Loading...

Pore-Level Observation of Free Gravity Drainage of Oil in Fractured Porous Media

Mashayekhizadeh, V ; Sharif University of Technology | 2011

1018 Viewed
  1. Type of Document: Article
  2. DOI: 10.1007/s11242-010-9701-x
  3. Publisher: 2011
  4. Abstract:
  5. This work presents results from two sets of experiments conducted to study, in pore level, the role of fracture aperture and tilt angle on the stability of liquid bridges and the shape of a front during free gravity drainage process. Glass micromodels of two different aperture sizes were used to monitor the mechanism of gravity drainage of air-crude oil system, rotating around a bottom corner to create different tilting angles. Oil content within the matrix blocks was determined as a function of time using a series of images obtained during the experiments, from which net drainage rate from the upper and lower matrix blocks is calculated. Liquid bridges are more frequent but less stable at early time of drainage. The liquid bridges, which have widths as thin as 50 μm, can resist instability to maintain continuity. Liquid bridges formed in stacks with higher tilt angles are more stable, enhancing oil drainage from the upper matrix block and causing higher recoveries. Quantitative analysis of the results shows that a wider fracture aperture increases the oil production rate, but reduces the ultimate recovery. Furthermore, stacks with higher tilt angles present larger ultimate recoveries and smaller production rates. The front geometry in the lower block deviates from linearity due to formation of liquid bridges in the middle fracture. The results of this work can be helpful to better understand the interaction between fractures and matrix blocks
  6. Keywords:
  7. Fracture aperture ; Fracture tilt angle ; Free gravity drainage ; Front geometry ; Glass micromodels ; Liquid bridge ; Oil ; Pore level ; Fracture apertures ; Crude oil ; Experiments ; Fracture ; Geometry ; Glass ; Porous materials ; Recovery ; Liquids ; Drainage ; Fractured medium ; Numerical model ; Oil production ; Porous medium ; Quantitative analysis
  8. Source: Transport in Porous Media ; Volume 87, Issue 2 , 2011 , Pages 561-584 ; 01693913 (ISSN)
  9. URL: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs11242-010-9701-x