Fluid Flow Through Porous Media
Fluid Flow Through Porous Media
Fluid Flow Through Porous Media
Contents
Darcy equation
Different flow patterns (Rectangular, Radial, Spherical)
Different fluid types (incompressible, slightly compressible,
compressible)
Diffusivity equation
The Basic Differential Equation For Linear Flow
The Basic Differential Equation For Radial Flow (RDE)
Solutions to RDE
Flow regimes & boundary/initial conditions
Steady state
Pseudo steady state
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Lecture Outcome
At the end of the lecture, the students should be able to perform the following:
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Assumptions
1. The reservoir is considered homogeneous in all rock properties and isotropic
with respect to permeability.
2. The formation is completely saturated with a single fluid.
3. Constant viscosity
4. Isothermal conditions.
5. One-dimensional flow.
6. Horizontal flow
7. Small fluid compressibility
8. Darcys equation applies
Basic Step
Flow equations for flow in porous materials are based on-
Conservation of mass
Conservation of momentum
Conservation of energy
Constitutive equations for the fluids and
Constitutive equations for the porous material.
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Conservation of Mass:
Consider the following one dimensional slab of porous material:
Mass conservation may be formulated across a control element of the slab, with
one fluid of density is flowing through it at a velocity u:
Continuity equation
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Conservation of Momentum:
Conservation of momentum is simplified for low velocity flow in porous materials
to be described by the semi-empirical Darcy's equation, which for single phase,
one dimensional, horizontal flow .
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The Diffusivity equation for linear flow (1 dimensional, 1 phase, rectangular
coordinate)
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Assumptions:
1. The reservoir is considered homogeneous in all rock properties and isotropic
with respect to permeability.
2. The producing well is completed across the entire formation thickness thus
ensuring fully radial flow.
3. The formation is completely saturated with a single fluid.
4. Mobility k/ is independent of pressure and location
5. Slightly compressible fluid (liquid)
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Which gives
1 k P
r
r r r t ii
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1 V P
c c (iii)
V P t t
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Linearization of RDE
k
1 P k r P k P k r 2P c P
r
r r r r r r r 2 t
m
1 P
c c
m P P r r
2. r is small and
r is negligible 19
2
1 k P k r P P
c
r r r 2 t
or
2
1 P P c P
2
r r r k t
The diffusivity equation for slightly compressible fluid flow (liquid flow)
Or, the RDE in linearized form
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Classification of Flow Systems and Boundary Conditions
Radial Flow
Steady state flow: In this case the mass balance is written as:
Mass rate in = Mass rate out
i.e. the accumulation term is zero;
Mathematically:
P
0 for all r and t ;
t
The system responds to changes in pressure or flow rate in any part of the system
instantaneously. Water influx or water injection such that rate of withdrawal
matches the rate of injection steady state well.
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P
const . for all r and t
t
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Transient condition
For the same reservoir with well, consider flow for a short duration, before
boundary effect is felt and reservoir appears infinite in extent.
Both pressure, P as well as the pressure derivative Pt , are complex
functions of r and t.
P
P g (r , t ) f (r , t )
t
Initial condition P=Pi at t=0 for all r
Boundary conditions
Assume a constant rate q into the well; by Darcys law:
P qB
Lim r
r rw r 2 kh
Assume that well is a thin line in a large reservoir, i.e. influence of well production not felt at the
outer boundary. Transient/infinite acting condition
P=Pi at r for all t
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Diffusivity equation:
1 P 2P ct P
2
r r r k t
Derive solutions for following conditions or flow regimes:
1. Pseudo-steady state (PSS)
2. Steady state (SS)
The solutions are usually referred to as the Well Inflow Equations For Stabilized
Flow Conditions
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Well Inflow Equations For Stabilized Liquid Flow Conditions
(case 1: semi-steady state solution)
Pressure distribution and geometry appropriate for the solution of the radial diffusivity
equation under semi-state conditions
At the time when the solution is being sought the volume averaged pressure within the cell
is
V is the pore volume of the radial cell, Pi is the initial reservoir pressure,
q is the constant production rate, and t is the total flowing time
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For the drainage of a radial volume cell, the semi-steady state condition
dp q
2
dt re h c
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After integration
dp qr2
r 2
c1
dr 2 re kh
where C1 is a constant of integration.
At the outer no-flow boundary p/r = 0
Hence the constant can be evaluated as C1 = q/2kh
After substitution the value of C1
2
r w
Term 2 is considered to be negligible
re
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The above equation is a general expression for the pressure as a function of the
radius.
In the particular case when r = re then
One unfortunate aspect concerning the application of this equation is that, while
both q and pwf can be measured directly, the outer boundary pressure cannot. It is
therefore more common to express the pressure drawdown in terms of (pavg pwf )
instead of (pe pwf ), since pavg, the average pressure within the drainage volume
can be determined from a well test.
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Equation in these terms requires the determination of the volume averaged
pressure within the radial cell as
Where V= r2h
So, dV = 2rhdr
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After putting the expression of average pressure into the general form of PSS
solution
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The first term in the integrand is evaluated using the method of integration by
parts
Combining these two results and including the mechanical skin factor results in
the modified inflow equation
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p
( r ) 0
r r
p
r c 1
r
p c 1
r
r
(1)
p c ln r c
1 2
A
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Boundary conditions: at r=rw; p=pw ; and at r=re; p=pe
From the boundary conditions we find
pw =C1 lnrw+C2 pe =C1 lnre+C2
Solving for the integration constants yields
p e p w
C 1
re
ln
rw
p e p w p e p w
C 2 p w ln r w p e ln r e
re re
ln ln
rw rw
q w re
p p e ln
2 kh r
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Skin
Assume steady state condition
For Ideal condition, pressure drop
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Near well bore zone :Ideal and real bottom hole flowing pressure
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Negative skin (stimulated formation)
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As a first approximation it will be assumed that, due to the steam injection, the temperature
distribution can be described by a temperature step function1 so that, for rw < r < rh, the
temperature Ts is uniform and initially equal to the condensing steam temperature at the
sand face.
During production, Ts will decrease due to heat losses by conduction and convection. For r
> rh, the temperature is the original reservoir temperature Tr.
oh and oc are the viscosities of the oil at temperatures Ts and Tr, respectively and the
inflow equations are formulated under steady state flow conditions,
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Problem-01:
Answer:
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Problem-02:
Answer:
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Problem-03:
Answer:
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Problem
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Solution
1. Productivity index 3. Skin factor
2. Average permeability
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