensation is called pseudo-dropwise or Marangoni condensation. This paper aims to study the main influencing factors on the Marangoni condensation of steam–ethanol vapor.The factors include the ethanol concentration, vapor pressure, vapor velocity and vapor-to-surface temperature difference. The experiments show that the heat transfer coefficient has a maximum value of approximately 42 kW/m² K when the ethanol concentration is 1%. At the low concentrations of 0.5, 1, 5.1 and 9.8%, the condensation heat transfer is greater than for pure steam. In addition, the heat transfer for all vapor mixtures increases with both the rise of vapor pressure and vapor velocity.     

Matrix–Fracture Transfer through Countercurrent Imbibition in Presence of Fracture Fluid Flow

Although a lot of research has been done in modeling the oil recovery from fractured reservoirs by countercurrent imbibition, less attention has been paid to the effect of the fracture fluid velocity upon the rate of oil recovery. Experiments are conducted to determine the effect of fracture flow rate upon countercurrent imbibition. A droplet detachment model is proposed to derive the effective water saturation in a thin boundary layer at the matrix–fracture interface. This effective boundary water saturation is a function of fluid properties, fluid velocity in the fracture and fracture width. For a highly water–wet porous medium, this model predicts an increase in the boundary water saturation with increase in fracture fluid velocity. The increase in boundary water saturation, in turn, increases the oil recovery rate from the matrix, which is consistent with the experimental results. The model also predicts that the oil recovery rate does not vary linearly with the boundary water saturation.     

Wetting Phase Bridges Establish Capillary Continuity Across Open Fractures and Increase Oil Recovery in Mixed-Wet Fractured Chalk

The effect of fractures on oil recovery and in situ saturation development in fractured chalk has been determined at near neutral wettability conditions. Fluid saturation development was monitored both in the matrix and in the fractures and the mechanisms of fracture crossing were determined using high spatial resolution MRI. Capillary continuity across open oil-filled fractures was verified by imaging the water bridges established within the fracture. Despite an alternate escape fracture for the water, separate water bridges were shown to be stable for the entire duration of the experiments. The established capillary contact resulted in oil recovery exceeding the spontaneous imbibition potential in the outlet-isolated cores by ca. 10% PV. This is explained by viscous recovery provided by water bridges across open fractures. The size of the bridges seemed to be controlled by the wettability of the rock and not by the differential pressure applied across the open fracture.     

Two-phase displacement of non-newtonian fluid

This paper considers the problem of non-Newtonian oil displa-cement by water in porous media.adopting the linear permea-tion law with initial pressure gradient.For one-dimensionalflow,the basic equation of non-Newtonian oil displacement bywater in sandstone reservoirs and fractured reservoirs is de-rived and numerical solutions are obtained.The results arecompared with the corresponding ones for Newtonian oil dis-placement to show the essential characteristics of non-Newto-nian oil displacement by water.     

Theoretical and Experimental Investigations of Miscible Displacement in Fractured Porous Media

In this paper a mathematical model for miscible displacement in fractured porous media is developed. The model takes into account mechanisms of mass transfer between fracture and matrix. The model is normalized by using the dimensionless parameters, which characterize the process, and the analytical solutions of the resulting system of equations are provided by utilizing the method of characteristics. For comparison the results of model with experimental results, laboratory displacement tests have been performed in fractured systems under miscible displacement. The porous media used were cylindrical Asmari cores from Iranian reservoirs containing an artificially vertical fracture. Normal heptane and kerosene were two miscible fluid used. There is very good agreement between experiments and model prediction.