skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Two-Phase Flow within Geological Flow Analogies--A Computational Study

Abstract

Displacement of a viscous fluid in heterogeneous geological media by a less viscous one does not evacuate 100% of the defending fluid due to capillary and viscous fingering. This is of importance in geological flows that are encountered in secondary oil recovery and carbon dioxide sequestration in saturated brine fields. Hele-Shaw and pore/throat cells are commonly used to study this in the labratory. Numerical simulations of this flow phenomenon with pore-throat models have been prevalent for over two decades. This current work solves the full Navier-Stokes equations of conservation within random pore-throat geometries with varying properties to study the resulting flow properties. Verification of the solution method is performed by comparison of the model predictions with the available experimental data in the literature. Experimental flows in a pore-throat cell with a known geometrical structure are shown to be in good agreement with the model. Dynamic comparisons to a computational pore-throat model have been shown to be in good agreement as well. There are also additional two-phase immiscible flow patterns that can be identified from the current solutions for which the corresponding laboratory counter part or the pore-throat model predictions are not available. The identification of these flow patterns may allowmore » more accurate modeling of fluid displacement on the reservoir scale.« less

Authors:
;  [1]; ; ;  [1];
  1. Clarkson Univ., Potsdam, NY
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE - Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
OSTI Identifier:
910910
Report Number(s):
DOE/NETL-IR-2007-015
TRN: US200802%%284
DOE Contract Number:  
None cited
Resource Type:
Conference
Resource Relation:
Conference: Eastern Section, AAPG (American Association of Petroleum Geologists) Meeting, Buffalo, New York, Oct. 8-11, 2006
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
02 PETROLEUM; BRINES; CARBON DIOXIDE; NAVIER-STOKES EQUATIONS; PETROLEUM; SIMULATION; TWO-PHASE FLOW; VERIFICATION

Citation Formats

Crandall, D M, Ahmadi, G, Smith, D H, Ferer, M V, Richards, M, and Bromhal, G S. Two-Phase Flow within Geological Flow Analogies--A Computational Study. United States: N. p., 2006. Web.
Crandall, D M, Ahmadi, G, Smith, D H, Ferer, M V, Richards, M, & Bromhal, G S. Two-Phase Flow within Geological Flow Analogies--A Computational Study. United States.
Crandall, D M, Ahmadi, G, Smith, D H, Ferer, M V, Richards, M, and Bromhal, G S. 2006. "Two-Phase Flow within Geological Flow Analogies--A Computational Study". United States.
@article{osti_910910,
title = {Two-Phase Flow within Geological Flow Analogies--A Computational Study},
author = {Crandall, D M and Ahmadi, G and Smith, D H and Ferer, M V and Richards, M and Bromhal, G S},
abstractNote = {Displacement of a viscous fluid in heterogeneous geological media by a less viscous one does not evacuate 100% of the defending fluid due to capillary and viscous fingering. This is of importance in geological flows that are encountered in secondary oil recovery and carbon dioxide sequestration in saturated brine fields. Hele-Shaw and pore/throat cells are commonly used to study this in the labratory. Numerical simulations of this flow phenomenon with pore-throat models have been prevalent for over two decades. This current work solves the full Navier-Stokes equations of conservation within random pore-throat geometries with varying properties to study the resulting flow properties. Verification of the solution method is performed by comparison of the model predictions with the available experimental data in the literature. Experimental flows in a pore-throat cell with a known geometrical structure are shown to be in good agreement with the model. Dynamic comparisons to a computational pore-throat model have been shown to be in good agreement as well. There are also additional two-phase immiscible flow patterns that can be identified from the current solutions for which the corresponding laboratory counter part or the pore-throat model predictions are not available. The identification of these flow patterns may allow more accurate modeling of fluid displacement on the reservoir scale.},
doi = {},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/910910}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2006},
month = {Sun Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2006}
}

Conference:
Other availability
Please see Document Availability for additional information on obtaining the full-text document. Library patrons may search WorldCat to identify libraries that hold this conference proceeding.

Save / Share: