Fractal patterns of fluid domains for displacement processes in porous media

Percolation invasion displacement of a compressible defender is examined for two cases: when only the smallest accessible site is entered at each step and when all accessible sites less than the size given by a reducing back pressure are entered at each time step. Although the fractions of invading fluid are different, their scaling properties are equivalent. The effect of limited control of a back pressure in a real displacement and the effect of viscosity in a real time displacement are examined. In these cases the scaling properties of a percolation process at breakthrough are removed. As a result, one should expect that realistic displacement models will not have the singular properties usually attributed to percolation processes.