| Bibliographic Citation | |
| Full Text |  23 Mb |
|---|---|
| DOI | 10.2172/833410 |
| Title | EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF RELATIVE PERMEABILITY UPSCALING FROM THE MICRO-SCALE TO THE MACRO-SCALE |
| Creator/Author | Laura J. Pyrak-Nolte ; Nicholas J. Giordano ; David D. Nolte |
| Publication Date | 2004 Mar 01 |
| OSTI Identifier | OSTI ID: 833410 |
| DOE Contract Number | AC26-99BC15207 |
| DOI | 10.2172/833410 |
| Other Number(s) | TRN: US200430%%1380 |
| Resource Type | Technical Report |
| Resource Relation | Other Information: PBD: 1 Mar 2004 |
| Coverage | Final |
| Research Org | Purdue Research Foundation (US) |
| Sponsoring Org | (US) |
| Subject | 02 PETROLEUM; FLUID FLOW; PERMEABILITY; PORE STRUCTURE; SANDSTONES; SATURATION; SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION; MULTIPHASE FLOW; POROUS MATERIALS; FLUID MECHANICS |
| Description/Abstract | The principal challenge of upscaling techniques for multi-phase fluid dynamics in porous media is to determine which properties on the micro-scale can be used to predict macroscopic flow and spatial distribution of phases at core- and field-scales. The most notable outcome of recent theories is the identification of interfacial areas per volume for multiple phases as a fundamental parameter that determines much of the multi-phase properties of the porous medium. A formal program of experimental research was begun to directly test upscaling theories in fluid flow through porous media by comparing measurements of relative permeability and capillary-saturation with measurements of interfacial area per volume. This project on the experimental investigation of relative permeability upscaling has produced a unique combination of three quite different technical approaches to the upscaling problem of obtaining pore-related microscopic properties and using them to predict macroscopic behavior. Several important ''firsts'' have been achieved during the course of the project. (1) Optical coherence imaging, a laser-based ranging and imaging technique, has produced the first images of grain and pore structure up to 1 mm beneath the surface of the sandstone and in a laboratory borehole. (2) Woods metal injection has connected for the first time microscopic pore-scale geometric measurements with macroscopic saturation in real sandstone cores. (3) The micro-model technique has produced the first invertible relationship between saturation and capillary pressure--showing that interfacial area per volume (IAV) provides the linking parameter. IAV is a key element in upscaling theories, so this experimental finding may represent the most important result of this project, with wide ramifications for predictions of fluid behavior in porous media. |
| Country of Publication | United States |
| Language | English |
| Format | Medium: ED; Size: 95 pages |
| Availability | OSTI as DE00833410 To purchase this media from NTIS, click here |
| System Entry Date | 2008 Feb 05 |
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Last Updated: 11/20/2009