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Title: 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:
 [1];  [2];  [3]
  1. 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
  2. Univ. of Texas, Austin, TX (United States). Dept. of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering
  3. 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}
}

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Free Publicly Available Full Text
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Cited by: 27 works
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Works referencing / citing this record:

A semi-analytical model research of liquid collar shape and coalescence in pore throat during snap-off
journal, July 2019


Topological Persistence for Relating Microstructure and Capillary Fluid Trapping in Sandstones
journal, January 2019


Characterization of Transport-Enhanced Phase Separation in Porous Media Using a Lattice-Boltzmann Method
journal, May 2019