Preliminary results on the effect of fluid viscosity on three-phase relative permeability: Topical report, Project BE9, Task 1, Milestone 6, FY87
Two- and three-phase relative permeability experiments were conducted on Berea sandstone cores for two systems. The first system used a 4.1-cp oil mixture, and the other system used a 47-cp oil mixture. The other two phases are nitrogen and brine. The steady-state method was used. End effects were eliminated by measuring pressures and saturations at the center portion of the core. The oil and brine saturations were determined by using the x-ray absorption and microwave absorption techniques, respectively. The gas saturation was determined by material balance. Accordingly with the literature, this is the first study ever reported on the effect of oil viscosity on three-phase relative permeability in a gas, oil brine system. Three-phase relative permeability results for the systems are presented and compared. The results show that the relative permeability to brine is a funciton of the brine saturation alone for both systems studied; increasing the oil viscosity lowered the relative permeability to brine by a factor of 10. The relative permeability to oil is a function of all three saturations, and the shapes of the oil isoperms are concave towards the 100 percent oil apex. The relative permeability to the high-viscosity oil seems to be less dependent on the gas and brine saturations than the relative permeability to low-viscosity oil. The gas relative permeability isoperms are concave toward the 100 percent gas apex, indicating that the relative permeability to gas is a funciton of all three saturations. However, comparison of the two isoperms for low- and high-viscosity oil systems reveals that the saturation of high-viscosity oil has more influence on the relative permeability to gas than the low-viscosity oil saturation does. 16 refs., 1 fig.
- Research Organization:
- National Inst. for Petroleum and Energy Research, Bartlesville, OK (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- FC22-83FE60149
- OSTI ID:
- 6962016
- Report Number(s):
- NIPER-296; ON: DE88008171
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
An Investigation of Three-Phase Relative Permeability
Reservoir condition special core analyses and relative permeability measurements on Almond formation and Fontainebleu sandstone rocks
Related Subjects
020300* -- Petroleum-- Drilling & Production
ABSORPTION
BRINES
DATA
ELECTROMAGNETIC RADIATION
ELEMENTS
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
GAS SATURATION
INFORMATION
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MEASURING METHODS
MICROWAVE RADIATION
NITROGEN
NONMETALS
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL SATURATION
OILS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
OTHER ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
PERMEABILITY
PHASE STUDIES
RADIATIONS
ROCKS
SANDSTONES
SATURATION
SEDIMENTARY ROCKS
STEADY-STATE CONDITIONS
VISCOSITY
X RADIATION