Speaker
Description
Abstract
For over 150 years, the quantification of fluid dynamics in porous media has been constrained by simplified homogeneous and single-phase flow assumptions originating from Darcy’s empirical work (1856). Despite significant advancements in digital rock technology, conventional subsurface assessment frameworks still rely on oversimplified porosity-permeability correlations that fail to capture the inherent complexity of natural subsurface environments. These environments are characterized by high heterogeneity and complex multiphase interactions between water, oil, and gas. Persistent reliance on Darcy-flow based equations in these contexts introduces significant uncertainty, leading to inefficiencies in hydrocarbon recovery, geothermal production, and increased risk for CO₂ and hydrogen storage initiatives.
To overcome these limitations, we present a novel approach—Digital Smart Key (DSK), leveraging advanced physics and mathematical enhanced computational methods to quantify spatial heterogeneity across scales from the pore to the field. DSK transforms opaque sparse subsurface data into transparent, and detailed digital pore architectures. These capabilities provide critical insights into heterogeneous pore structures of subsurface and fluid displacement thermodynamics, enable efficient multiscale multiphase flow simulation in porous media, and effectively reduced uncertainty. The efficacy of the DSK platform is demonstrated through a North Sea field case study, where it successfully reduced permeability uncertainty from six orders of magnitude to less than two. DSK serves as a generic, cross-sector platform that provides solutions for complex fluid flow challenges in complex porous media, offering a transformative approach for the global energy transition and environmental sectors.
| Country | UK |
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