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Capillarity 2022, 5(6): 115-122 https://doi.org/10.46690/capi.2022.06.02
Original Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 13 November 2022

Modeling of counter-current spontaneous imbibition in independent capillaries with unequal diameters

Show Author's Information Kangli Chen1,2,  Huaxin Xu1,2,  Zhenjie Zhang1,2,  Qingbang Meng1,2( ),  Tao Zhang3
Key Laboratory of Theory and Technology of Petroleum Exploration and Development in Hubei Province, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China
School of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China
Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
Keywords:
heterogeneity, Independent capillary model, counter-current imbibition, fluid viscosity
Cite this article:
Chen K, Xu H, Zhang Z, et al. Modeling of counter-current spontaneous imbibition in independent capillaries with unequal diameters. Capillarity, 2022, 5(6): 115-122. https://doi.org/10.46690/capi.2022.06.02
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Abstract Full text About this article

Spontaneous imbibition is a crucial process for oil recovery from fractured and unconventional reservoirs. Herein, with the assumption of capillaries being independent, a new mathematical model for spontaneous imbibition is proposed and solved using a numerical method. The simulated results show that the wetting phase preferentially enters smaller capillaries where the advancement velocity is higher than that in larger ones, while the non-wetting phase can be displaced out in the larger capillaries. In addition, the effect of fluid viscosity ratio on counter-current imbibition is analyzed. The results show that imbibition velocity becomes higher with the increase in the viscosity ratio. When the viscosity of the non-wetting phase is larger than that of the wetting phase, the end pressure gradually increases as the imbibition front advances. In contrast, when the viscosity of the non-wetting phase is less than that of the wetting phase, the end pressure decreases with the infiltration. With a higher viscosity ratio of non-wetting and wetting phase, the heterogeneity of the interface advancement among different capillaries increases.


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About this article

Modeling of counter-current spontaneous imbibition in independent capillaries with unequal diameters

Show Author's information Kangli Chen1,2, Huaxin Xu1,2, Zhenjie Zhang1,2, Qingbang Meng1,2( ), Tao Zhang3
Key Laboratory of Theory and Technology of Petroleum Exploration and Development in Hubei Province, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China
School of Earth Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, P. R. China
Physical Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Spontaneous imbibition is a crucial process for oil recovery from fractured and unconventional reservoirs. Herein, with the assumption of capillaries being independent, a new mathematical model for spontaneous imbibition is proposed and solved using a numerical method. The simulated results show that the wetting phase preferentially enters smaller capillaries where the advancement velocity is higher than that in larger ones, while the non-wetting phase can be displaced out in the larger capillaries. In addition, the effect of fluid viscosity ratio on counter-current imbibition is analyzed. The results show that imbibition velocity becomes higher with the increase in the viscosity ratio. When the viscosity of the non-wetting phase is larger than that of the wetting phase, the end pressure gradually increases as the imbibition front advances. In contrast, when the viscosity of the non-wetting phase is less than that of the wetting phase, the end pressure decreases with the infiltration. With a higher viscosity ratio of non-wetting and wetting phase, the heterogeneity of the interface advancement among different capillaries increases.

Keywords: heterogeneity, Independent capillary model, counter-current imbibition, fluid viscosity

References(34)

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Publication history

Received: 20 September 2022
Revised: 22 October 2022
Accepted: 09 November 2022
Published: 13 November 2022
Issue date: December 2022

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© The Author(s) 2022.

Acknowledgements

This project was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 51804284, 51874262).

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Open Access This article is distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY-NC-ND) license, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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