On the nonequilibrium segregation state of a two-phase mixture in a porous column

The problem of segregation of a two-phase multicomponent mixture under the action of thermal gradient, gravity and capillary forces is studied with respect to component distribution in a thick oil-gas-condensate reservoir. Governing equations are derived on the basis of nonequilibrium thermodynamics. A steady state of the two-phase mixture with nonzero diffusion fluxes and exchange between phases is described. In the case of binary mixtures analytical formulae for saturation, component distribution and flow in the two-phase zone are obtained.     

Aspects of geothermal well test analysis in fractured reservoirs

Several numerical experiments comparing the response of a fractured geothermal reservoir with that of a uniform reservoir are reported. A constant rate drawdown test followed by a buildup test is investigated for both an initially two-phase reservoir and an initially liquid reservoir which flashes during the test. Also, cold water injection into a two-phase reservoir is considered. In all cases the fracturing of the reservoir significantly changes the results for the uniform reservoir, and makes interpretation of the well test results more difficult.     

The behavior of naturally fractured reservoirs including fluid flow in matrix blocks

An alternative analytical solution to the system of equations for fluid flow through a double-porosity medium with a boundary condition of an equipotential surface is given in this paper. The problem is reduced to solving an integral equation. The solution is straight-forward, and involves only ordinary Bessel functions. Numerical results show that D, the ratio of matrix system permeability to fracture system permeability, has a strong effect on the two semilog straight lines characteristic of the pressure response in a double-porosity medium. As D increases from zero (the Warren-Root model) to one, the first semilog straight line moves closer to the second. This is similar to the effect of increasing ω, the ratio of storage capacity of the fracture system to total storage capacity, in the Warren-Root model which neglects the flow within matrix blocks.     

Wettability Alteration to Intermediate Gas-Wetting in Porous Media at Elevated Temperatures

Wettability alteration to intermediate gas-wetting in porous media by treatment with FC-759, a fluorochemical polymer has been studied experimentally. Berea sandstone was used as the main rock sample in our work, and its wettability before and after chemical treatment was studied at various temperatures from 25 to 93°C. We also studied recovery performance for both gas/oil and oil/water systems for Berea sandstone before and after wettability alteration by chemical treatment. Our experiment shows that chemical treatment with FC-759 can result in: (1) wettability alteration from strong liquid-wetting to stable intermediate gas-wetting at room temperature and at elevated temperatures; (2) neutral wetting for gas, oil, and water phases in two-phase flow; (3) significant increase in oil mobility for gas/oil system; and (4) improved recovery behavior for both gas/oil and oil/water systems. This work reveals a potential for field application for improved gas-well deliverability and well injectivity by altering the rock wettability around wellbore in gas condensate reservoirs from strong liquid-wetting to intermediate gas-wetting.     

裂缝性低渗透油藏流-固耦合理论与数值模拟

根据裂缝性低渗油藏的储层特征,建立适合裂缝性砂岩油藏渗流的等效连续介质模型。将渗流力学与弹塑性力学相结合,建立裂缝性低渗透油藏的流-固耦合渗流数学模型,并给出其数值解.通过数值模拟对一实际井网开发过程中孔隙度、渗透率的变化以及开发指标进行计算,并和刚性模型以及双重介质模型的计算结果进行了分析比较.     

Estimates of Barometric Pumping of Moisture Through Unsaturated Fractured Rock

We present a theory for the motion of water vapor at depth in a discretely fractured permeable medium induced by atmospheric barometric pressure fluctuations, or barometric pumping. The theory involves multiphase mass and energy transport in a fracture/matrix system, with discrete representation of the fracture system. The barometric pressure fluctuations are approximated as periodic in time, with amplitude corresponding to measured values. To simplify the analysis, a single-horizon approximation is applied in which the time-mean gradient is used to evaluate the vertical advective flux in the fractures. Time-periodic solutions are obtained numerically, enabling the calculation of the net efflux of moisture per cycle. The model is applied to material representative of the Yucca Mountain region of southwestern Nevada. The results indicate that the efflux of moisture carried upward from significant depths by barometric pumping is much less than the near surface efflux that is commonly estimated by assuming that air enters the medium dry and is returned to the atmosphere fully saturated with water vapor. This near surface efflux consists primarily of moisture discharged from the upper layer which is frequently replenished by precipitation. Of greater interest to nuclear waste repository design and estimations of net infiltration in arid regions is the fraction of the total moisture efflux that comes from significant depths. This deep transport is quantified by the fracture/matrix transport model described here. Although the transport by barometric pumping from depth is small compared to the total moisture expelled from the surface layer, it is an order of magnitude greater than the vertical moisture flux carried from depth by diffusion.     

考虑裂缝井表皮因子非均匀分布的压力数值试井分析

在对非常规储层的压裂井进行压力试井分析时,裂缝表皮因子通常考虑为单一定值,而由于压裂措施的复杂性,其裂缝周围区域的污染程度并非均匀单一,进而导致地层压力分布规律十分复杂。因此,为了准确地描述裂缝非均匀分布的污染区域,从裂缝表皮因子定义的角度出发,确定了非均匀分布的裂缝表皮因子公式,建立了对应的数值模型进行求解计算,并考虑不同表皮分布规律研究了压力试井曲线及压力场的变化规律。研究结果表明：裂缝表皮因子中心大两边小分布规律下,压力试井曲线过渡段凸起高度更高,线性流段持续时间变短,压降主要集中于裂缝根部位置;裂缝中心小两边大分布规律下,压力试井曲线过渡段凸起高度更低,径向流出现时间早,压降主要集中于裂缝中心位置。通过现场实例对比计算,进一步验证了模型的实用性,可为裂缝井的裂缝污染评价及压力分布评价提供一种新的应用方法,对非常规油气井的产能评价与认识有重要意义。

     

Flow from the Soil Surface into a Fractured Porous Aeration Zone

The one-dimensional problem of the contamination of a fractured porous aeration zone as a result of a fast spill of fluid over the soil surface is investigated. The block capillary imbibition rate is approximated with allowance for the experimental data. An analytic dependence describing the trajectory of the leading contamination front is obtained and the depth of penetration of the spill into the soil is found. The block contamination profile is determined.     

Decoherence of odd compass states in the phase-sensitive amplifying/dissipating environment

We study the evolution of odd compass states (specific superpositions of four coherent states), governed by the standard master equation with phase-sensitive amplifying/attenuating terms, in the presence of a Hamiltonian describing a parametric degenerate linear amplifier. Explicit expressions for the time-dependent Wigner function are obtained. The time of disappearance of the so called “sub-Planck structures” is calculated using the negative value of the Wigner function at the origin of phase space. It is shown that this value rapidly decreases during a short “conventional interference degradation time” (CIDT), which is inversely proportional to the size of quantum superposition, provided the anti-Hermitian terms in the master equation are of the same order (or stronger) as the Hermitian ones (governing the parametric amplification). The CIDT is compared with the final positivization time (FPT), when the Wigner function becomes positive. It appears that the FPT does not depend on the size of superpositions, moreover, it can be much bigger in the amplifying media than in the attenuating ones. Paradoxically, strengthening the Hamiltonian part results in decreasing the CIDT, so that the CIDT almost does not depend on the size of superpositions in the asymptotical case of very weak reservoir coupling. We also analyze the evolution of the Mandel factor, showing that for some sets of parameters this factor remains significantly negative, even when the Wigner function becomes positive.