Influence of dynamic factors on nonwetting fluid snap-off in pores
Abstract
Snap-off is an important dynamic multiphase flow phenomenon which occurs in porous media. It plays a dominant role in the residual trapping and mobilization/immobilization of nonwetting fluids such as hydrocarbons or CO2. Current studies, applications, and threshold criteria of snap-off are mostly based on static or equilibrium conditions. Thus, the dynamics of snap-off which is relevant for many real world applications has rarely been systematically studied. While a static criterion indicates the snap-off potential for nonwetting fluids, the competition between the time required for snap-off and the local pore throat capillary number determines whether snap-off actually occurs. Using a theoretical model to couple the wetting film thickness to the local capillary number at the pore throat, we analyzed the dynamics of the wetting/nonwetting interface instability in sinusoidally constricted capillary tubes. The influence of dynamic factors as encapsulated by the effect of local capillary number on nonwetting fluid snap-off time were investigated for varying pore throat to pore body aspect ratio and pore body distances. Finally, the analysis showed that snap-off can be inhibited by a sufficiently large local capillary number even in cases where the static snap-off criterion has been met.
- Authors:
-
- Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Dept. of Geological Sciences; Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Dept. of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering; Missouri Univ. of Science and Technology, Rolla, MO (United States). Dept. of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
- Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Dept. of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering
- Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Dept. of Geological Sciences
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC), Washington D.C. (United States). Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security (CFSES)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1370954
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0001114
- Resource Type:
- Journal Article: Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Water Resources Research
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 51; Journal Issue: 11; Related Information: CFSES partners with University of Texas at Austin (lead); Sandia National Laboratory; Journal ID: ISSN 0043-1397
- Publisher:
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 58 GEOSCIENCES; nuclear (including radiation effects); carbon sequestration; snap-off time; local capillary number; film thickness; multiphase flow; pore scale
Citation Formats
Deng, Wen, Balhoff, Matthew, and Cardenas, M. Bayani. Influence of dynamic factors on nonwetting fluid snap-off in pores. United States: N. p., 2015.
Web. doi:10.1002/2015WR017261.
Deng, Wen, Balhoff, Matthew, & Cardenas, M. Bayani. Influence of dynamic factors on nonwetting fluid snap-off in pores. United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR017261
Deng, Wen, Balhoff, Matthew, and Cardenas, M. Bayani. 2015.
"Influence of dynamic factors on nonwetting fluid snap-off in pores". United States. https://doi.org/10.1002/2015WR017261. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1370954.
@article{osti_1370954,
title = {Influence of dynamic factors on nonwetting fluid snap-off in pores},
author = {Deng, Wen and Balhoff, Matthew and Cardenas, M. Bayani},
abstractNote = {Snap-off is an important dynamic multiphase flow phenomenon which occurs in porous media. It plays a dominant role in the residual trapping and mobilization/immobilization of nonwetting fluids such as hydrocarbons or CO2. Current studies, applications, and threshold criteria of snap-off are mostly based on static or equilibrium conditions. Thus, the dynamics of snap-off which is relevant for many real world applications has rarely been systematically studied. While a static criterion indicates the snap-off potential for nonwetting fluids, the competition between the time required for snap-off and the local pore throat capillary number determines whether snap-off actually occurs. Using a theoretical model to couple the wetting film thickness to the local capillary number at the pore throat, we analyzed the dynamics of the wetting/nonwetting interface instability in sinusoidally constricted capillary tubes. The influence of dynamic factors as encapsulated by the effect of local capillary number on nonwetting fluid snap-off time were investigated for varying pore throat to pore body aspect ratio and pore body distances. Finally, the analysis showed that snap-off can be inhibited by a sufficiently large local capillary number even in cases where the static snap-off criterion has been met.},
doi = {10.1002/2015WR017261},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1370954},
journal = {Water Resources Research},
issn = {0043-1397},
number = 11,
volume = 51,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu Nov 05 00:00:00 EST 2015},
month = {Thu Nov 05 00:00:00 EST 2015}
}
Web of Science
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