Presentation materials
In this work, we present advanced numerical models to simulate two-phase flow in reactive environments across multiple scales of interest. The model seamlessly integrates continuum-scale and pore-scale reactive transport within a unified framework using the same set of partial differential equations. It extends the Darcy-Brinkman-Stokes formulation to two-phase flow, enabling a comprehensive...
The coexistence of multiple immiscible fluids in porous media alters velocity distributions, creating dead-end regions and high-velocity channels that significantly affect solute transport, mixing, and reactivity in both natural and industrial systems. To investigate this at the pore-scale, we simulate the simultaneous flow of two immiscible fluids, air and water, using OpenFOAM. Our study...
This work provides the derivation of a new model for immiscible flow of a wetting phase inside a non-wetting phase through the pores of a homogeneous porous medium under the effect of external electric and magnetic fields. The model assumes both fluid phases to be incompressible and Newtonian, with the solid matrix being rigid and impermeable. The
porous medium, characterized by a length 𝐿,...
Accurately predicting multiphase flow is a challenging task because the displacement of the two fluid phases depends on a complex interplay between surface tension effects and viscous forces, resulting in non-linear behavior. In this study, we employ pore-doublet models to investigate the stability of two-phase flow across a wide range of fluid properties and flow rates. Pore-doublets – a...
Relative permeability is a crucial two-phase property in porous media that can be significantly impacted by wettability conditions. While traditional research has predominantly examined homogeneous wettability, this work explores the less studied pore-size dependent (PSD) wettability, featured by a pore-size dependent wettability distribution. Leveraging high-fidelity Lattice Boltzmann...
Foam diversion effect is potentially useful for mobility control in both dioxide storage and enhanced oil recovery processes in subsurface. The transport behavior of foam at pore scale in the porous media has thus far been mostly studied using micromodels (i.e. experimentally) and pore-scale numerical models have lagged behind.
We have recently introduced a pore-scale model for foam based on...
The injection of CO
The simultaneous flow of multiple fluids through a porous medium is important to several earth science applications, such as underground gas storage and groundwater remediation. The intricate interplay between capillary, viscous and gravitational forces inside heterogeneous pore geometries gives rise to non-linear and complex flow dynamics. Even though it is known that imbibition comprises...
Soluble minerals are abundant in inter-salt shale oil reservoirs, and during the development process, phenomena such as dissolution and precipitation occur, affecting the structure of the reservoir. The study aims to investigate the effects of dissolution and precipitation of single minerals in high-salinity core samples on the pore structure and seepage patterns. First, by utilizing CT...
The injection of water-based hydraulic fracturing fluids (HFF) into tight shale gas formations can significantly increase the possibility of fluids interacting with the reservoir rocks, causing damage to gas flow capacity of shale stimulated fracture network due to stress sensitivity after water invasion. As a result, it is significant to clarify the high-pressure fracturing fluids invasion...
Unconventional shale oil and gas plays an important role in the global energy transition. However, predicting oil and gas production from shale formations remains a critical challenge, largely due to the abnormal thermodynamic phase change behavior and nonequilibrium multiphase fluid flow within the extensive nanometer-scale pore spaces in shale rocks. While the abnormal behaviors have been...
Three-phase flow in porous media is encountered in several recovery and storage operations in subsurface reservoirs, including water-alternate-gas injections for improved oil recovery as well as permanent CO2 storage and seasonal gas storage in reservoirs containing residual oil. Such fluid injections are often slug-wise or cyclic, leading to multiple irreversible drainage and imbibition...
Drainage in porous media can be broken down into two main mechanisms: a primary piston-like displacement of the interfaces through the bulk of pore bodies and throats, and a secondary slow flow through corners and films in the wake of the invasion front. In granular porous media, this secondary drainage mechanism unfolds in connected pathways of pendular structures, such as capillary bridges...
In multiphase flows near capillary equilibrium, such as the buoyant migration of fluids in the subsurface, small changes in the capillary pressure can play important roles in the dynamics of such systems. Capillary pressure variations are controlling factors for the migratory pathways of fluids such as those in petroleum, natural gas, geologic carbon sequestration, and geologic hydrogen...
Pore-scale modeling is becoming increasingly important for understanding flow mechanisms and predicting transport properties of porous materials. The direct numerical simulation (DNS) method and pore network model (PNM) are two predominant pore-scale simulation methods. DNS simulates fluid flow directly in the realistic, complex porous structures with high accuracy but a considerable...
Dispersed fluids (foam, emulsion, bubbly liquid, etc.) flows through porous media in the form of disconnected droplets or ganglia, which occurs in many subsurface industrial scenarios [1-3]. However, current theoretical models cannot provide a consistent and general description of the dispersed fluids flow in porous media [4,5].
We conducted demonstrative microfluidic experiments on...
The pore-scale interfacial dynamics including main-meniscus flow and corner flow usually occurs in heterogeneous porous media and significantly affects the macroscopic multiphase flow process. The numerical research on the competition between main-meniscus flow and corner flow remains challenging, particularly its upscaling in porous media due to the large spatial and temporary scale...
In a cylindrical capillary or a Hele-Shaw cell with perfectly flat walls, the equilibrium position of the interface between two fluids given the external conditions such as the pressure head is unique. If the external conditions change infinitely slowly (quasistatically), the interface follows this equilibrium, thus, its position is history-independent; there is no energy dissipation in this...
This work focuses on fully compositional three-phase flow in highly complex porous media under non-isothermal conditions, highlighting the use of higher-order numerical methods. We employ mass-conserving higher-order numerical methods with 2D unstructured triangular or rectangular meshes. The numerical model is based on the combination of the mixed hybrid finite element (MHFE) method for the...
Interwell Partitioning Tracer Test (IPTT) estimates remaining oil for economic evaluation of reservoir operations. It involves waterflooding and co-injection of two chemicals: one that is water-soluble (conservative) and another that also partitions into the oil phase. The downstream concentration of injected chemicals yields concentration history (CH). Cooke's interpretation of CH estimates...
Wetting and drying cycles are often found in natural and engineered porous medium exposed to water. Examples include soils, underground porous rocks or building materials. When a porous medium dries, minerals contained in the water can supersaturate and consequently precipitate. The location and mechanism of precipitation of these minerals is dependent on the drying dynamics, which are...
Coupled mineral dissolution, precipitation, and gas exsolution are critical in subsurface energy applications such as natural hydrogen extraction, nuclear waste storage, and CO2 sequestration. However, the behavior of exsolved gases in rock matrices remains poorly understood, particularly regarding whether gases become trapped by precipitates, induce pore clogging, or migrate with fluid flow...
Subsurface CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers, owing to their capacity, containment efficiency, and availability, is a promising strategy to enable the global net-zero target. Maintaining CO2 injection into these storage sites is crucial for the success of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. However, dry CO2 injection leads to brine evaporation in porous rock, resulting in salt...
ABSTRACT
The sandstone reservoirs of the Southern Indus Basin, particularly the ones in the Pab range near Winder, Baluchistan, Pakistan, have yet to be exploited with regard to the potential for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and carbon capture and storage (CCS). The preliminary study on mineralogical composition and the effects of saline water concentration on wettability alteration and...
Carbon dioxide (CO2) and hydrogen (H2) storage in geological formations are two key approaches to reducing carbon emissions, with capillary trapping being the most efficient mechanism for ensuring storage security. Understanding the behaviours of immiscible fluid-fluid displacement in porous media is crucial for optimizing trapping efficiency. Previous studies have primarily focused on...
Concrete is the world’s most widely used building material, and its durability has an enormous environmental and economic impact. Cement-based structures are generally under unsaturated conditions, and among the different factors, moisture conditions are directly related to many durability issues, such as freeze-thaw or corrosion-induced damages [1], [2]. Nevertheless, traditional approaches...
Geothermal energy is a critical application of subsurface utilization, offering a sustainable and renewable energy source. However, its widespread development faces significant challenges, particularly related to the high permeability of subsurface reservoirs. This characteristic often leads to non-ideal flow zones that hinder efficient heat extraction and reservoir performance. To address...
Spontaneous imbibition plays a critical role in two-phase flow within hydraulic fractures of tight reservoirs. Despite significant efforts to address this phenomenon, there are few studies that concentrate on tight glutenite reservoirs, an essential subset of tight reservoirs. As a result, the imbibition mechanism and its influencing factors remain unclear, with several key factors not being...
