Optic Imaging of Two-Phase-Flow Behavior in 1D Nanoscale Channels

SPE Journal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (05) ◽  
pp. 793-802 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qihua Wu ◽  
Baojun Bai ◽  
Yinfa Ma ◽  
Jeong Tae Ok ◽  
Keith B. Neeves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Fluid Flow ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Production Optimization ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Small Pore

Summary Gas in tight sand and shale exists in underground reservoirs with microdarcy (µd) or even nanodarcy (nd) permeability ranges; these reservoirs are characterized by small pore throats and crack-like interconnections between pores. The size of the pore throats in shale may differ from the size of the saturating-fluid molecules by only slightly more than one order of magnitude. The physics of fluid flow in these rocks, with measured permeability in the nanodarcy range, is poorly understood. Knowing the fluid-flow behavior in the nanorange channels is of major importance for stimulation design, gas-production optimization, and calculations of the relative permeability of gas in tight shale-gas systems. In this work, a laboratory-on-chip approach for direct visualization of the fluid-flow behavior in nanochannels was developed with an advanced epi-fluorescence microscopy method combined with a nanofluidic chip. Displacements of two-phase flow in 100-nm-depth slit-like channels were reported. Specifically, the two-phase gas-slip effect was investigated. Under experimental conditions, the gas-slippage factor increased as the water saturation increased. The two-phase flow mechanism in 1D nanoscale slit-like channels was proposed and proved by the flow-pattern images. The results are crucial for permeability measurement and understanding fluid-flow behavior for unconventional shale-gas systems with nanoscale pores.

scholarly journals Iterative Analytical Solutions for Nonlinear Two-Phase Flow with Gas Solubility in Shale Gas Reservoirs

Geofluids ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoji Shang ◽  
J. G. Wang ◽  
Zhizhen Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Capillary Pressure ◽  
Analytical Solutions ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Nonlinear Term ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Gas Solubility ◽  
Production Rates ◽  
Two Phase

The governing equations of a two-phase flow have a strong nonlinear term due to the interactions between gas and water such as capillary pressure, water saturation, and gas solubility. This nonlinearity is usually ignored or approximated in order to obtain analytical solutions. The impact of such ignorance on the accuracy of solutions has not been clear so far. This study seeks analytical solutions without ignoring this nonlinear term. Firstly, a nonlinear mathematical model is developed for the two-phase flow of gas and water during shale gas production. This model also considers the effects of gas solubility in water. Then, iterative analytical solutions for pore pressures and production rates of gas and water are derived by the combination of travelling wave and variational iteration methods. Thirdly, the convergence and accuracy of the solutions are checked through history matching of two sets of gas production data: a China shale gas reservoir and a horizontal Barnett shale well. Finally, the effects of the nonlinear term, shale gas solubility, and entry capillary pressure on the shale gas production rate are investigated. It is found that these iterative analytical solutions can be convergent within 2-3 iterations. The solutions can well describe the production rates of both gas and water. The nonlinear term can significantly affect the forecast of shale gas production in both the short term and the long term. Entry capillary pressure and shale gas solubility in water can also affect shale gas production rates of shale gas and water. These analytical solutions can be used for the fast calculation of the production rates of both shale gas and water in the two-phase flow stage.

scholarly journals Water-Gas Two-Phase Flow Behavior of Multi-Fractured Horizontal Wells in Shale Gas Reservoirs

Processes ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 664 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Li ◽  
Guanglong Sheng ◽  
Yuliang Su
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Horizontal Wells ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Fractured Horizontal Wells ◽  
Water Gas

Hydraulic fracturing is a necessary method to develop shale gas reservoirs effectively and economically. However, the flow behavior in multi-porosity fractured reservoirs is difficult to characterize by conventional methods. In this paper, combined with apparent porosity/permeability model of organic matter, inorganic matter and induced fractures, considering the water film in unstimulated reservoir volume (USRV) region water and bulk water in effectively stimulated reservoir volume (ESRV) region, a multi-media water-gas two-phase flow model was established. The finite difference is used to solve the model and the water-gas two-phase flow behavior of multi-fractured horizontal wells is obtained. Mass transfer between different-scale media, the effects of pore pressure on reservoirs and fluid properties at different production stages were considered in this model. The influence of the dynamic reservoir physical parameters on flow behavior and gas production in multi-fractured horizontal wells is studied. The results show that the properties of the total organic content (TOC) and the inherent porosity of the organic matter affect gas production after 40 days. With the gradual increase of production time, the gas production rate decreases rapidly compared with the water production rate, and the gas saturation in the inorganic matter of the ESRV region gradually decreases. The ignorance of stress sensitivity would cause the gas production increase, and the ignorance of organic matter shrinkage decrease the gas production gradually. The water film mainly affects gas production after 100 days, while the bulk water has a greater impact on gas production throughout the whole period. The research provides a new method to accurately describe the two-phase fluid flow behavior in different scale media of fractured shale gas reservoirs.

scholarly journals Thermoplastic Micromodel Investigation of Two-Phase Flows in a Fractured Porous Medium

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao-Yiu Hsu ◽  
Zhong-Yao Zhang ◽  
Chia-Wen Tsao
Keyword(s):  
Porous Media ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Fractured Rock ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Large Radius ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Visualization System ◽  
Optical Visualization ◽  
Small Pore

In the past few years, micromodels have become a useful tool for visualizing flow phenomena in porous media with pore structures, e.g., the multifluid dynamics in soils or rocks with fractures in natural geomaterials. Micromodels fabricated using glass or silicon substrates incur high material cost; in particular, the microfabrication-facility cost for making a glass or silicon-based micromold is usually high. This may be an obstacle for researchers investigating the two-phase-flow behavior of porous media. A rigid thermoplastic material is a preferable polymer material for microfluidic models because of its high resistance to infiltration and deformation. In this study, cyclic olefin copolymer (COC) was selected as the substrate for the micromodel because of its excellent chemical, optical, and mechanical properties. A delicate micromodel with a complex pore geometry that represents a two-dimensional (2D) cross-section profile of a fractured rock in a natural oil or groundwater reservoir was developed for two-phase-flow experiments. Using an optical visualization system, we visualized the flow behavior in the micromodel during the processes of imbibition and drainage. The results show that the flow resistance in the main channel (fracture) with a large radius was higher than that in the surrounding area with small pore channels when the injection or extraction rates were low. When we increased the flow rates, the extraction efficiency of the water and oil in the mainstream channel (fracture) did not increase monotonically because of the complex two-phase-flow dynamics. These findings provide a new mechanism of residual trapping in porous media.

scholarly journals Influence of Stress Sensitivity on Water-Gas Flow in Carbonate Rocks

Geofluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Shuaishi Fu ◽  
Lianjin Zhang ◽  
Yingwen Li ◽  
Xuemei Lan ◽  
Roohollah Askari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbonate Rocks ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Confining Pressure ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Pore Network Model ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase

Carbonate reservoirs significantly contribute to exploitation. Due to their strong heterogeneity, it is of great significance to study core seepage capacity and gas-water two-phase flow of reservoirs with various pore structures under different stresses for productivity prediction, gas reservoir development, and reservoir protection. We utilize micrometer-resolution X-ray tomography to obtain the digital rocks of porous, fractured-porous, and fractured-vuggy carbonate rocks during pressurized process and depressurization. The Lattice Boltzmann method and pore network model are used to simulate the permeability and gas-water two-phase flow under different confining pressures. We show that at the early stage of pressure increase, fractures, vugs, or large pores as the main flow channels first undergo compaction deformation, and the permeability decreases obviously. Then, many isolated small pores are extruded and deformed; thus, the permeability reduction is relatively slow. As the confining pressure increases, the equal-permeability point of fractured-porous sample moves to right. At the same confining pressure, the water saturation corresponding to equal-permeability point during depressurization is greater than that of pressurized process. It is also proved that the pore size decreases irreversibly, and the capillary force increases, which is equivalent to the enhancement of water wettability. Therefore, the irreversible closure of pores leads to the decrease of permeability and the increase of gas-phase seepage resistance, especially in carbonate rocks with fractures, vugs, and large pores. The findings of this study are helpful to better understand the gas production law of depletion development of carbonate gas reservoirs and provide support for efficient development.

Multidomain Two-Phase Flow Model to Study the Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing on Shale Gas Production

2020 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 4273-4288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanglei Cui ◽  
Yuling Tan ◽  
Tianyu Chen ◽  
Xia-Ting Feng ◽  
Derek Elsworth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hydraulic Fracturing ◽  
Shale Gas ◽  
Flow Model ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase

scholarly journals Two-Phase Flow Model for Numerical Investigation of Impact of Water Retention on Shale Gas Production

Geofluids ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Ershe Xu ◽  
Lingjie Yu ◽  
Ming Fan ◽  
Tianyu Chen ◽  
Zhejun Pan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Shale Gas ◽  
Gas Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Injection Pressure ◽  
Gas Production ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Injection Time ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Proposed Model

In this work, a triple-porosity, two-phase flow model was established to fill the knowledge gap of previous models focusing on gas production characteristics while ignoring the impacts of water injection. The proposed model considers the water flow in the fracture systems and clay minerals and the gas flow in the organic matter, inorganic pore, and fracture systems. The proposed model is solved using a finite element approach with COMSOL Multiphysics (Version 5.6) and verified with field data. Then, the evolutions of the intrinsic and relative permeabilities during water injection and gas production are examined. Furthermore, the impacts of water injection time and pressure are investigated. Good verification results are obtained; the goodness-of-fit value is 0.92, indicating that the proposed model can replicate both the water stimulation and the gas production stages. The relative gas permeability declines during water injection but recovers in the gas depletion stage. Furthermore, the intrinsic permeability increases during the water injection stage but decreases during the gas production stage. A higher water injection pressure and longer injection time would enlarge the intrinsic permeability, thus improving flow capacity. However, it would reduce gas relative permeability, thereby hindering gas flow. The shale gas production characteristic is controlled by the two abovementioned competing mechanisms. There exists a perfect combination of water injection pressure and injection time for achieving the maximum profitability of a shale gas well. This work can give a better understanding of the two-phase flow process in shale reservoirs and shed light on the field application of hydraulic fracturing.

Upward Vertical Two-Phase Flow Through an Annulus—Part II: Modeling Bubble, Slug, and Annular Flow

1992 ◽  
Vol 114 (1) ◽  
pp. 14-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. F. Caetano ◽  
O. Shoham ◽  
J. P. Brill
Keyword(s):  
Flow Pattern ◽  
Annular Flow ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Flow Behavior ◽  
Bubble Flow ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Flow Through ◽  
Physical Phenomena ◽  
Good Agreement

Mechanistic models have been developed for each of the existing two-phase flow patterns in an annulus, namely bubble flow, dispersed bubble flow, slug flow, and annular flow. These models are based on two-phase flow physical phenomena and incorporate annulus characteristics such as casing and tubing diameters and degree of eccentricity. The models also apply the new predictive means for friction factor and Taylor bubble rise velocity presented in Part I. Given a set of flow conditions, the existing flow pattern in the system can be predicted. The developed models are applied next for predicting the flow behavior, including the average volumetric liquid holdup and the average total pressure gradient for the existing flow pattern. In general, good agreement was observed between the experimental data and model predictions.

Imaging and Resistivity Studies of Saturation Gradients in Two-Phase Flow in 3-D Porous Media

1996 ◽  
Vol 464 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. H. Kawamoto ◽  
Po-Zen Wong
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Porous Media ◽  
Two Phase Flow ◽  
Water Saturation ◽  
Glass Beads ◽  
Water Phase ◽  
Phase Flow ◽  
Two Phase ◽  
Vertical Column ◽  
X Ray

ABSTRACTWe have carried out x-ray radiography and computed tomography (CT) to study two-phase flow in 3-D porous media. Air-brine displacement was imaged for drainage and imbibition experiments in a vertical column of glass beads. By correlating water saturation Sw with resistance R, we find that there is a threshold saturation S* ≈ 0.2, above which R(SW) ∼ Sw−2, in agreement with the empirical Archie relation. This holds true for both drainage and imbibition with littlehysteresis, provided that Sw remains above S*. Should Sw drop below S* during drainage, R(Sw) rises above the Archie prediction, exhibiting strong hysteresis upon reimbibition. This behavior suggests a transition in the connectivity of the water phase near S*, possibly due to percolation effects.

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