Immiscible displacement model for aniotropic and correlated porous media

FRANCISCA, FRANCO M.; ARDUINO, PEDRO

International Journal of Geomechanics ASCE

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Lugar: Reston, Virginia, USA; Año: 2007 vol. 7 p. 311 - 317

1532-3641

Immiscible flow governs the macroscopic behavior of aqueous and non-aqueous phase liquids inside the porous media. Ganglia generation and movement of the advancing front during fluid displacement can only be described by means of microscopic models. In this study, a pore network cellular automata is used to simulate the displacement of a nonaqueous phase liquid by water inside a porous media. Pore sizes are generated using random and stochastic fields. The numerical model captures the evolution of interfaces and fluid movement for each pressure applied to the displacing fluid. Observed trends suggest that ganglia size and shape, and fingering are directly related to anisotropy, pore size spatial variability and correlation length. The results show that micro- and mesoscale porous media properties control the nonaqueous phase residual saturation and observed macoscopic behavior.