Immiscible Three-phase Flow Research Articles

Wave Structure in WAG Recovery

Summary In immiscible three-phase flow, the lead oil bank can split into two, a Buckley-Leverett shock wave followed by a new type of shock wave. Such a nonclassical "transitional" shock wave is common in three-phase flow. Its sensitivity to diffusion implies that capillary pressure must be modeled correctly to calculate the flow. In particular, transitional shock waves arise in water-alternating-gas (WAG) flow. They can be calculated by semi-analytic methods, which are helpful in the design of effective WAG recovery strategies.

Simulation of Three-Phase Displacement Mechanisms Using a 2D Lattice-Boltzmann Model

Using a numerical technique, known as the lattice-Boltzmann method, we study immiscible three-phase flow at the pore scale. An important phenomenon at this scale is the spreading of oil onto the gas-water interface. In this paper, we recognize from first principles how injected gas remobilizes initially trapped oil blobs. The two main flow mechanisms which account for this type of remobilization are simulated. These are the double-drainage mechanism and (countercurrent) film flow of oil. The simulations agree qualitatively with experimental findings in the literature. We also simulate steady-state three-phase flow (fixed and equal saturations) in a small segment of a waterwet porous medium under both spreading and nonspreading conditions. The difference between the two conditions with respect to the coefficients in the generalized law of Darcy (which also includes viscous coupling) is investigated.

Spreading Dynamics Modeled by Lattice–Boltzmann Techniques

Utilizing a recently developed numerical technique, known as the lattice–Boltzmann method, we study 2D immiscible three-phase flow at the microscopic scale. In this paper, the spreading of a droplet on a fluid–fluid interface has been investigated. Different spreading regimes, depending on the governing forces, are identified. It has been found that the spreading rates derived from simulations agree with analytically obtained spreading rates for both capillary- and gravity-driven flow. In the gravity driven case, a formula can be derived for the drop shape. The numerical results regarding the drop shape turn out to resemble the predicted shape.