The effect of dispersion model on the linear stability of miscible displacement in porous media

Chang and Slattery (1986, 1988b) introduced a simplified model of dispersion that contains only two empirical parameters. The traditional model of dispersion (Nikolaevskii, 1959; Bear, 1961; Scheidegger, 1961; de Josselin de Jong and Bossen, 1961; Peaceman, 1966; Bear, 1972) has three empirical parameters, two of which can be measured in one-dimensional experiments while the third, the transverse dispersivity, must be measured in experiments in which a two-dimensional concentration profile develops. It is found that nearly the same linear stability behavior results from using either model.     

A linear stability analysis for immiscible displacements

A linear stability analysis has been performed for an immiscible displacement of a nonwetting phase by a wetting phase in a semi-infinite system of finite width and thickness. It is found that instabilities become a more severe problem as the capillary number based upon the characteristic thickness of the system increases. A displacement can always be stabilized, if the capillary number is sufficiently small. As the aspect ratio (ratio of thickness to width) decreases for a fixed capillary number, the potential for unstable behavior increases. All of this means that a displacement in the laboratory is likely to be more stable than a similar displacement in the field. Since the solution to the base state assumes the analytical solution of Yortsos and Fokas (1983), the effect of the mobility ratio could not be examined.     

Godunov–mixed methods for immiscible displacement

The immiscible displacement problem in reservoir engineering can be formulated as a system of partial differential equations which includes an elliptic pressure–velocity equation and a degenerate parabolic saturation equation. We apply a sequential numerical scheme to this problem where time splitting is used to solve the saturation equation. In this procedure one approximates advection by a higher-order Godunov method and diffusion by a mixed finite element method. Numerical results for this scheme applied to gas–oil centrifuge experiments are given.     

Low-frequency dilatational wave propagation through unsaturated porous media containing two immiscible fluids

An analytical theory is presented for the low-frequency behavior of dilatational waves propagating through a homogeneous elastic porous medium containing two immiscible fluids. The theory is based on the Berryman–Thigpen–Chin (BTC) model, in which capillary pressure effects are neglected. We show that the BTC model equations in the frequency domain can be transformed, at sufficiently low frequencies, into a dissipative wave equation (telegraph equation) and a propagating wave equation in the time domain. These partial differential equations describe two independent modes of dilatational wave motion that are analogous to the Biot fast and slow compressional waves in a single-fluid system. The equations can be solved analytically under a variety of initial and boundary conditions. The stipulation of “low frequency” underlying the derivation of our equations in the time domain is shown to require that the excitation frequency of wave motions be much smaller than a critical frequency. This frequency is shown to be the inverse of an intrinsic time scale that depends on an effective kinematic shear viscosity of the interstitial fluids and the intrinsic permeability of the porous medium. Numerical calculations indicate that the critical frequency in both unconsolidated and consolidated materials containing water and a nonaqueous phase liquid ranges typically from kHz to MHz. Thus engineering problems involving the dynamic response of an unsaturated porous medium to low excitation frequencies (e.g., seismic wave stimulation) should be accurately modeled by our equations after suitable initial and boundary conditions are imposed.     

Discretization limits of lattice-Boltzmann methods for studying immiscible two-phase flow in porous media

Digital images of porous media often include features approaching the image resolution length scale. The behavior of numerical methods at low resolution is therefore important even for well-resolved systems. We study the behavior of the Shan-Chen (SC) and Rothman-Keller (RK) multicomponent lattice-Boltzmann models in situations where the fluid-fluid interfacial radius of curvature and/or the feature size of the medium approaches the discrete unit size of the computational grid. Various simple, small-scale test geometries are considered, and a drainage test is also performed in a Bentheimer sandstone sample. We find that both RK and SC models show very high ultimate limits: in ideal conditions the models can simulate static fluid configuration with acceptable accuracy in tubes as small as three lattice units across for RK model (six lattice units for SC model) and with an interfacial radius of curvature of two lattice units for RK and SC models. However, the stability of the models is affected when operating in these extreme discrete limits: in certain circumstances the models exhibit behaviors ranging from loss of accuracy to numerical instability. We discuss the circumstances where these behaviors occur and the ramifications for larger-scale fluid displacement simulations in porous media, along with strategies to mitigate the most severe effects. Overall we find that the RK model, with modern enhancements, exhibits fewer instabilities and is more suitable for systems of low fluid-fluid miscibility. The shortcomings of the SC model seem to arise predominantly from the high, strongly pressure-dependent miscibility of the two fluid components.     

A limit form of the equations for immiscible displacement in a fractured reservoir

We study a model for simulating the flow of an immiscible displacement (waterflooding) of one incompressible fluid by another in a naturally fractured petroleum reservoir when the matrix blocks are quite small. This model is equivalent to a transformed one for immiscible flow in an unfractured reservoir with a reduced saturation and a saturation-dependent porosity. Existence and uniqueness of classical solutions are established. We present some numerical results and a comparison with a single porosity model.     

A new formulation of immiscible compressible two-phase flow in porous media

A new formulation is proposed to describe immiscible compressible two-phase flow in porous media. The main feature of this formulation is the introduction of a global pressure. The resulting equations are written in a fractional flow formulation and lead to a coupled system which consists of a nonlinear parabolic (the global pressure equation) and a nonlinear diffusion–convection one (the saturation equation) which can be efficiently solved numerically. To cite this article: B. Amaziane, M. Jurak, C. R. Mecanique 336 (2008).     

Effect of vibration on the stability of a plane displacement front in a porous medium

The effect of linearly polarized vibration on the stability of a plane displacement front in a porous medium is studied. The problem of the stability of the motion of a plane displacement front traveling at a constant velocity U under the action of vibration normal to the front is considered. It is shown that under the action of vibration the dynamics of the plane displacement front can be described by the Mathieu equation with a dissipative term. Using the standard averaging method, in the case of high-frequency vibration it is revealed that vibration can only increase the stability of the system. It is found that the vibration stabilizes the plane displacement front with respect to part of the perturbation spectrum.     

Relaxation analysis and linear stability vs. adsorption in porous materials

The paper presents a linear stability analysis of a 1D stationary flow through a poroelastic medium. This base flow is perturbed in four ways: by longitudinal (1D) disturbances without and with mass exchange and by transversal (2D) disturbances without and with mass exchange. The eigenvalue problem for the first step field equations is solved using a finite-difference-scheme. For both disturbances without mass exchange results are confirmed by an analytical solution. We present the stability and relaxation properties in dependence on the two most important model parameters, namely the bulk and surface permeability coefficients. Received May 17, 2002 / Published online October 15, 2002 RID="*" ID="*" e-mail: albers@wias-berlin.de, web: http://www.wias-berlin.de/private/albers Communicated by Brian Straughan, Durham     

Self-similar solutions for displacement of non-Newtonian fluids through porous media

This paper presents a class of self-similar solutions describing piston-like displacement (single-phase flow is included as a special case) of one slightly compressible non-Newtonian, power-law, dilatant fluid by another through a homogeneous, isotropic porous medium. These solutions can be used to evaluate the validity and accuracy of existing approximate solutions, such as the assumption of constant flow rate at each radial distance that Ikoku and Ramey use to linearize the partial differential equation for the flow of non-Newtonian, power-law fluid through a porous medium.Nomenclature a parameter, defined by (A8) - A cross-section area of linear reservoir - B constant - c fluid compressibility - c _f formation compressibility - c _t system compressibility - c t dimensionless system compressibility, defined by (24) - C constant of integration - D _I dimensionless coefficient, directly proportional to injection rate, for linear displacement case, defined by (22). - D ₂ dimensionless coefficient, directly proportional to injection rate, for radial displacement case, defined by (55) - erf(x) error function - ercf(x) complementary error function - Ei(x) exponential integral - f dimensionless pressure, defined by (10) - h formation thickness - k permeability - l linear location of moving boundary between the displacing and displaced fluids - n flow behavior parameter - p pressure - p _i injection pressure - p ₀ initial pressure; reference pressure - p ₀ dimensionless initial pressure, defined by (19) - q injection rate - r radial distance - R radial location of moving boundary between the displacing and displaced fluids - t time - u superficial velocity - U substitution of variable - x linear distance - _e effective viscosity - _e dimensionless effective viscosity, defined by (24) - dimensionless variable, defined by (9) or (45) - _i0 value of corresponding to the location of the moving boundary between the displacing and displaced fluids - density - ₀ value of density at reference pressure - porosity - ₀ value of porosity at reference pressure - 1 displacing fluid - 2 displaced fluid     

Experimental investigation of the displacement of viscous fluids from porous media

The results of experimental investigations of different-viscosity and immiscible Newtonian fluid flows through porous media are presented. The investigations were carried out for a Hele-Shaw cell occupied by a porous medium. The basic difference from the previous studies is the observation of the flow after break-through of the displacing fluid into the sink. A series of qualitative and quantitative results which clarify the physics of immiscible fluid flows through capillaries and porous media were obtained in the course of the experimental investigations.__________Translated from Izvestiya Rossiiskoi Academii Nauk, Mekhanika Zhidkosti i Gaza, No. 1, 2005, pp. 124–131. Original Russian Text Copyright © 2005 by Baryshnikov, Belyaev, and Turuntaev.     

Experimental investigation of capillary pressure effects on immiscible displacement in lensed and layered porous media

This paper reports the results of extensive experimental studies of the effects of well-defined heterogeneous porous media on immiscible flooding. The heterogeneities were layers and lenses, with some of the lenses being a wettability contrast. Drainage and imbibition displacements, with and without an initial residual fluid saturation, were carried out at a variety of flow rates on layered and lensed two-dimensional glass beads models of the size of a typical large core test (58×10×0.6 cm). These displacements were followed photographically and the effluent saturation profiles recorded. In most of the experiments the glass beads were water-wet, but in some the lens beads were coated with a water repellent chemical. In all experiments, the displacement fronts became highly irregular due to the different capillary pressures acting in the different areas of the models. In this paper, these displacements are fully reported and their implications for reservoir simulation and for interpretation of laboratory core tests, where the inner heterogeneities are not known, are discussed.     

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.     

Capillary-gravitational separation of immiscible fluids in porous media

The redistribution of liquid phases under the action of capillary and gravitational forces determines the course of several processes in oil and gas extraction technology: the migration of hydrocarbons, and the formation of deposits, subsurface storage of oil and gas in water-saturated structures. The solution of the dynamic problem and comparison of this solution with the asymptotic solution makes it possible to determine, in addition to the detailed phase distribution, the duration of the intense segregation period, i.e., the time during which the segregation is essentially completed.We consider the problem of the dynamics of the one-dimensional segregation of immiscible liquids in a horizontal sheet-like stratum. In this case the process is described by nonlinear differential equations of the parabolic type with discontinuous coefficients and nonlinear boundary conditions. A distinctive feature of this equation is the existence of solution discontinuities at the points of discontinuity of the equation coefficients. A numerical method for solving the problem is proposed in this article and realized on a computer. We also consider dynamic segregation in a uniform stratum. The asymptotic solution for t is indicated for each of the dynamic problems. The criterion is found for the existence of contact between the phases.The authors wish to thank T. V. Startsev and L. Kh. Aminov for assistance in performing the calculations.     

Hydrodynamic stability of evaporation fronts in porous media

The stability of phase transition fronts in water flows through porous media is considered. In the short-wave approximation a linear stability analysis is carried out and a sufficient condition of hydrodynamic instability of the phase discontinuity is proposed. The problem of injection of a water-vapor mixture into a two-dimensional mixture-saturated formation is solved and its numerical solution is compared with an exact solution of the corresponding one-dimensional self-similar problem. It is discovered that, instead of the unstable discontinuities in the one-dimensional formulation, in the two-dimensional case a lengthy mixing zone with a characteristic scale that increases self-similarly with time is formed.     

Three dimensional simulation of unstable immiscible displacement in the porous medium

I.IntroductionThedisplacementofimmisciblefluidsiswidelyutilizedinenhancedoilrecovery.ThestabilityoftheinterfaceisveryimportantandpeopIehavepaidmoreandmoreattentiontoit,becauseitrelatestotheefficiencyofoilrecovery.Manypapersreportedthecharacteristicsoftheu…     

Onset of viscous fingering for miscible liquid-liquid displacements in porous media

The displacement of one fluid by another miscible fluid in porous media is an important phenomenon that occurs in petroleum engineering, in groundwater movement, and in the chemical industry. This paper presents a recently developed stability criterion which applies to the most general miscible displacement. Under special conditions, different expressions for the onset of fingering given in the literature can be obtained from the universally applicable criterion. In particular, it is shown that the commonly used equation to predict the stable velocity ignores the effects of dispersion on viscous fingering.Nomenclature C Solvent concentration - Unperturbed solvent concentration - D _L Longitudinal dispersion coefficient [m²/s] - D _T Transverse dispersion coefficient [m²/s] - g Gravitational acceleration [m/s²] - I _sr Instability number - k Permeability [m²] - K Ratio of transverse to longitudinal dispersion coefficient - L Length of the porous medium [m] - L _x Width of the porous medium [m] - L _y Height of the porous medium [m] - M Mobility ratio - V Superficial velocity [m/s] - V _c Critical velocity [m/s] - V _s Velocity at the onset of instability [m/s] - µ Viscosity [Pa/s] - Unperturbed viscosity [Pa/s] - µ ₀,µ _s Viscosities of oil and solvent, respectively [Pa/s] - Density [kg/m³] - ₀, _s Densities of oil and solvent, respectively [kg/m³] - Porosity - Dimensionless length