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Evaluation of Liquid Bridge Behavior in the Presence of Flow Inside Fracture by Study of Viscosity, Fracture Width, Flow Rate, Wettability, and their Role on Fracture Capillary Pressure

Farahani, Amir Ali | 2022

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  1. Type of Document: M.Sc. Thesis
  2. Language: Farsi
  3. Document No: 55409 (06)
  4. University: Sharif University of Technology
  5. Department: Chemical and Petroleum Engineering
  6. Advisor(s): Masihi, Mohsen
  7. Abstract:
  8. In fractured reservoirs under the gravity mechanism, the oil transfer between the matrix blocks is affected by mechanisms such as capillary continuity or re-imbibition. Capillary continuity between adjacent matrix blocks can be created by formation of liquid bridges, or physical contact of surfaces due to the roughness of the fracture wall surface.Since the presence of liquid bridges can be effective in creating capillary continuity and therefore the amount of oil production, the study of the presence of liquid bridges between matrix blocks and how they change in terms of volume and shape in the process of oil and gas movement is of particular importance. Although there are studies on the role of liquid bridges, the study of the fracture aperture for the formation of the liquid bridge, its shape and stability, and the capillary pressure of the fracture due to the presence of the liquid bridge, is still a challenge in this area. This study investigates the effective parameters in volume, shape, and capillary pressure due to the presence of liquid bridges in the fracture using simulation with Comsol software.The results show that the capillary pressure of the liquid bridge can be positive or negative values. If the fracture aperture is larger than a certain limit (1.7 mm in this study) or the volume of fluid inside the fracture is less than the threshold value (here 1 microliter), the capillary pressure becomes negative. In particular, the results of this study show that the capillary pressure function of the fracture is similar to the capillary pressure curve of the matrix block and depends on the degree of saturation. Therefore, although in many studies of fractured reservoirs, the capillary pressure of the fractured is considered equal to zero, not considering this assumption can affect the production performance of fractured reservoirs. Also, when there is a flow between two matrix blocks (perpendicular to the fracture) due to the liquid bridge, it leads to a different capillary pressure than the flow in the direction of the fracture.In addition, by evaluating the effective parameters in the formation and stability of the liquid bridge, their effect on the shape and properties of the liquid bridge was investigated. In particular, unlike the volume of fluid between two surfaces which has a large effect on the parameters of the liquid bridge such as the throat radius; The effect of density and viscosity is less and it has visible effects only in large openings. The findings of this study help to better understand how the neck radius of the liquid bridge and the capillary pressure of the fracture change in horizontal fractures.
  9. Keywords:
  10. Fracture ; Capillary Continuing ; COMSOL Software ; Simulation ; Modeling ; Fractured Porous Media ; Fractured Reservoirs ; Capillary Pressure ; Liquide Bridge ; Gravity Drainage Mechanism

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