Sharif Digital Repository

Relative permeability curves have practical implications in petroleum reservoir simulations. Study of the effects of reservoir wettability, pore shape geometry, and viscosity ratio of flowing fluids on the relative permeabilities is of great importance in reservoir modeling. In this paper, lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is employed for analyzing the two-fluid flow in rigid porous media. The developed LBM code proved to be a robust numerical tool for analyzing the factors that influence the relative permeabilities of two immiscible fluids flowing through porous media. The numerically derived relative permeability curves demonstrate that in neutrally wet reservoirs, the effect of viscosity... 

In this paper, a computational technique is presented for the isothermal and non-isothermal water injection into naturally fractured oil reservoirs. A remarkable number of naturally fractured reservoirs contain relatively heavy oils that could not be extracted economically; hence, the thermal recovery methods are extensively used for such reservoirs. In this study, the effectiveness of hot water injection over cold (isothermal) water injection in oil production is quantified. The influence of long and short fractures and their alignments on oil recovery are discussed. To this end, a 2D model for two-phase fluid flow and heat transfer is presented. The medium is assumed to be partially... 

In this paper, a computational technique is presented for the isothermal and non-isothermal water injection into naturally fractured oil reservoirs. A remarkable number of naturally fractured reservoirs contain relatively heavy oils that could not be extracted economically; hence, the thermal recovery methods are extensively used for such reservoirs. In this study, the effectiveness of hot water injection over cold (isothermal) water injection in oil production is quantified. The influence of long and short fractures and their alignments on oil recovery are discussed. To this end, a 2D model for two-phase fluid flow and heat transfer is presented. The medium is assumed to be partially... 

In this paper, a fully coupled numerical model is presented for the finite element analysis of the deforming porous medium interacting with the flow of two immiscible compressible wetting and non-wetting pore fluids. The governing equations involving coupled fluid flow and deformation processes in unsaturated soils are derived within the framework of the generalized Biot theory. The displacements of the solid phase, the pressure of the wetting phase and the capillary pressure are taken as the primary unknowns of the present formulation. The other variables are incorporated into the model using the experimentally determined functions that define the relationship between the hydraulic... 

The aim of the present work is to assess the effects of wettability, heterogeneity, and viscosity differences on water-oil displacement process in micromodel porous media through numerical modelling. The two-phase flow was simulated by Cahn-Hilliard phase field method (PFM) using a finite element package. The micromodel was initially saturated with oil (wetting phase) and oil was produced through invasion of the displacing phase into the matrix. The computed oil and water saturations were in good agreement with those obtained by the visual flooding experiment. Using the validated model, sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the effects of different wettability states,... 

Stepped planing hulls enable the feasibility of running at relatively low Drag-Lift ratio by means of achieving more optimal trim angle at high speeds. Currently, there is no precise method to analyze these hulls over the full range of operating speeds. In this study, a three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model using volume of fluid (VOF) approach is presented for examining the characteristics of a planing hull having one transverse step. A procedure is presented to transform a series of fixed-position simulations into a free to heave and pitch simulation. Resistance, lift, running draft, dynamic trim angle, and wetted area are compared with available experimental data and... 

Oil trapping behavior during the pre-flush stage is critically important to evaluate the effectiveness of matrix acidizing for the oil well stimulation. In this study, the visco-capillary behavior of the two-phase flow in the pore-scale is analyzed to investigate the influence of wetting properties for a natural rock sample. A two-dimensional model, based on Cahn-Hilliard phase-field and Navier-Stokes equations, was established and solved using the finite element method. A stability phase diagram for log capillary number (Ca)-log viscosity ratio (M) was constructed and then compared with the reported experimental works. The maximum and minimum ranges of capillary number and viscosity ratio... 

In this article an attempt was made to fabricate defect-free asymmetric polysulfone (PSf) membranes for the separation of oxygen and nitrogen. The approach is based on the enhanced delayed demixing by blending surface modifying macromolecules (SMMs) in the casting solution and by immersing the cast film in isopropanol for a certain period before it is immersed in water. Different SMMs, including hydrophobic and charged SMMs, were synthesized, characterized, and blended to the host PSf. It was found that the charged SMM could indeed contribute to the removal of defective pores from the skin layer and enhancement of oxygen/nitrogen selectivity. The experimental results were further interpreted... 

In the current study, for the first time, photochemical facile green synthesis of salep capped silver nano-wedges was reported via the wet chemical synthesis procedure. Sunlight-UV as an available reducing agent caused mild reduction of silver ions to the silver nano-wedges. Salep as an effective capping/shaping polysaccharide bioresource material was used in the reaction medium and caused creation of flower-like self-assembled structures of the silver nano-wedges. The formation of silver nano-wedges and their flower-like self-assembled structures was confirmed by SEM technique. Further investigations were carried out using UV-vis, FTIR, GPC and XRD data. The prepared silver nano-wedges... 

Solar stills are considered an environmentally friendly technique to produce fresh water. The condensation surface plays an essential role in controlling the efficiency of the solar still. This main parameter is critically affected by the wettability of the condensation surface that affects the condensation mechanism, namely drop-wise or film-wise condensation. This study aims to enhance the efficiency of solar stills by altering the surface wettability hence changing the condensation mechanism using nanomaterials. In this experimental work, different condensation surfaces were coated by silicone nanoparticles to change the condensation mechanism from film to dropwise. Scanning electron... 

In recent years, polysilicon nanoparticles are used to enhance the oil recovery through the water injection process in oilfields. The contributing mechanisms are the reduction of interfacial tension and wettability alteration which lead to improving or decreasing the oil phase relative permeability and can be traced by change of relative permeability curves. However, profound understanding of the effect of dispersed nano-silica particles on the hysteretic behavior of relative permeability curves remains a controversy topic in the literature.The current study illustrates the influence of dispersed silica particles on hysteretic trend of two-phase curves of oil-water relative permeability.... 

A silicon carbide coating was formed on the surface of graphite flakes by reaction of molten Si with carbon at 1100-1300. °C in a 95%KCl-5%NaF molten salt under Ar atmosphere. The effect of temperature and Si/graphite ratio in the initial mixture on the quality and the amount of SiC were investigated by XRD and SEM/EDS analyses. Also, the water wettability, oxidation resistance and zeta potential of un-coated and coated graphite were examined by TGA analysis and sedimentation test. The results show the amount of coating to increase in the coated flakes with increasing temperature and Si/graphite ratio. The SiC coating improves water wettability of graphite and acts as a protective layer to... 

We use three-dimensional molecular dynamics simulation to investigate the driven flow between two parallel plates separated by argon atoms. Our simulations show that fluids in such channels can be continuously driven. Difference in surface wettability can cause a difference in fluid density along the nano channel. To control the nanochannel temperature walls, we use the thermal wall idea, which models the walls using atoms connected to their original positions by enforcing linear spring forces. In this study, we propose a nanochannel system in which, half of the channel has a low surface wettability, while the other half has a higher surface wettability and that the middle part of channel... 

During any microbial enhanced oil recovery process, both cells and the metabolic products of bacteria govern the tertiary oil recovery efficiency. However, very accurate examination is needed to find the functionality of these tiny creatures at different reservoir conditions. In this regard, the effect of cell structure on ultimate microbial recovery efficiency which is the most dominant mechanism based on the microorganism types (gram-negative or gram-positive) was systematically investigated. At the first stage, possible different active mechanisms using Bacillus stearothermophilus SUCPM#14 strain were tested using specially designed injection protocol, in situ and ex situ core flooding... 

In the current article the effect of the Casimir force on the static behavior and pull-in characteristics of nano/micromirrors under capillary force is investigated. At the first, the dimensionless equation governing the static behavior of nano/micromirrors is obtained. The dependency of the critical tilting angle on the physical and geometrical parameters of the nano/micromirror and its supporting torsional beams is investigated. It is found that the Casimir effect can considerably reduce the pull-in instability limits of the nano/micromirror. It is also found that rotation angle of the mirror under capillary force highly depends on the Casimir force applied to the mirror. Finally the... 

Modeling and simulation of fixed bed three-phase catalytic reactors are considered for wet air catalytic oxidation of phenol to perform a comparative numerical analysis between tricklebed and packed-bubble column reactors. The modeling involves material balances both for the catalyst particle as well as for different fluid phases. Catalyst deactivation is also considered in a transient reactor model to investigate the effects of various parameters including reactor temperature on catalyst deactivation. The simulation results indicated that packed-bubble columns were slightly superior in performance than trickle beds. It was also found that reaction temperature was the most effective... 

Capillary continuity between adjacent matrix blocks through formation of liquid bridge controls the recovery factor of gravity drainage process in fractured reservoirs. However, stability of liquid bridges as well as related capillary pressure in horizontal rough fractures is not well discussed in the available literature. In this work, new models of rough-walled fracture are developed and the role of roughness size and frequency on formation of liquid bridge and fracture capillary pressure are investigated. The Young-Laplace equation is numerically solved to characterize the liquid bridge formed in the proposed models of rough fractures. Critical fracture aperture for a range of liquid... 

During a Wet End break, the loss of paper feed through the paper machine causes loss of sensory information and the remaining parts of the process are operated in open-loop. This causes the stock composition in the Headbox to deviate substantially from the nominal specifications, causing paper quality (after start up) and paper machine runability issues. In this work, the Base Sheet Ash measurement of the scanner is estimated using a least absolute value (LAV) model which can then be used for control of the chalk valve during the breaks to keep the Headbox Ash within specified limits. The model is computed using a very fast optimization algorithm which is able to compute the LAV solution... 

In upstream oil industry, microorganisms arise some opportunities and challenges. They can increase oil recovery through microbial enhanced oil recovery (MEOR) mechanisms, or they can increase production costs and risks through reservoir souring process due to H2S gas production. MEOR is mostly known by bioproducts such as biosurfactant or processes such as bioclogging or biodegradation. On the other hand, when it comes to treatment of reservoir souring, the only objective is to inhibit reservoir souring. These perceptions are mainly because decision makers are not aware of the effect microorganisms’ cell can individually have on the wettability. In this work, we study the individual effect... 

Spontaneous imbibition of water from fracture into the matrix is considered as one of the most important recovery mechanisms in the fractured porous media. However, water cannot spontaneously imbibe into the oil-wet rocks and as a result oil won't be produced, unless the capillary pressure barrier between fracture conduits and matrix is overcome. Wettability alteration is known as the main affecting mechanism for low salinity water flooding (LSWF), however, its effectiveness in fractured porous media has been less investigated, especially in the case of possible pore scale displacement mechanisms. In this study, the effectiveness of LSWF (diluted seawater) on oil recovery is compared to the...