Preferential imbibition in a dual-permeability pore network

Gu，Qingqing1; Liu，Haihu2; Wu，Lei1

2021

10.1017/jfm.2021.174

JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS   影响因子和分区

0022-1120

1469-7645

A deep understanding of two-phase displacement in porous media with permeability contrast is essential for the design and optimisation of enhanced oil recovery processes. In this paper, we investigate the forced imbibition behaviour in two dual-permeability geometries that are of equal permeability contrast. First, a mathematical model is developed for the imbibition in a pore doublet, which shows that the imbibition dynamics can be fully described by the viscosity ratio and capillary number which creatively incorporates the influence of channel width and length. Through the finite difference solution of the mathematical model, a-phase diagram is established to characterise the imbibition preference in the pore doublet. We then investigate the imbibition process in a dual-permeability pore network using a well-established lattice Boltzmann method, focusing on the competition between the viscous and capillary forces. Like in the pore doublet, the preferential imbibition occurs in high-permeability zone at high but in low-permeability zone at low. When is not sufficiently high, an oblique advancing pattern is observed which is attributed to non-trivial interfacial tension. Using the newly defined capillary number, the critical curve on which the breakthrough simultaneously occurs in both permeability zones is found to match well with that from the pore doublet and it is the optimal condition for maximising the imbibition efficiency in the entire pore network.

multiphase flow porous media

SCI ; EI

英语

第一 ; 通讯

National Natural Science Foundation of China[51876170,12072257] ; National Key Project[GJXM92579] ; Natural Science Basic Research Plan in Shaanxi Province of China[2019JM-343]

Mechanics ; Physics

Mechanics ; Physics, Fluids & Plasmas

WOS:000635225800001

CAMBRIDGE UNIV PRESS

20211410181071

Capillarity ; Contrast media ; Enhanced recovery ; Porous materials ; Two phase flow

Oil Field Production Operations:511.1 ; Fluid Flow, General:631.1 ; Chemical Agents and Basic Industrial Chemicals:803 ; Materials Science:951

ENGINEERING

2-s2.0-85103583022

Scopus

1.Department of Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering,Southern University of Science and Technology,Shenzhen,518055,China
2.School of Energy and Power Engineering,Xi'an Jiaotong University,Xi'an,28 West Xianning Road,710049,China

Gu，Qingqing,Liu，Haihu,Wu，Lei. Preferential imbibition in a dual-permeability pore network[J]. JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS,2021,915.

Gu，Qingqing,Liu，Haihu,&Wu，Lei.(2021).Preferential imbibition in a dual-permeability pore network.JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS,915.

Gu，Qingqing,et al."Preferential imbibition in a dual-permeability pore network".JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS 915(2021).