Pressure Relaxation in a Hole Surrounded by Porous and Permeable Rock in Hole Pressure Tests with Gas Injection

The pressure testing of a hole in porous and permeable rock by gas injection is considered. An integral equation for the hole pressure relaxation is obtained whose numerical and analytical solutions describe the dependence of the relaxation time of hole pressure on the reservoir properties of the surrounding porous rock as well as on the initial gas content and the initial pressure gradient in the hole. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 47, No. 1, pp. 109–118, January–February, 2006.     

Effect of distributed gas injection on aerodynamic characteristics of a body of revolution in a supersonic flow

Results of experimental and numerical investigations of the effect of gas injection through a permeable porous surface on the drag coefficient of a cone-cylinder body of revolution in a supersonic flow with the Mach number range M _h = 3–6 are presented. It is demonstrated that gas injection through a porous nose cone with gas flow rates being 6–8% of the free-stream flow rate in the mid-section leads to a decrease in the drag coefficient approximately by 5–7%. The contributions of the decrease in the drag force acting on the model forebody and of the increase in the base pressure to the total drag reduction are approximately identical. Gas injection through a porous base surface with the flow rate approximately equal to 1% leads to a threefold increase in the base pressure and to a decrease in the drag coefficient. Gas injection through a porous base surface with the flow rate approximately equal to 5% gives rise to a supersonic flow zone in the base region.     

Trapped Gas Fraction During Steady-State Foam Flow

Trapped or stationary gas contributes significantly to the extent of gas mobility reduction for aqueous foams. Simultaneous measurements of effluent bubble sizes and trapped gas saturation in sandstone are reported for the first time. Roughly 80% of the gas saturation in an aqueous foam is stationary at steady state in this permeable porous medium. The experiments show that as gas velocity increases, the trapped gas fraction decreases. Similarly, as injected gas–liquid ratio increases, the trapped gas fraction decreases. Hence, the absolute velocities of gas and aqueous surfactant solution are fundamental to foamed-gas mobility reduction for they help determine in situ foam texture. Effluent foam bubbles range in size from 60 to 120 μm in diameter. The smaller the effluent bubble, the smaller is the fraction of mobile gas. Scaling laws from network percolation theory are used to engender a mechanistic understanding of the various parameters identified as important in the experimental program. The closed form approimation predicts that the trapped gas fraction is a weak function of pressure gradient, foam-bubble size, and the permeability of the porous medium. Moreover, the theory reproduces well the newly obtained experimental data.     

Analysis of hydrodynamic and thermal dispersion in porous media by means of a local approach

A pore scale analysis is implemented in this numerical study to investigate the behavior of microscopic inertia and thermal dispersion in a porous medium with a periodic structure. The macroscopic characteristics of the transport phenomena are evaluated with an averaging technique of the controlling variables at a pore scale level in an elementary cell of the porous structure. The Darcy–Forchheimer model describes the fluid motion through the porous medium while the continuity and Navier–Stokes equations are applied within the unit cell. An average energy equation is employed for the thermal part of the porous medium. The macroscopic pressure loss is computed in order to evaluate the dominant microscopic inertial effects. Local fluctuations of velocity and temperature at the pore scale are instrumental in the quantification of the thermal dispersion through the total effective thermal diffusivity. The numerical results demonstrate that microscopic inertia contributes significantly to the magnitude of the macroscopic pressure loss, in some instances with as much as 70%. Depending on the nature of the porous medium, the thermal dispersion may have a marked bearing on the heat transfer, particularly in the streamwise direction for a highly conducting fluid and certain values of the Peclet number.     

Formation of a gas hydrate due to injection of a cold gas into a porous reservoir partly saturated by water

Specific features of formation of gas hydrates due to injection of a gas into a porous medium initially filled by a gas and water are considered. Self-similar solutions of an axisymmetric problem, which describe the distributions of the basic parameters in the reservoir, are constructed. The existence of solutions is demonstrated, which predict gas hydrate formation both on the frontal surface and in the volume zone. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 49, No. 3, pp. 137–150, May–June, 2008.     

Self-similar problem of decomposition of gas hydrates in a porous medium upon depression and heating

We consider the specifics of decomposition of gas hydrates under thermal and depressive action on a porous medium completely filled with a solid hydrate in the initial condition. The existence of volumetric-expansion zones, in which the hydrate coexists in equilibrium with water and gas, is shown to be possible in high-permeable porous media. The self-similar problems of hydrate decomposition upon depression and heating are studied. Ii is shown that there are solutions according to which hydrate decomposition can occur both on the surface of phase transitions and in the volumetric region. We note that, in the first case, decomposition is possible without heat supply to a medium and even with heat removal. Institute of Mechanics of Multiphase Systems, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Tyumen' 625000. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 111–118, May–June, 1998.     

Relaxation Effects of a Saturated Porous Media Using the Two-Dimensional Generalized Thermoelastic Theory

A model of the equations of a generalized thermoelasticity (GT) with relaxation times for a saturated porous medium is given in this article. The formulation can be applied to the GT theories: Lord–Shulman theory, Green–Lindsay theory, and Coupled theory for the porous medium. A two-dimensional thermoelastic problem that is subjected to a time-dependent thermal/mechanical source is investigated with the model of the generalized porous thermoelasticity. By using the Laplace transform and the Fourier transform technique, solutions for the displacement, temperature, pore pressure, and stresses are obtained with a semi-analytical approach in the transform domain. Numerical results are also performed for portraying the nature of variations of the field variables. In addition, comparisons are presented with the corresponding four theories.     

On solving the problem of reflection of linear waves in a fluid from a porous half-space saturated by this fluid

Solutions of the problem of reflection of a stepwise pressure wave in a linearly compressed fluid from a flat boundary of a porous medium of infinite length saturated by the same fluid are obtained in the acoustic approximation. Based on analytical solutions, a numerical analysis is performed to reveal the specific features of the reflected and incident waves, depending on porosity and permeability of the porous half-space. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 47, No. 5, pp. 16–26, September–October, 2006.     

Steady temperature field associated with the flow of gassy oil in a porous medium

The steady thermal field associated with the flow of gassy oil through a porous medium is investigated with allowance for the Joule-Thomson and degassing effects. A formula is obtained for estimating the temperature anomalies at the well bottom on oil inflow intervals which correspond to a bottom pressure lower than the saturation pressure. Ufa. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No.1, pp. 113–116, January–February, 1994.     

Flux in Porous Media with Memory: Models and Experiments

The classic constitutive equation relating fluid flux to a gradient in potential (pressure head plus gravitational energy) through a porous medium was discovered by Darcy in the mid 1800s. This law states that the flux is proportional to the pressure gradient. However, the passage of the fluid through the porous matrix may cause a local variation of the permeability. For example, the flow may perturb the porous formation by causing particle migration resulting in pore clogging or chemically reacting with the medium to enlarge the pores or diminish the size of the pores. In order to adequately represent these phenomena, we modify the constitutive equations by introducing a memory formalism operating on both the pressure gradient–flux and the pressure–density variations. The memory formalism is then represented with fractional order derivatives. We perform a number of laboratory experiments in uniformly packed columns where a constant pressure is applied on the lower boundary. Both homogeneous and heterogeneous media of different characteristic particle size dimension were employed. The low value assumed by the memory parameters, and in particular by the fractional order, demonstrates that memory is largely influencing the experiments. The data and theory show how mechanical compaction can decrease permeability, and consequently flux.     

Self-similar solutions of the problem of displacement of one gas by another in an axisymmetric case with a quadratic drag law

A problem of piston-induced displacement of one gas by another in cracks (porous media) in an axisymmetric case with a quadratic drag law is studied. Self-similar solutions for determining the dynamic characteristics (velocity and pressure) of the displacing and displaced gases are constructed in quadratures. The velocity and pressure are studied as functions of a self-similar variable for several initial conditions and parameters. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 49, No. 5, pp. 87–92, September–October, 2008.     

Propagation of shock waves in a porous medium saturated by a liquid with bubbles of a soluble gas

The process of evolution and reflection of shock waves of moderate amplitude from a rigid boundary in a porous medium saturated by a liquid with bubbles of a soluble gas is studied experimentally. Experimental values of the amplitude and velocity of the reflected wave are compared with the calculated results obtained using mathematical models. The process of dissolution of gas bubbles in the liquid behind the shock wave is studied. Kutateladze Institute of Thermal Physics, Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090. Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 41, No. 5, pp. 91–102, September–October, 2000.     

Numerical Study of Heat Transfer in a Rectangular Channel with Porous Covering Obstacles

A numerical study is performed to analyze steady laminar forced convection in a channel in which discrete heat sources covered with porous material are placed on the bottom wall. Hydrodynamic and heat transfer results are reported. The flow in the porous medium is modeled using the Darcy–Brinkman–Forchheimer model. A computer program based on control volume method with appropriate averaging for diffusion coefficient is developed to solve the coupling between solid, fluid, and porous region. The effects of parameters such as Reynolds number, Prandtl number, inertia coefficient, and thermal conductivity ratio are considered. The results reveal that the porous cover with high thermal conductivity enhances the heat transfer from the solid blocks significantly and decreases the maximum temperature on the heated solid blocks. The mean Nusselt number increases with increase of Reynolds number and Prandtl number, and decrease of inertia coefficient. The pressure drop along the channel increases rapidly with the increase of Reynolds number.     

Flow near the permeable boundary of a porous medium: An experimental investigation using LDA

 Fluid flow at the interface of a porous medium and an open channel is the governing phenomenon in a number of processes of industrial importance. Traditionally, this has been modeled by applying the Brinkman’s modification of Darcy’s law to obtain the velocity profile in terms of an additional parameter known as the “apparent viscosity” or the “slip coefficient”. To test this ad hoc approach, a detailed experimental investigation of the flow was conducted using Laser Doppler Anemometry (LDA) in the close vicinity of the permeable boundary of a porous medium. The porous medium used in the experiments consisted of a network of continuous glass strands woven together in a random fashion. A Hele–Shaw cell was partially filled with a fibrous preform such that an open channel flow is coupled with the Darcy flow inside the preform through the permeable interface of the preform. The open channel portion of the Hele–Shaw cell also acts as an ideal porous medium of known in-plane permeability which is much higher than the permeability of the fibrous porous medium. A viscous fluid is injected at a constant flow rate through the above arrangement and a saturated and steady flow is established through the cell. Using LDA, steady state velocity profiles are accurately measured by traversing across the cell in the direction perpendicular to the flow. A series of experiments were conducted in which fluid viscosity, flow rate, solid volume fraction of the porous medium and depth of the Hele–Shaw cell were varied. For each and every case in which the conditions for Hele–Shaw approximation were valid, the depth of the boundary layer zone or the screening length inside the fibrous preform was found to be of the order of the channel depth. This is much larger as compared to the Brinkman’s prediction of the screening length which is of the order of √K, where K is the permeability of the fibrous porous medium. Based on this finding, we modified the boundary condition in the Brinkman’s solution and found that the velocity profile results compared well with the experimental data for the planar geometry and the fibrous preforms for volume fractions of 7%, 14% and 21% for Hele–Shaw cell depths of 1.6 and 3.175 mm. For a cell depth of 4.8 cm, in which the Hele–Shaw approximation was not valid, the boundary layer thickness or the screening length was found to be less than the mold or channel depth but was still much larger than the Brinkman’s prediction. Received: 10 May 1996 / Accepted: 26 August 1996     

A Conceptual Study of Cavity Aeroacoustics Control Using Porous Media Inserts

In this study, an integrated flow simulation and aeroacoustics prediction methodology is applied to testing a sound control technique using porous inserts in an open cavity. Large eddy simulation (LES) combined with a three-dimensional Ffowcs Williams–Hawkings (FW–H) acoustic analogy is employed to predict the flow field, the acoustic sources and the sound radiation. The Darcy pressure – velocity law is applied to conceptually mimic the effect of porous media placed on the cavity floor and/or rear wall. Consequently, flow in the cavity could locally move in or out through these porous walls, depending on the local pressure differences. LES with “standard” subgrid-scale models for compressible flow is carried out to simulate the flow field covering the sound source and near fields, and the fully three-dimensional FW–H acoustic analogy is used to predict the sound field. The numerical results show that applying the conceptual porous media on cavity floor and/or rear wall could decrease the pressure fluctuations in the cavity and the sound pressure level in the far field. The amplitudes of the dominant oscillations (Rossiter modes) are suppressed and their frequencies are slightly modified. The dominant sound source is the transverse dipole term, which is significantly reduced due to the porous walls. As a result, the sound pressure in the far field is also suppressed. The preliminary study reveals that using porous-inserts is a promising technology for flow and sound radiation control.     

Forced Convection with Laminar Pulsating Counterflow in a Saturated Porous Circular Tube

An analytical solution is obtained for forced convection in a circular tube occupied by a core–sheath-layered saturated porous medium with counterflow produced by pulsating pressure gradients. The case of the constant heat-flux boundary conditions is considered, and the Brinkman model is employed for the porous medium. A perturbation approach is used to obtain analytical expressions for the velocity, temperature distribution, and transient Nusselt number for convection produced by an applied pressure gradient that fluctuates with small amplitude harmonically in time about a non-zero mean. It is shown that the fluctuating part of the Nusselt number alters in magnitude and phase as the dimensionless frequency increases. The magnitude increases from zero, goes through a peak, and then decreases to zero. The height of the peak depends on the values of various parameters. The phase (relative to that of the steady component) decreases from π/2 to − π/2 as the frequency increases.     

Processes of hydrate formation and dissolution behind a shock wave in a liquid containing gas bubbles (mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide)

The processes of dissolution and hydrate formation behind a moderate-amplitude shock wave in water containing gas bubbles (mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide) are studied in experiments with different initial static pressures in the medium and concentrations of carbon dioxide in bubbles. An increase in static pressure in the gas-liquid medium is demonstrated to enhance the influence of the non-reacting gas (nitrogen) on the processes of dissolution and hydrate formation. __________ Translated from Prikladnaya Mekhanika i Tekhnicheskaya Fizika, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 178–187, March–April, 2009.     

Recovery of Methane From Gas Hydrates in a Porous Medium by Injection of Carbon Dioxide

This paper presents a mathematical model for methane hydrate–carbon dioxide replacement by injection of carbon dioxide gas into a porous medium rich in methane and its gas hydrate. Numerical solutions describing the pressure and temperature variation in a reservoir of finite length are obtained. It is shown that the replacement process is accompanied by a decrease in pressure and an increase in temperature of the porous medium. It is established that during the time of complete replacement of methane from a reservoir decreases with increasing permeability of the porous medium and the pressure of the injected gas.     

Analytical solutions of one-dimensional problems of gas flow for quadratic resistance law

A study is made of one-dimensional (plane and axisymmetric) problems of the isothermal flow of gas through a porous medium for quadratic resistance law. Self-similar equations for the velocity and pressure of the gas in the porous medium are obtained. Analytical expressions for the pressure and velocity of the gas for constant initial pressure in the medium are obtained. A quadratic dependence of the resistance on the velocity [1,2] is used to describe the motion of the gas in the porous medium at high Reynolds numbers. (Re > 10).Translated from Izvestiya Akademii Nauk SSSR, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 2, pp. 73–77, March–April, 1985.     

Law of flow of a viscoplastic fluid through a porous medium with allowance for inertial losses

A macroscopic law of flow of a viscoplastic Schwedoff-Bingham fluid through a porous medium is obtained on the basis of percolation theory with allowance for viscous and inertial losses. The asymptotics of the flow law are estimated and expressions for determining the limiting pressure gradient as a function of the microinhomogeneity parameters are given. Satisfactory qualitative agreement between the theoretical and known experimental data is observed. Moscow. Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Akademii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, pp. 68–73, January–February, 1999.