Pressure Drops in Water-Oil Mixture Flow in Porous Channels

About the authors:

Aleksandr B. Shabarov, Dr. Sci. (Tech.), Professor, Honored Scientist of the Russian Federation, Professor, Department of Applied and Technical Physics, School of Natural Science, University of Tyumen, Tyumen, Russia; a.b.shabarov@utmn.ru, https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5374-8704
Alexander V. Shatalov, Postgraduate Student, Engineer, Department of Multiphase Systems Mechanics, University of Tyumen; sashatl@yandex.ru

Abstract:

The aim of the study is to develop an algorithm for constructing the curves of relative permeabilities (RP) according to the time-efficient laboratory tests of the core material: absolute permeability K₀, capillary pressure curves, residual water saturation values S_WC = S_*, and residual oil saturation 1 – S_or = S^*, as well as relative permeability of the core on the water f_WS* and oil f_PS* in the given bordering points.

To obtain the generalized experimental data about the parameters of interphase interaction, the authors use the RP dependencies on water saturation for the core samples of the characteristic lithological types.

The methodology of calculation of the pressure loss in the flow of oil-water mixture in the pore channels is given with the help of the developed network of the cluster model of a porous medium. The losses on the section of the channel losses are presented as the sum of the three components of the pressure loss: on the viscous friction of the wall of the pore channels; local losses with the changes in the cross-sectional area and the presence of the channel curvature; and the pressure loss in interfacial interactions of the filtering mixture.

Results of pressure loss curves for interfacial interactions for a number of core samples from the fields in Siberia, obtained in the calculation study, are presented.

It has been found that this type of loss in the dimensionless variables can be described as the universal two-parameter “bell” function of water saturation; the values of empirical parameters have been selected.

The obtained data allow to suggest computational and experimental methods for determining the RP, which consists in experimental determination of the parameters K₀, S_*, S^*, f_WS*, f_PS* and the capillary pressure curves followed by the calculation of the RP dependency on water saturation based on the results of the research outlined in this paper.

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