Relative Permeability Curves For Two-Phase Flows Through Heterogeneous Vuggy Carbonates
Relative Permeability Curves For Two-Phase Flows Through Heterogeneous Vuggy Carbonates
Relative Permeability Curves For Two-Phase Flows Through Heterogeneous Vuggy Carbonates
F
This paper was selected for presentation by a JFES program committee following Garing et al., 2014]. Since fluid flows in vuggy carbonates,
review of an abstract submitted by the author(s). which often contain randomly distributed vug pores
having different intensities, are usually difficult to
ABSTRACT experimentally evaluate in detail, fluid flow analyses by
numerical models are effective [Sukop et al., 2013; van
Appropriate relative permeability curves for two-phase der Land et al., 2013]. Therefore, the authors recently
flows through heterogeneous vuggy carbonates remain developed an X-ray CT based method to numerically
unclear. We have therefore conducted numerical oil-water analyze fluid flows through vuggy carbonates with
two-phase flow simulations using X-ray CT data, to obtain heterogeneous porosity distributions [Kusanagi et al.,
relative permeability curves for different types of vuggy 2014, 2015], which was inspired by the X-ray CT based
carbonate samples. 3D distributions of CT number of the method to analyze fluid flows through fractures with
samples, which consist of 400-m cubic voxels, are heterogeneous aperture distributions [Watanabe et al.,
converted into 3D porosity distributions, and 2011a, 2011b, 2012]. This method creates a 3D porosity
corresponding 3D distributions of absolute permeability distribution of a vuggy carbonate sample based on the
are obtained by assuming porosity-permeability relations partial volume effect in X-ray CT, and simulates Darcy
of non-vuggy carbonates at the voxel scale. 3D flow in a corresponding 3D permeability distribution,
distributions of water saturation at different global water where local permeability is calculated based on the
saturation levels for different capillary pressure conditions permeability-porosity relation of non-vuggy carbonates
are obtained for the porosity distributions, by assuming reported by Lucia [1995] (local non-vuggy assumption).
porosity-dependent capillary pressure curves of non-
vuggy carbonates at the voxel scale, providing Applying this method and an experimental 3D imaging of
corresponding 3D distributions of oil and water relative flow paths to different types of vuggy carbonate samples
permeabilities with an assumption of Corey-type relative have indicated that fluid flows through vuggy carbonates
permeability curves at the voxel scale. Darcy flow are generally characterized by formation of preferential
simulations for resultant distributions of oil and water flow paths (i.e., channeling flow), where considerable
effective permeabilities provide global oil and water amounts of pores does not effectively contribute to the
relative permeabilities at various global water saturation flow. The formation of preferential flow paths within
levels (i.e., relative permeability curves), which are vuggy carbonates may be logical when considering their
validated by two-phase flow experiments. As a result, heterogeneous permeability distributions. It is well known
relative permeability curves of the samples containing vug that fluid flows through fractures and fracture networks
pores distributed over the entire body exhibit Corey-type with heterogeneous permeability distributions are
behaviors. On the other hand, relative permeability curves generally characterized by the formation of preferential
of the samples containing vug pores having fracture-like flow paths as well [Watanabe et al., 2008; Nemoto et al.,
2D distributions exhibit -type behaviors, which has been 2009; Watanabe et al., 2009; Ishibashi et al., 2012;
observed for two-phase flows through rock fractures. In Ishibashi et al., 2015]. Only a part of pores (typically
case of vuggy carbonates, there is a possibility to have the <50% of the total pore volume) effectively contributes to
non-Corey-type relative permeability curves, which are the flow, while the other pores contain stagnant fluids.
characterized by quite different behaviors of non-wetting Additionally, histograms of local porosity for all samples
phase from those of Corey type, depending on the are characterized by lognormal distributions with different
distribution of vug pores because vug pores of weaker geometric mean and standard deviation depending on the
capillarity strongly affect behaviors of non-wetting phase. heterogeneities of the rocks. It has been suggested for
vuggy carbonates that their global permeabilities may be
INTRODUCTION predicted from the geometric mean and standard deviation.
Thus, single-phase flow characteristics of vuggy
Effective developments of vuggy carbonate reservoirs carbonates have become clear.
require a good understanding of the fluid flow
characteristics originating from heterogeneous pore However, two-phase flow characteristics of vuggy
systems of vuggy carbonates [Lucia, 1995; Lny, 2006;
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The 22nd Formation Evaluation Symposium of Japan, September 29 - 30, 2016
carbonates remain unclear although porosity-dependent partial volume effect. The relation between local porosity
capillary pressure curves and Corey-type relative in fraction, i, and CT number, CTNi, at ith voxel of the
permeability curves of non-vuggy carbonates have been air-saturated sample is described by
reported [Lucia, 1995; Gharbi and Blunt, 2012; Dernaika
et al., 2013]. Therefore, we have explored two-phase flow CTN i CTN solid
characteristics for heterogeneous vuggy carbonates. We i =
have conducted a X-ray CT based numerical oil-water CTN air CTN solid , (1)
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The 22nd Formation Evaluation Symposium of Japan, September 29 - 30, 2016
saturation, sw, respectively, were derived from the were simulated separately by solving a finite-difference
permeability-porosity relation and porosity-dependent form of Eq. (3), with distributions of absolute and relative
capillary pressure curve for non-vuggy carbonates permeabilities, under a unidirectional flow geometry
reported in Lucia [1995]. In the literature, three along the sample axis. Based on simulation results, the
combinations of the permeability-porosity relation and global oil and water effective permeabilities for the entire
capillary pressure curve are reported for the rock- volume were calculated based on the Darcys law, and
fabric/petrophysical classes of 1, 2, and 3. In case of class finally were divided by the global absolute permeability at
1 with particle sizes of 100-500 m, the combination may Sw = 0 or 1, to obtain global oil and water relative
be written as follows: permeabilities which correspond to the vertical axis of the
relative permeability curves.
F
( )
k = 4.535 10 6 8.537 , (6)
Experimental Method Figure 2 shows the experimental
s w = 0.02219 H 0.316 1.745 , (7) system to measure oil (n-decane) and water relative
permeabilities, and to visualize flow paths by X-ray CT,
and, in case of class 2 with particle sizes of 20-100 m, for the samples. The rubber-sleeved sample was placed
the combination may be written as follows: within the core holder, of which the body was made of
30wt% CFR PEEK (VICTREX PEEK 450CA30)
( )
k = 2.040 10 9 6.38 , (8)
[Watanabe et al., 2012]. The end plugs attached at both
end faces of the sample had two holes, respectively, for
s w = 0.1404 H 0.407 1.440 , (9) measurements of pore pressure and flow rate. Confining
stress was applied to the sample by pressurizing the fluid
for confining pressure with the pump. Using the other
and, in case of class 3 with particle sizes of 20 m, the pump, pore fluids were injected into the sample from the
combination may be written as follows: bottom of the sample, and flowed out from the top of the
( )
sample, where pore pressure was controlled by the back
k = 2.884 10 12 4.275 , (10) pressure regulator. At a low effective confining stress of 2
MPa and 20oC, oil (viscosity: 0.9 mPas) and water (1.0
s w = 0.6110 H 0.505 1.210 , (11)
mPas) relative permeabilities were measured under
steady state conditions by injecting both fluids
where H is the height above capillary pressure equal to simultaneously at various flow-rate ratios, providing a
zero, in meter, when assuming the case of a reservoir with relation between the two relative permeabilities, which
interfacial tension of 28 mN/m, contact angle of 44o, and may be compared to that from the numerically obtained
water density of 0.88103 kg/m3. relative permeability curves. Note that the contact angle
and interfacial tension, respectively, were almost zero and
A thin section observation indicated that the primary class 51 mN/m for the fluid pair.
was class 2 for all samples. Use of the class 2 relations
was therefore the first option. However, a preliminary Pressure gauge
samples.
Figure 2: Experimental system to measure oil
The distribution of water saturation was obtained at (decane) and water relative permeabilities, and to
various global water saturation levels by varying H. The visualize flow paths by X-ray CT, for the samples.
global water saturation, Sw, which corresponds to the
horizontal axis in relative permeability curves, may be In the visualization of flow paths, the core holder was
calculated by placed in the X-ray CT scanner. For the sample at the same
effective confining stress and temperature, a 3D
N 1
i =0
s w,i i xyz distribution of CT number was obtained first at 28wt%
Sw = , (12) KIaq-saturated condition, and then after simultaneously
N i xyz injecting both KIaq (CT number: 5600 Hounsfield units)
and decane (CT number: -280 Hounsfield units) at a
where sw,i is the local water saturation at ith voxel. For prescribed flow-rate ratio. By doing so, flow paths of
each distribution of water saturation, oil and water flows decane were finally visualized as the regions having
decreased CT number.
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The 22nd Formation Evaluation Symposium of Japan, September 29 - 30, 2016
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION two data points on relative permeability curves. In this
way, full relative permeability curves are obtained through
Figure 3 shows examples of porosity, water saturation, the numerical simulations at various H values.
relative permeability, and flow models, which are
respectively the 3D distributions of porosity, water The relative permeability curves of the samples exhibited
saturation, water (wetting phase) and oil (non-wetting not only Corey-type behaviors but also non-Corey-type
phase) relative permeabilities and flow rates, at H = 5 m behaviors. Minato 1 and 2, and Daito 1, which contained
in the porosity-dependent capillary pressure curve, for vug pores distributed over the entire body, exhibited
Minato 1. The flow rates are normalized so that the Corey-type curve (Figure 4).
maximum value becomes unity, and negligibly small flow
rates of 0.01 are transparent in the figure. 1.0
F
Example for Minato1 at H = 5 m
0.6
0.4
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The 22nd Formation Evaluation Symposium of Japan, September 29 - 30, 2016
of 0.1, and the exponent of 2. Additionally, the curves for 1.0 1.0
permeability (fraction)
permeability (fraction)
0.8 0.8
Corey- and -type curves, can also be represented by the Minato1 Minato2
0.6 Numerical results 0.6 Numerical results
model with a combination of the wetting phase residual Experimental results Experimental results
0.4 0.4
saturation of 0.1, the non-wetting phase residual saturation
0.2 0.2
of 0.25, and the exponent of unity.
0 0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Wetting phase relative Wetting phase relative
1.0 permeability (fraction) permeability (fraction)
F
1.0 1.0
Relative permeability (fraction)
permeability (fraction)
permeability (fraction)
Non-wetting phase (Daito2) 0.8 0.8
Daito1 Daito2
0.6 Numerical results 0.6 Numerical results
0.6 0.4
Experimental results
0.4
Experimental results
0.2 0.2
0.4 0 0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Wetting phase relative Wetting phase relative
permeability (fraction) permeability (fraction)
0.2 1.0
0 0.6 Daito3
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0 Numerical results
0.4 Experimental results
Wetting phase saturation (fraction)
0.2
0
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1.0
Wetting phase relative
permeability (fraction)
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The 22nd Formation Evaluation Symposium of Japan, September 29 - 30, 2016
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