IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jeners/v16y2022i1p82-d1010525.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Pore-Scale Numerical Simulation of CO 2 –Oil Two-Phase Flow: A Multiple-Parameter Analysis Based on Phase-Field Method

Author

Listed:
  • Rui Song

    (School of Geoscience and Technology, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China
    State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China)

  • Yu Tang

    (School of Geoscience and Technology, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China)

  • Yao Wang

    (School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Southwest University of Science and Technology, Mianyang 621010, China)

  • Ruiyang Xie

    (School of Civil Engineering and Geomatics, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China)

  • Jianjun Liu

    (State Key Laboratory of Geomechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan 430071, China)

Abstract

A deep understanding of the pore-scale fluid flow mechanism during the CO 2 flooding process is essential to enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and subsurface CO 2 sequestration. Two-phase flow simulations were performed to simulate the CO 2 flooding process based on the phase-field method in this study. Two-dimensional models with random positions and sizes of grains of circular shape were constructed to reproduce the topology of porous media with heterogeneous pore size distributions in the reservoir rock. A multiple-parameter analysis was performed to investigate the effects of capillary number, viscosity ratio, wettability, density, gravity, interfacial tension, and absolute permeability on the two-phase fluid flow characteristics. The results indicated that when the capillary number and viscosity ratio were large enough, i.e., log Ca = −3.62 and log M = −1.00, the fingering phenomenon was not obvious, which could be regarded as a stable displacement process. CO 2 saturation increased with the increase in the PV value of the injected CO 2 . Once the injected CO 2 broke through at the outlet, the oil recovery efficiency approached stability. Two types of broken behaviors of the fluids were observed during the wettability alternation, i.e., snap-off and viscous breakup. Snap-off occurred when capillary forces dominated the fluid flow process, while viscous breakup occurred with a low viscosity ratio. With a low capillary number, the flooding process of the injected CO 2 was mainly controlled by the capillary force and gravity. With the decrease in the interfacial tension between the fluids and the increase in the permeability of the porous media, the recovery of the displaced phase could be enhanced effectively. In the mixed-wet model, with the increase in the percentage of the nonoil-wetted grains, the intersecting point of the relative permeability curve moved to the right and led to a higher oil recovery.

Suggested Citation

  • Rui Song & Yu Tang & Yao Wang & Ruiyang Xie & Jianjun Liu, 2022. "Pore-Scale Numerical Simulation of CO 2 –Oil Two-Phase Flow: A Multiple-Parameter Analysis Based on Phase-Field Method," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(1), pages 1-24, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2022:i:1:p:82-:d:1010525
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/1/82/pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/16/1/82/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Song, Rui & Feng, Xiaoyu & Wang, Yao & Sun, Shuyu & Liu, Jianjun, 2021. "Dissociation and transport modeling of methane hydrate in core-scale sandy sediments: A comparative study," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 221(C).
    2. Song, Rui & Wang, Yao & Tang, Yu & Jiajun peng, & Liu, Jianjun & Yang, Chunhe, 2022. "3D Printing of natural sandstone at pore scale and comparative analysis on micro-structure and single/two-phase flow properties," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PA).
    3. Song, Rui & Liu, Jianjun & Yang, Chunhe & Sun, Shuyu, 2022. "Study on the multiphase heat and mass transfer mechanism in the dissociation of methane hydrate in reconstructed real-shape porous sediments," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 254(PC).
    4. Song, Rui & Sun, Shuyu & Liu, Jianjun & Yang, Chunhe, 2021. "Pore scale modeling on dissociation and transportation of methane hydrate in porous sediments," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 237(C).
    5. Gunde, Akshay C. & Bera, Bijoyendra & Mitra, Sushanta K., 2010. "Investigation of water and CO2 (carbon dioxide) flooding using micro-CT (micro-computed tomography) images of Berea sandstone core using finite element simulations," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(12), pages 5209-5216.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rui Song & Yaojiang Duan & Jianjun Liu & Yujia Song, 2022. "Numerical Modeling on Dissociation and Transportation of Natural Gas Hydrate Considering the Effects of the Geo-Stress," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(24), pages 1-22, December.
    2. Song, Rui & Wang, Yao & Tang, Yu & Jiajun peng, & Liu, Jianjun & Yang, Chunhe, 2022. "3D Printing of natural sandstone at pore scale and comparative analysis on micro-structure and single/two-phase flow properties," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 261(PA).
    3. Zhao, Xin & Geng, Qi & Zhang, Zhen & Qiu, Zhengsong & Fang, Qingchao & Wang, Zhiyuan & Yan, Chuanliang & Ma, Yongle & Li, Yang, 2023. "Phase change material microcapsules for smart temperature regulation of drilling fluids for gas hydrate reservoirs," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 263(PB).
    4. Rui Song & Ping Zhang & Xiaomin Tian & Famu Huang & Zhiwen Li & Jianjun Liu, 2022. "Study on Critical Drawdown Pressure of Sanding for Wellbore of Underground Gas Storage in a Depleted Gas Reservoir," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-18, August.
    5. Liu, Qiang & Li, Jialong & Liang, Bing & Liu, Jianjun & Sun, Weiji & He, Jie & Lei, Yun, 2023. "Complex wettability behavior triggering mechanism on imbibition: A model construction and comparative study based on analysis at multiple scales," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 275(C).
    6. Rong-Chen Tong & He-Juan Liu & Yu-Jia Song & Li-Huan Xie & Sheng-Nan Ban, 2022. "Permeability and Mechanical Response of Granite after Thermal and CO 2 Bearing Fluid Hydro-Chemical Stimulation," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(21), pages 1-17, November.
    7. Li, Yanghui & Wei, Zhaosheng & Wang, Haijun & Wu, Peng & Zhang, Shuheng & You, Zeshao & Liu, Tao & Huang, Lei & Song, Yongchen, 2024. "Impact of hydrate spatial heterogeneity on gas permeability in hydrate-bearing sediments," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 293(C).
    8. He, Youwei & Wang, Ning & Tang, Yong & Tang, Liangrui & He, Zhiyue & Rui, Zhenhua, 2024. "Formation-water evaporation and salt precipitation mechanism in porous media under movable water conditions in underground gas storage," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 286(C).
    9. Yao Wang & Shengjun Li & Rui Song & Jianjun Liu & Min Ye & Shiqi Peng & Yongjun Deng, 2022. "Effects of Grain Size and Layer Thickness on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of 3D-Printed Rock Analogs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(20), pages 1-19, October.
    10. Kou, Xuan & Feng, Jing-Chun & Li, Xiao-Sen & Wang, Yi & Chen, Zhao-Yang, 2022. "Visualization of interactions between depressurization-induced hydrate decomposition and heat/mass transfer," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 239(PC).
    11. Lei, Gang & Tang, Jiadi & Zhang, Ling & Wu, Qi & Li, Jun, 2024. "Effective thermal conductivity for hydrate-bearing sediments under stress and local thermal stimulation conditions: A novel analytical model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 288(C).
    12. Zhang, Haitao & Wu, Bisheng & Luo, Xianqi & Tang, Minggao & Zhang, Xuhui & Yang, Liu & Nie, Yuanxun & Zhou, Jiaxing & Zhang, Li & Li, Guangyao, 2024. "Multiphysical evolution and dynamic competition involved in natural gas hydrate dissociation in porous media and its implications for engineering," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 289(C).
    13. Yang, Min & Liu, Qi & Zhao, Hongsheng & Li, Ziqiang & Liu, Bing & Li, Xingdong & Meng, Fanyong, 2014. "Automatic X-ray inspection for escaped coated particles in spherical fuel elements of high temperature gas-cooled reactor," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 385-398.
    14. Xing, Zhihao & Yao, Jun & Liu, Lei & Sun, Hai, 2024. "Efficiently reconstructing high-quality details of 3D digital rocks with super-resolution Transformer," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 300(C).
    15. Zhao, Li & Guanhua, Ni & Yan, Wang & Hehe, Jiang & Yongzan, Wen & Haoran, Dou & Mao, Jing, 2022. "Semi-homogeneous model of coal based on 3D reconstruction of CT images and its seepage-deformation characteristics," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 259(C).
    16. Wensong Huang & Ping Wang & Gang Hui & Xiangwen Kong & Yuepeng Jia & Lei Huang & Yufei Bai & Zhiyang Pi & Ye Li & Fuyu Yao & Penghu Bao & Yujie Zhang, 2024. "Unconventional Fracture Networks Simulation and Shale Gas Production Prediction by Integration of Petrophysics, Geomechanics and Fracture Characterization," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-16, October.
    17. Ren, Jitian & Xiao, Wenlian & Pu, Wanfen & Tang, Yanbing & Bernabé, Yves & Cheng, Qianrui & Zheng, Lingli, 2024. "Characterization of CO2 miscible/immiscible flooding in low-permeability sandstones using NMR and the VOF simulation method," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 297(C).
    18. Kou, Xuan & Li, Xiao-Sen & Wang, Yi & Liu, Jian-Wu & Chen, Zhao-Yang, 2021. "Heterogeneity of hydrate-bearing sediments: Definition and effects on fluid flow properties," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 229(C).
    19. Wang, Feifei & Shen, Kaixiang & Zhang, Zhilei & Zhang, Di & Wang, Zhenqing & Wang, Zizhen, 2023. "Numerical simulation of natural gas hydrate development with radial horizontal wells based on thermo-hydro-chemistry coupling," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 272(C).
    20. Hengli Wang & Leng Tian & Kaiqiang Zhang & Zongke Liu & Can Huang & Lili Jiang & Xiaolong Chai, 2021. "How Is Ultrasonic-Assisted CO 2 EOR to Unlock Oils from Unconventional Reservoirs?," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-15, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:16:y:2022:i:1:p:82-:d:1010525. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.