Study of transport of micellar fluids in porous media
Two- and three-phase relative permeabilities have been measured for a low interfacial tension brine-oil-surfactant-alcohol mixture in a Berea sandstone core. The measurements were done at steady-state with a constant nominal capillary number of 10/sup -2/. Residual phase saturation (capillary desaturation curve) and endpoint relative permeability have also been measured for three-phase micellar fluids as a function of capillary number in a Berea core. Continuous and slug displacements of both partitioning and non-partitioning radioactive tracers were run for each steady-state experiment. The experimental effluent tracer data from these experiments were analyzed by a capacitance model. The phase dispersivities and dispersion coefficients estimated from the capacitance analysis as a function of phase saturation and velocity are illustrated. Both excess phases (oil and brine) flowing with the microemulsion showed significant capacitance effects, but the microemulsion did not. The absence of capacitance and higher residual saturation than those of excess phases at the same capillary number indicate that the microemulsion was probably the wetting phase in these low interfacial tension flows, even more wetting than the excess brine phase. The relative permeability of each phase is a function only of its own saturation during three-phase flow. Based on this observation and the trend of experimental data, an exponential function is recommended to model three-phase relative permeability at high capillary number.
- Research Organization:
- Texas Univ., Austin (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 6961258
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
ALCOHOLS
BRINES
CAPACITANCE
ELECTRICAL PROPERTIES
ENERGY SOURCES
ENHANCED RECOVERY
FLUID FLOW
FLUID INJECTION
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
ISOTOPE APPLICATIONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
MICROEMULSION FLOODING
MISCIBLE-PHASE DISPLACEMENT
MULTIPHASE FLOW
OIL SATURATION
OIL WELLS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PERMEABILITY
PETROLEUM
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
RECOVERY
RESIDUAL PETROLEUM
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SATURATION
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
TRACER TECHNIQUES
WELLS