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Microfluidic Fabrication Techniques for High-Pressure Testing of Microscale Supercritical CO2 Foam Transport in Fractured Unconventional Reservoirs
Published on: July 2, 2020
Fracture-scale model of immiscible fluid flow
Stuart D C Walsh1, Susan A Carroll
1Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, California, USA. walsh24@llnl.gov
Abstract:
We present a method for modeling immiscible fluid flow in narrow fractures. The method combines a parallel-plate flow model with a recoloration approach adapted from multiple-component lattice-Boltzmann methods. The resulting numerical method is straightforward to implement and accurately reproduces the relevant fluid behavior. To demonstrate the method, single-droplet simulations are compared to analytical solutions that isolate the contributions from the in-plane and normal curvature. Simulations reproducing capillary forces inside a widening aperture are also presented. Excellent agreement is found in all cases considered. Finally, the method's ability to model fracture flow is demonstrated by deriving relative permeability curves for flow through a heterogeneous aperture created between two fractal surfaces.
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