Fluid Interfaces during Viscous-Dominated Primary Drainage in 2D Micromodels Using Pore-Scale SPH Simulations
We perform pore-scale resolved direct numerical simulations of immiscible two-phase flow in porous media to study the evolution of fluid interfaces. Using a Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics approach, we simulate saturation-controlled primary drainage in heterogeneous, partially wettable 2D porous mic...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2018-01-01
|
| Series: | Geofluids |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/8269645 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849304463811018752 |
|---|---|
| author | Rakulan Sivanesapillai Holger Steeb |
| author_facet | Rakulan Sivanesapillai Holger Steeb |
| author_sort | Rakulan Sivanesapillai |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We perform pore-scale resolved direct numerical simulations of immiscible two-phase flow in porous media to study the evolution of fluid interfaces. Using a Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics approach, we simulate saturation-controlled primary drainage in heterogeneous, partially wettable 2D porous microstructures. While imaging the evolution of fluid interfaces near capillary equilibrium becomes more feasible as fast X-ray tomography techniques mature, imaging methods with suitable temporal resolution for viscous-dominated flow have only recently emerged. In this work, we study viscous fingering and stable displacement processes. During viscous fingering, pore-scale flow fields are reminiscent of Bretherton annular flow, that is, the less viscous phase percolates through the core of a pore-throat forming a hydrodynamic wetting film. Even in simple microstructures wetting films have major impact on the evolution of fluid interfacial area and are observed to give rise to nonnegligible interfacial viscous coupling. Although macroscopically appearing flat, saturation fronts during stable displacement extend over the length of the capillary dispersion zone. While far from the dispersion zone fluid permeation obeys Darcy’s law, the interplay of viscous and capillary forces is found to render fluid flow within complex. Here we show that the characteristic length scale of the capillary dispersion zone increases with the heterogeneity of the microstructure. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-0f28b461bd1e40bd931e2355101c57f2 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1468-8115 1468-8123 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2018-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geofluids |
| spelling | doaj-art-0f28b461bd1e40bd931e2355101c57f22025-08-20T03:55:44ZengWileyGeofluids1468-81151468-81232018-01-01201810.1155/2018/82696458269645Fluid Interfaces during Viscous-Dominated Primary Drainage in 2D Micromodels Using Pore-Scale SPH SimulationsRakulan Sivanesapillai0Holger Steeb1Institute of Applied Mechanics, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 7, 70 569 Stuttgart, GermanyInstitute of Applied Mechanics, University of Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 7, 70 569 Stuttgart, GermanyWe perform pore-scale resolved direct numerical simulations of immiscible two-phase flow in porous media to study the evolution of fluid interfaces. Using a Smoothed-Particle Hydrodynamics approach, we simulate saturation-controlled primary drainage in heterogeneous, partially wettable 2D porous microstructures. While imaging the evolution of fluid interfaces near capillary equilibrium becomes more feasible as fast X-ray tomography techniques mature, imaging methods with suitable temporal resolution for viscous-dominated flow have only recently emerged. In this work, we study viscous fingering and stable displacement processes. During viscous fingering, pore-scale flow fields are reminiscent of Bretherton annular flow, that is, the less viscous phase percolates through the core of a pore-throat forming a hydrodynamic wetting film. Even in simple microstructures wetting films have major impact on the evolution of fluid interfacial area and are observed to give rise to nonnegligible interfacial viscous coupling. Although macroscopically appearing flat, saturation fronts during stable displacement extend over the length of the capillary dispersion zone. While far from the dispersion zone fluid permeation obeys Darcy’s law, the interplay of viscous and capillary forces is found to render fluid flow within complex. Here we show that the characteristic length scale of the capillary dispersion zone increases with the heterogeneity of the microstructure.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/8269645 |
| spellingShingle | Rakulan Sivanesapillai Holger Steeb Fluid Interfaces during Viscous-Dominated Primary Drainage in 2D Micromodels Using Pore-Scale SPH Simulations Geofluids |
| title | Fluid Interfaces during Viscous-Dominated Primary Drainage in 2D Micromodels Using Pore-Scale SPH Simulations |
| title_full | Fluid Interfaces during Viscous-Dominated Primary Drainage in 2D Micromodels Using Pore-Scale SPH Simulations |
| title_fullStr | Fluid Interfaces during Viscous-Dominated Primary Drainage in 2D Micromodels Using Pore-Scale SPH Simulations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fluid Interfaces during Viscous-Dominated Primary Drainage in 2D Micromodels Using Pore-Scale SPH Simulations |
| title_short | Fluid Interfaces during Viscous-Dominated Primary Drainage in 2D Micromodels Using Pore-Scale SPH Simulations |
| title_sort | fluid interfaces during viscous dominated primary drainage in 2d micromodels using pore scale sph simulations |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2018/8269645 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rakulansivanesapillai fluidinterfacesduringviscousdominatedprimarydrainagein2dmicromodelsusingporescalesphsimulations AT holgersteeb fluidinterfacesduringviscousdominatedprimarydrainagein2dmicromodelsusingporescalesphsimulations |