scholarly journals Pore-Scale Simulation of Confined Phase Behavior with Pore Size Distribution and Its Effects on Shale Oil Production

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (5) ◽  
pp. 1315
Author(s):  
Jingwei Huang ◽  
Hongsheng Wang
Keyword(s):  
Phase Equilibrium ◽  
Equation Of State ◽  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Phase Behavior ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Critical Role ◽  
Shale Oil ◽  
Pore Scale ◽  
Modified Equation

Confined phase behavior plays a critical role in predicting production from shale reservoirs. In this work, a pseudo-potential lattice Boltzmann method is applied to directly model the phase equilibrium of fluids in nanopores. First, vapor-liquid equilibrium is simulated by capturing the sudden jump on simulated adsorption isotherms in a capillary tube. In addition, effect of pore size distribution on phase equilibrium is evaluated by using a bundle of capillary tubes of various sizes. Simulated coexistence curves indicate that an effective pore size can be used to account for the effects of pore size distribution on confined phase behavior. With simulated coexistence curves from pore-scale simulation, a modified equation of state is built and applied to model the thermodynamic phase diagram of shale oil. Shifted critical properties and suppressed bubble points are observed when effects of confinement is considered. The compositional simulation shows that both predicted oil and gas production will be higher if the modified equation of state is implemented. Results are compared with those using methods of capillary pressure and critical shift.

scholarly journals Comprehensive characterization of nano-pore system for Chang 7 shale oil reservoir in Ordos Basin

2020 ◽  
pp. 014459872097067
Author(s):  
Hui Gao ◽  
Jie Cao ◽  
Chen Wang ◽  
Teng Li ◽  
Mengqing He ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pore Structure ◽  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Ordos Basin ◽  
Oil Reservoir ◽  
Shale Oil ◽  
Size Distributions ◽  
Group I ◽  
Group Ii

Detailed study on the pore structure of shale oil reservoir is significantly for the exploration and development, and the conventional single pore structure measurement method cannot accurately describe the pore structure characteristics of the shale oil reservoir. In this paper, the Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscope (FESEM), low-pressure nitrogen adsorption (LP-N2A) and mercury injection porosimetry (MIP) techniques are used to comprehensive evaluate the pore structure of Chang 7 shale oil reservoir. The FESEM results show that inter pores, inner pores, organic pores and micro-cracks are developed in Chang 7 shale oil reservoir, and the pore structure can be divided into two groups from the LP-N2A and MIP. A new pore structure comprehensive evaluation method was promoted according to the connection points from the pore sizes distribution curves of LP-N2A and MIP. With this comprehensive analysis of the pore size distribution, the pore size distribution of various shale samples feature as triple-peak pattern. Due to the heterogeneity of the shale oil samples, the corresponding pore apertures of the connection points are various, and the overall pore size distribution of shale oil reservoir samples can also be divided into two types. In Group I, the size distributions exhibited a bimodal feature in a narrow range from 1.71 to 100 nm. The trimodal feature of size distributions was captured in Group II with the pore diameter ranges from 1.71 to 1426.8 nm. Group I features smaller sorting coefficient and good pore connectivity. However, the trimodal corresponds to the complex pore structure and larger sorting coefficient for Group II.

Effect of Pore-Size Distribution on Phase Transition of Hydrocarbon Mixtures in Nanoporous Media

SPE Journal ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 21 (06) ◽  
pp. 1981-1995 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lei Wang ◽  
Xiaolong Yin ◽  
Keith B. Neeves ◽  
Erdal Ozkan
Keyword(s):  
Phase Transition ◽  
Phase Change ◽  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Phase Behavior ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Capillary Pressure ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Hydrocarbon Mixtures ◽  
Nanoporous Media ◽  
Light Oil

Summary Pore sizes of many shale-oil and tight gas reservoirs are in the range of nanometers. In these pores, capillary pressure and surface forces can make the phase behavior of hydrocarbon mixtures different from that characterized in pressure/volume/temperature (PVT) cells. Many existing phase-behavior models use a single pore size to describe the effect of confinement on phase behavior. To follow up with our earlier theoretical studies and experimental observations, this research investigates the effect of pore-size distribution. By use of a vapor/liquid equilibrium model that considers the effect of capillary pressure, we present a procedure to simulate the sequence of phase changes in a porous medium caused by a pore-size distribution. This procedure is used to simulate depressurizations of a light oil and a retrograde gas confined inside nanoporous media, the pore-size distributions of which are characteristic of tight reservoirs. The fluid compositions are representative of typical reservoir fluids. Predictions of the model show that phase transition in nanoporous medium with pore-size distribution is not described by a single phase boundary. The initial phase change in the large pores alters the composition of the remaining fluid, and, in turn, suppresses the next phase change. For the two cases studied, models with and without capillary pressure gave similar predictions. For light oil, capillary pressure still noticeably increased the level of supersaturation, and the critical gas saturation had a strong influence on the properties of produced fluids. For retrograde gas, the effect of capillary pressure was insignificant because of the low interfacial tension (IFT). Despite the choice of fluids, calculations indicate that the smallest pores are probably always occupied by hydrocarbon liquid during depressurization.

scholarly journals A Phase Equilibrium Model for Gas Hydrates Considering Pore-Size Distribution of Sediments

2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (02) ◽  
pp. 295-301
Author(s):  
YAN Rong-Tao ◽  
◽  
WEI Hou-Zhen ◽  
WU Er-Lin ◽  
WANG Shu-Yun ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Phase Equilibrium ◽  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Gas Hydrates ◽  
Equilibrium Model

Effect of Nanoscale Pore-Size Distribution on Fluid Phase Behavior of Gas-Improved Oil Recovery in Shale Reservoirs

SPE Journal ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (03) ◽  
pp. 1406-1415
Author(s):  
Sheng Luo ◽  
Jodie L. Lutkenhaus ◽  
Hadi Nasrabadi
Keyword(s):  
Pore Size Distribution ◽  
Phase Behavior ◽  
Pore Size ◽  
Size Distribution ◽  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Gas Injection ◽  
Fluid Phase ◽  
Improved Oil Recovery ◽  
Nanoscale Pore ◽  
Shale Reservoirs

Summary The improved oil recovery (IOR) of unconventional shale reservoirs has attracted much interest in recent years. Gas injection, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and natural gas, is one of the most considered techniques for its sweep efficiency and effectiveness in low-permeability reservoirs. However, the uncertainties of fluid phase behavior in shale reservoirs pose a great challenge in evaluating the performance of a gas-injection operation. Shale reservoirs typically have macroscale to nanoscale pore-size distribution in the porous space. In fractures and macropores, the fluid shows bulk behavior, but in nanopores, the phase behavior is significantly altered by the confinement effect. The integrated behavior of reservoir fluids in this complex environment remains uncertain. In this study, we investigate the nanoscale pore-size-distribution effect on the phase behavior of reservoir fluids in gas injection for shale reservoirs. A case of Anadarko Basin shale oil is used. The pore-size distribution is discretized as a multiscale system with pores of specific diameters. The phase equilibria of methane injection into the multiscale system are calculated. The constant-composition expansions are simulated for oil mixed with various fractions of injected gas. It is found that fluid in nanopores becomes supercritical with injected gas, but lowering the pressure to less than the bubblepoint turns it into the subcritical state. The bubblepoint is generally lower than the bulk and the degree of deviation depends on the amount of injected gas. The modeling of confined-fluid swelling shows that fluid swelled from nanopores is predicted to contain more oil than the swelled fluid at bulk state.

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