Efficiency of diffusion controlled miscible displacement in fractured porous media

Experiments were performed to study the diffusion process between matrix and fracture while there is flow in fracture. 2-inch diameter and 6-inch length Berea sandstone and Indiana limestone samples were cut cylindrically. An artificial fracture spanning between injection and production ends was created and the sample was coated with heat-shrinkable teflon tube. A miscible solvent (heptane) was injected from one end of the core saturated with oil at a constant rate. The effects of (a) oil type (mineral oil and kerosene), (b) injection rates, (c) orientation of the core, (d) matrix wettability, (e) core type (a sandstone and a limestone), and (f) amount of water in matrix on the oil recovery performance were examined. The process efficiency in terms of the time required for the recovery as well as the amount of solvent injected was also investigated. It is expected that the experimental results will be useful in deriving the matrix–fracture transfer function by diffusion that is controlled by the flow rate, matrix and fluid properties.     

Double-diffusive Finger Convection in a Hele–Shaw Cell: An Experiment Exploring the Evolution of Concentration Fields,Length Scales and Mass Transfer

We present the results of an experiment conducted to explore the temporal and spatial development of double-diffusive finger convection in a Hele–Shaw cell. Two solutions each containing a different density affecting component were layered in a density stable configuration (sucrose solution over a more dense salt solution) with a nearly perturbation-free interface between. The mismatch of diffusive time scales for the two components leads to local density instabilities that generate upward and downward convecting fingers. Throughout the course of the experiment, a full-field quantitative light transmission technique was used to measure concentration fields of a dye tracer dissolved in the salt solution. Analysis of these fields yielded the temporal evolution of length scales associated with the vertical and horizontal finger structure as well as mass transfer. Distinct developmental stages are identified with strong correlation between all measures. These data provide a baseline that can be used to develop and evaluate both process-level models that simulate the full complexity of the evolving flow field and large-scale effective models that integrate over small-scale behavior.