Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology
Volume 50,
Number 2,
February 2011,
pp. 45-55
Summary
In this work, we implement a dynamic gas/oil interface tracking algorithm
for the mobilization of bubbles under intense pressure gradients in order to
improve the simulation of solution gas drive for heavy oil in the framework of
a pre-existing pore-scale network simulator. The model is used to characterize
both the stationary capillary controlled growth of bubbles characteristic of
slow depletion rates (far-wellbore region) and the flow phenomena in the
near-wellbore region: in this case, it is shown how viscous forces lead to an
increased persistence of small bubbles for a longer time, creating an effect
similar to what described as foamy oil.
The study has identified three different regimes of bubble growth, depending
upon capillary number and depletion rate, and these regimes appear to cover the
entire range of phenomena observed experimentally. These three regimes are (a)
the conventional capillary-controlled growth pattern at low capillary numbers,
(b) viscous biased growth at intermediate capillary numbers, and (c) bubble
mobilization and breakup leading to foamy behaviour at the highest capillary
numbers and depletion rates. A predictive methodology for the associated
continuum-scale constitutive relationships, such as relative permeabilities, is
also proposed for each of the three depressurization regimes.
© 2011. Society of Petroleum Engineers
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History
- Original manuscript received:
16 June 2010
- Meeting paper published:
8 June 2010
- Revised manuscript received:
15 September 2010
- Manuscript approved:
18 September 2010
- Published online:
25 January 2011
- Version of record:
1 February 2011
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