Abstract
A reliable estimation of the apparent diffusion coefficient (D) of gaseous solvent mixtures (GSMs) in heavy oil (HO) is necessary for the design of GSM-based recovery techniques. In this study, diffusion measurements of GSM-HO systems were carried out at various temperatures (25°C to 54.2°C) and pressures (5 to 10 MPa). Then, a novel mathematical model was proposed to describe the diffusion process of GSMs in HO considering the oil swelling effect and density variation. The oil swelling effect was described with a newly developed density model of GSM-HO systems. Finally, the developed model was solved via a numerical method to determine the D of GSMs in HO and the dynamic processes of HO swelling under varied temperature and pressure conditions. The results indicated that the D values at the measured temperatures and pressures ranged from 3.81-22.62×10−10 m2•s−1. The average D value of the GSMs increased with temperature and pressure. The GSM concentration in HO, the height of the GSM-HO interface, and the swelling velocity of HO rapidly increased at the early stage and then slowly increased over time. The maximum GSM concentration was observed at the GSM-HO interface.
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