Visual Investigation of Retrograde Phenomena and Gas Condensate Flow in Porous Media

Abstract

The mechanism of retrograde condensation and the flow of gas-condensate in horizontal porous media under simulated reservoir conditions were visually studied. Two-dimensional glass micromodels with homogeneous pore structures, as well as heterogeneous patterns, reproduced from real rock micrographs were employed in this study. Depletion tests were carried out using synthetic multicomponent hydrocarbon gas mixtures and also a North Sea gas condensate. The multiphase flow behaviour of the tested systems, as observed and recorded on video, is presented here along with the measured data. In water-wet pores, condensate was observed to be formed as a continuous thin film on connate water, which was the preferred site for condensation. Pressure reduction below the system cricondenbar resulted in the growth of the condensate almost exclusively on water rings at pore throats and dead end pores. The condensate was observed to flow through thin films even at low saturations, with little contribution to the condensate recovery. The rate of pressure depletion influenced the gas flow shear and was found to strongly affect the condensate propagation. Local instabilities could promote significant condensate movement in pore sections which would only be retarded further downstream by capillary effects diminishing the condensate recovery. Relative permeability-saturation relation-ships for gas-condensate flow should not be expected to take the same form as the oil-gas relative permeability for solution gas or external gas drive.