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Title: Characterization of immiscible fluid displacement processes with various capillary numbers and viscosity ratios in 3D natural sandstone

Journal Article · · Advances in Water Resources

We characterize the influence of reservoir conditions upon multiphase flow, we calculated fluid displacements (drainage processes) in 3D pore spaces of Berea sandstone using two-phase lattice Boltzmann (LB) simulations. The results of simulations under various conditions were used to classify the resulting two-phase flow behavior into three typical fluid displacement patterns on the diagram of capillary number (Ca) and viscosity ratio of the two fluids (M). In addition, the saturation of the nonwetting phase was calculated and mapped on the Ca–M diagram. We then characterized dynamic pore-filling events (i.e., Haines jumps) from the pressure variation of the nonwetting phase, and linked this behavior to the occurrence of capillary fingering. The results revealed the onset of capillary fingering in 3D natural rock at a higher Ca than in 2D homogeneous granular models, with the crossover region between typical displacement patterns broader than in the homogeneous granular model. Furthermore, saturation of the nonwetting phase mapped on the Ca–M diagram significantly depends on the rock models. These important differences between two-phase flow in 3D natural rock and in 2D homogeneous models could be due to the heterogeneity of pore geometry in the natural rock and differences in pore connectivity. By quantifying two-phase fluid behavior in the target reservoir rock under various conditions (e.g., saturation mapping on the Ca–M diagram), our approach could provide useful information for investigating suitable reservoir conditions for geo-fluid management (e.g., high CO2 saturation in CO2 storage).

Research Organization:
Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Geologic Storage of CO2 (GSCO2)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012504; 15H01143; 24246148; SC0C12504
OSTI ID:
1388385
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1344939
Journal Information:
Advances in Water Resources, Vol. 95, Issue C; Related Information: GSCO2 partners with University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (lead); National Energy Technology Laboratory; Schlumberger; SINTEF; Stiftelsen Norsar; Texas Tech University; University of Notre Dame; University of Southern California; University of Texas at Austin; Wright State University; ISSN 0309-1708
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 87 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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Fundamental Understanding of Water Movement in Gas Diffusion Layer under Different Arrangements Using Combination of Direct Modeling and Experimental Visualization journal January 2018
Visualizing and quantifying the crossover from capillary fingering to viscous fingering in a rough fracture: CROSSOVER CAPILLARY TO VISCOUS FINGERING journal September 2017
The impact of drainage displacement patterns and Haines jumps on CO2 storage efficiency journal October 2018
Pore-scale numerical modeling of coupled fluid flow and medium geometrical deformations in an unconsolidated porous medium journal December 2019
Estimation of three-phase relative permeability by simulating fluid dynamics directly on rock-microstructure images: ESTIMATION OF THREE-PHASE PERMEABILITY journal January 2017
Energy Conversion Reveals Regime Transition of Imbibition in a Rough Fracture journal September 2018
Pore-scale characteristics of multiphase flow in heterogeneous porous media using the lattice Boltzmann method journal March 2019
Minimized Capillary End Effect During CO 2 Displacement in 2-D Micromodel by Manipulating Capillary Pressure at the Outlet Boundary in Lattice Boltzmann Method journal February 2018
High‐Speed Quantification of Pore‐Scale Multiphase Flow of Water and Supercritical CO 2 in 2‐D Heterogeneous Porous Micromodels: Flow Regimes and Interface Dynamics journal May 2019
Experimental study of drying effects during supercritical CO2 displacement in a pore network journal August 2018
Generalized three-dimensional lattice Boltzmann color-gradient method for immiscible two-phase pore-scale imbibition and drainage in porous media journal March 2017
Preferential Paths of Air-water Two-phase Flow in Porous Structures with Special Consideration of Channel Thickness Effects journal November 2019