Numerical modeling of laboratory corefloods

Abstract

This paper describes a procedure for scaling laboratory coreflood experiments in order to generalize their results to other systems. The procedure combines numerical modeling with laboratory imaging experiments. The corefloods were imaged by computed tomography (CT) to obtain their saturation distributions in time and space. The saturation data were transformed by a self-similar dimensionless variable to obtain the characteristic dimensionless response curves. The characteristics response curves were calculated numerically using fine-grid numerical simulation and compared with the experimental curves. The numerical simulation was repeated with adjusted parameters until the experimental and the computed response curves were in good agreement. After successfully matching the experimental response curves, the well-tuned numerical model was used to scale the results of the laboratory coreflood experiments to other systems by changing the appropriate dimensionless scaling groups in the model. This procedure was used to scale the results of laboratory corefloods of unstable immiscible displacements with excellent results. It was found that using appropriate relative permeability and capillary pressure curves, the dimensionless response curves for unstable immiscible displacements were accurately simulated numerically. It was also found that the simulation of the dimensionless response curves in the corefloods automically simulated the experimental recovery curves as well. The results show that the numerical simulation of the dimensionless response functions of corefloods is a powerful technique for scaling the results of laboratory corefloods to other systems.