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Simultaneous determination of residual saturation and capillary pressure curves utilizing the ultracentrifuge

Conference ·
OSTI ID:7199797

Residual saturation and capillary pressure curves are important for modelling reservoir and laboratory processes. Knowledge of the residual saturation curve is necessary to determine the ultimate production from a tertiary recovery process. Capillary pressure is required to interpret laboratory core floods and to describe multi-phase reservoir fluid flow. The ultracentrifuge provides a rapid means of determining capillary pressure and residual saturation relationships. It is non-destructive, uses small samples, and is capable of attaining both high capillary pressures and extremely low residual saturations. The effects of variation in residual saturation with Bond number are not included in the traditional Hassier-Brunner analysis for capillary pressure. Such desaturation effects can explain the anomalous experimental saturation distributions reported at high rotation rates. The current work generalizes the Hassler-Brunner analysis to include desaturation and also to include the variation in centripeta acceleration through the core. The analysis also provides for the determination of residual saturation as a function of Bond number (k..delta..rhog/sigma.

Research Organization:
Standard Oil Production Co.
OSTI ID:
7199797
Report Number(s):
CONF-861080-
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English