Three-phase flow in water-wet porous media: gas/oil relative permeabilities for various spreading conditions

Abstract

This paper addresses the impact of oil-on-water spreading energy (which governs the ability of the oil phase to spread on water in the presence of gas) on three-phase gas/oil relative permeabilities and residual oil saturation. Experimental tests, including simultaneous injections of oil and gas in porous media (steady state) as well as displacements of oil by gas (unsteady state) in the presence of connate water, were performed in two different rocks, Fontainebleau and Clashach sandstones. Gas and oil relative permeabilities were calculated directly from the steady-state data or evaluated by history matching of the experimental displacement production curves. The values obtained by the two methods often differ significantly; the relative permeabilities obtained by the steady-state method cannot represent a displacement. Oil recovery and relative permeabilities are higher for spreading than for non-spreading conditions for gas drainage displacements. Gas relative permeabilities at low oil saturations seem to be lower for non-spreading than for spreading conditions due to an important gas blocking effect caused by the oil/gas menisci. In this case, the measured relative permeabilities include a capillary effect. Oil relative permeabilities are compared to theoretical curves derived from an analytical model that takes into account, through the fractal dimension, the surface irregularities of a real porous medium; the model presented in this paper can be used to calculate the relative permeability of the intermediate phase (oil) during gas injection in a porous medium in the presence of water, for low oil saturations where film flow predominates; very good agreement is obtained for spreading conditions. Gas and oil relative permeabilities obtained by fitting the displacement curves for experiments performed with the reservoir rock and fluids under representative conditions may thus be used for prediction or modeling purposes on a reservoir scale.