Multiphase flow and transport in porous media
Multiphase flow and transport of compositionally complex fluids in geologic media is of important in a number of applied problems which have major social and economic effects. In petroleum reservoir engineering, efficient recovery of energy reserves is the principal goal. Unfortunately, some of these hydrocarbons and other organic chemicals often find their way unwanted into the soils and groundwater supplies. Removal in the latter case is predicated on ensuring the public health and safety. In the paper, principles of modeling fluid flow in systems containing up to three fluid phases (namely, water, air, and organic liquid) are described. Solution of the governing equations for multiphase flow requires knowledge of functional relationships between fluid pressures, saturations, permeabilities which may be formulated on the basis of conceptual models of fluid-porous media interactions. Mechanisms of transport in multicomponent multiphase systems in which species may partition between phases are also described, and the governing equations are presented for the case in which local phase equilibrium may be assumed. A number of hypothetical numerical problems are presented to illustrate the physical behavior of systems in which multiphase flow and transport arise. (Copyright (c) 1989 by the American Geophysical Union.)
- Research Organization:
- Virginia Polytechnic Inst. and State Univ., Blacksburg, VA (United States). Center for Environmental and Hazardous Material Studies
- OSTI ID:
- 6221993
- Report Number(s):
- PB-91-240457/XAB
- Resource Relation:
- Other Information: Pub. in Reviews of Geographics, v27 n3 p311-328 Aug 89. Sponsored by Robert S. Kerr Environmental Research Lab., Ada, OK
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
OIL WELLS
MULTIPHASE FLOW
CAPILLARY FLOW
ENGINEERING GEOLOGY
HYDROCARBONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
PETROLEUM DEPOSITS
PORE PRESSURE
POROUS MATERIALS
RESERVOIR ENGINEERING
RESERVOIR FLUIDS
RESERVOIR ROCK
WATER POLLUTION
ENGINEERING
FLUID FLOW
FLUIDS
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGY
MATERIALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
POLLUTION
RESOURCES
WELLS
020300* - Petroleum- Drilling & Production