Investigating the Influences of Pore-Scale Characteristics on Tight Oil Migration by a Two-Phase Pore Network Model

The migration of expelled hydrocarbon from source rock into unconventional tight reservoirs is subject to different pore-scale fluid transport mechanisms as opposed to the conventional counterparts and therefore plays a crucial role in controlling the hydrocarbon distribution and accumulation in the former. One of the different mechanisms is related to the formation of a more viscous boundary layer (BL) of brine, i.e., wetting phase fluid on pore surfaces, giving rise to the so-called BL effect. In this work, a two-phase pore network model (PNM) that considers this BL effect is developed to study the influences of pore-scale characteristics on the oil migration process, manifested through the BL effect in tight-sandstone media. Good agreements are reached between experimentally derived relative permeability curves and predicted ones, by applying this model to the pore-network networks extracted from the same samples. Then, this validated model was used to evaluate the impacts of the following factors on the oil migration process: pore radius, coordination number, aspect ratio, brine viscosity, and wettability. The results show that all factors can influence the oil migration process but at different magnitudes. The applicability and significance of the developed tight oil migration PNM are discussed in this work.

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A dynamic and fully implicit non‐isothermal, two‐phase, two‐component pore‐network model coupled to single‐phase free flow for the pore‐scale description of evaporation processes

Water Resources Research ◽

10.1029/2020wr028772 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

K. Weishaupt ◽

R. Helmig

Keyword(s):

Network Model ◽

Single Phase ◽

Pore Network ◽

Free Flow ◽

Pore Network Model ◽

Pore Scale ◽

Two Phase ◽

Fully Implicit ◽

Two Component

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Characterization of a Two-Phase Pore-Scale Network Model of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Transport Within Brine-Filled Porous Media

ASME 2011 5th International Conference on Energy Sustainability, Parts A, B, and C ◽

10.1115/es2011-54326 ◽

2011 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

J. S. Ellis ◽

A. Ebrahimi ◽

A. Bazylak

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Porous Media ◽

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽

Network Model ◽

Pore Network ◽

Contact Angles ◽

Pore Network Model ◽

Pore Scale ◽

Two Phase ◽

Supercritical Carbon

Sequestration of carbon dioxide in deep underground reservoirs has been discussed for the reduction of atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions in the short- to medium-term until more sustainable technologies are available. Cost and long-term stability are major factors in adoption, so techniques to improve the storage efficiency and trapping security are essential. Such improvements require modeling of the porous geological formations involved in the sequestration process, and comparison to both lab- and field-based experimental studies. To this end, we are developing a comprehensive, large-scale pore-network model to describe multi-phase flow in porous media, including the structural, dissolution, and mineral trapping regimes. To explore the optimal operating parameters for mineralization trapping, we describe a two-phase pore-network model of brine-saturated aquifers and model the invasion of supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) into the pore structure. Regularly-aligned 2D and 3D pore networks are constructed, and rules-based transport models are used to characterize the saturation behavior over a range of viscosity and capillary parameters, and coordination numbers. Finally, saturation patterns are presented for model caprock and sandstone reservoir conditions, taking into account different contact angles for CO2 on mica and quartz at supercritical conditions. These saturation patterns demonstrate the importance of surface heterogeneities in pore-scale modeling of deep saline aquifers.

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Characterization of Supercritical Carbon Dioxide Transport within a Brine-Filled Porous Media Using a Two-Phase Pore Network Model

ECS Meeting Abstracts ◽

10.1149/ma2011-01/29/1639 ◽

2011 ◽

Keyword(s):

Carbon Dioxide ◽

Porous Media ◽

Supercritical Carbon Dioxide ◽

Network Model ◽

Pore Network ◽

Pore Network Model ◽

Two Phase ◽

Carbon Dioxide Transport ◽

Supercritical Carbon

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Pore-scale simulation of shale oil flow based on pore network model

Fuel ◽

10.1016/j.fuel.2019.03.083 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 251 ◽

pp. 683-692 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Yongfei Yang ◽

Ke Wang ◽

Lei Zhang ◽

Hai Sun ◽

Kai Zhang ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Network Model ◽

Pore Network ◽

Pore Network Model ◽

Shale Oil ◽

Pore Scale ◽

Oil Flow

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Based on the Pore Network Model of CO2-Water-Quartz System Two-Phase Flow Characteristics Study

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.962-965.1289 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 962-965 ◽

pp. 1289-1292 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Ling Yu Chen ◽

Yu Liu ◽

Meiheriayi Mutailipu

Keyword(s):

Network Model ◽

Two Phase Flow ◽

Flow Characteristics ◽

Pore Network ◽

Pore Network Model ◽

Phase Flow ◽

Saline Aquifer ◽

Two Phase ◽

Aquifer Storage ◽

Relative Permeability Curves

Saline aquifer storage is considered to be one of the main ways to realize CO2 geological sequestration. The purpose of the paper is to research CO2 and water seepage characteristics under the condition of different pressure and diameter of glass sand. First, establish four kinds of sand packed beds pore network model. Secondly, measuring the gas-liquid interfacial tension, contact angle under the condition of 50°C and different pressure (5-20MPa). Finally, using the two-phase flow model, obtain the gas-liquid two-phase relative permeability curves under different conditions. The simulation results of this paper can help to predict the actual saline aquifer storage of CO2 sequestration.

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Drying of porous materials at pore scale using lattice Boltzmann and pore network models

Journal of Physics Conference Series ◽

10.1088/1742-6596/2069/1/012001 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2069 (1) ◽

pp. 012001

Author(s):

Jianlin Zhao ◽

Feifei Qin ◽

Dominique Derome ◽

Jan Carmeliet

Keyword(s):

Hybrid Method ◽

Lattice Boltzmann ◽

Network Models ◽

Pore Network ◽

Computational Method ◽

Pore Network Model ◽

Drying Rate ◽

Pore Scale ◽

Two Phase ◽

Drying Rates

Abstract Drying at macroscale shows a first drying period with constant drying rate followed by second drying period showing a receding moisture front, phenomena that can be tailored upon need. In order to study the drying of materials, we present a new hybrid computational method, where the dynamics of the liquid-vapor interfaces is modelled by lattice Boltzmann modelling (LBM) in the two-phase pores, while the single-phase flow in the pores filled solely by vapor or liquid is solved by pore network model (PNM). This hybrid method is validated by comparison with reference full LBM simulations. The hybrid method combines the advantages of both methods, i.e., accuracy and computational efficiency. LBM and the hybrid LBM-PNM method are used to study the drying of porous media at pore scale. We analyse two different pore structures and consider how capillary pumping effect can maximize the drying rate. Finally, we indicate how optimized drying rates are relevant when designing facade or pavement solutions that can mitigate higher surface temperatures in urban environments by evaporative cooling.

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