Simulation of pore scale porous media flow using lattice gas methods

Conference · Tue Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1991

OSTI ID:6027379

Eggert, K; Chen, Shiyi; Travis, B; Grunau, D ^[1]; Loh, E ^[2]; Kovarik, F ^[3]

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1. Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
2. Thinking Machines Corp., Cambridge, MA (USA)
3. Houston Univ., TX (USA). Inst. for Improved Oil Recovery Research

Carbon dioxide-foam injection is an important technique for improving the recovery of oil from porous rocks. Huh, et. al. (1989) recently presented results of two-dimensional laboratory micromodel studies conducted to better understand this process for improved oil recovery. These experimental results indicate that the introduction of CO{sub 2} foam may be expected to have a substantial effect on the relative permeability curves that would be used to model improved oil recovery in a reservoir. However, in order to determine expected changes in relative permeability a computational technique is require to quantify the experimental results, and to help determine the appropriate relative permeability curves for reservoir scale calculation. Two computational methodologies are needed to utilize the experimental information to improve reservoir simulations. First, a method is needed for quantitatively describing the phenomena observed in the micromodel geometry. Second, a method is needed to extend these effects to the different scales of heterogeneity that may be expected to exist between the laboratory and the field. This paper is focused on the first of these methods, and although it does not yet fully solve the problem of representing these fluid systems in the laboratory, it presents a promising approach to this problem. The paper briefly discusses the application of the lattice gas method for solution of the nondimensional Navier-Stokes equations for flow of fluids through the complex microscopic geometry of porous media. In particular, the approach presented herein allows the simulation not only of single fluids through the media, but of systems of two or more fluids ranging from fully miscible to completely immiscible. 11 refs., 4 figs.

• Research Organization: Los Alamos National Lab., NM (USA)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE; National Aeronautic and Space Administration (NASA); USDOE, Washington, DC (USA); National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Washington, DC (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: W-7405-ENG-36
• OSTI ID: 6027379
• Report Number(s): LA-UR-90-3782; CONF-910759-1; ON: DE91004829; CNN: NAGW1648
• Resource Relation: Conference: SPE/UA emerging technologies conference, Houston, TX (USA), 5-7 Jul 1991
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

02 PETROLEUM
CARBON DIOXIDE INJECTION
FLOW MODELS
OIL WELLS
BOUNDARY CONDITIONS
CALCULATION METHODS
DENSITY
DEPTH
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID FLOW
FLUID MECHANICS
FOAMS
NAVIER-STOKES EQUATIONS
NUMERICAL SOLUTION
PERMEABILITY
PETROLEUM
POROUS MATERIALS
RESERVOIR ENGINEERING
RESERVOIR FLUIDS
SIMULATION
SURFACE TENSION
TWO-PHASE FLOW
VISCOSITY
COLLOIDS
DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
DIMENSIONS
DISPERSIONS
ENERGY SOURCES
ENGINEERING
EQUATIONS
FLUID INJECTION
FLUIDS
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
MATERIALS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MECHANICS
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
PARTIAL DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RECOVERY
SURFACE PROPERTIES
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production