Particulate straining in simple porous media


Publications

  1. Particulate straining in simple porous media>
    . Comparative Study of Formation Damage due to Straining and Surface Deposition in Porous Media. Society of Petroleum Engineers. .
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    Abstract — The infiltration of fines into a reservoir during drilling or water reinjection and the accompanying production decline or loss of injectivity, are long-standing problems in the petroleum industry. Here, we propose a methodology that combines two different pore-scale models to better quantify formation damage. Further we validate the proposed model with core flood experiments. We first perform an experimental study of suspension flow into sintered glass bead plugs and measure changes in porosity and permeability. Specifically, glass bead suspensions of known mono- and poly- disperse combinations of particle sizes, concentrations, and flowrates are flooded through the core plugs, while keeping the total invaded particle volume constant. The resulting changes in porosity and permeability are quantified using a CT scanner and pressure transducers, respectively. We then establish two different numerical models (each focusing on a different mechanism/length scale) to predict permeability reduction. The first model takes a pore-scale approach that models straining of larger particles through the pore structures extracted from X-ray tomographic images of rock and grain pack samples from first principles. The detailed pore structure output from the first model is used as an input in the second model, which is a network model. This pore network model simulates permeability impairment caused by both large and small particles deposition in porous media. Forces exerted on small particles include hydraulic drag, gravity, buoyancy, electric double layer, and Van der Waals. Particle trajectories in a converging- diverging pore throat are calculated dynamically. We incorporate surface roughness and particle-surface interaction to determine particle detachment and attachment. Pore throat structure and hydraulic conductivities are updated dynamically to account for the effect of previously deposited particles. We finally compared the experimental results to simulation predictions and found that the combined pore- scale model is capable of predicting the porosity of the invaded core only in the deeper regions of the core.

  2. Particulate straining in simple porous media>
    . Improved Permeability Estimation of Formation Damage Through Imaged Core Flooding Experiments. The University of Texas at Austin. .
    Links

    Abstract — The infiltration of fines into a reservoir during drilling or water reinjection and the accompanying production decline or loss of injectivity, are long-standing problems in the petroleum industry. An experimental study of suspension flow into sintered glass bead plugs has been conducted, measuring the changes in permeability and porosity over the course of injection. Glass bead suspensions of bi-disperse combinations of particle sizes, total injection concentrations and fluid flow rate are flooded through the core, while keeping the total invaded particle volume constant. The resulting changes in permeability and porosity are quantified using pressure transducers and a CT scanner, respectively. Effects of particle size, total injection concentration and fluid flow rate are discussed and conclusions are made.

  3. Particulate straining in simple porous media>
    . Replicating carbonaceous vug in synthetic porous media. MethodsX (Elsevier). .
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    Abstract — This paper presents an alternative method of creating vuggy glass-bead core proxies, which can be used to investigate the effects of pore-scale features on carbonate petrophysical properties. Carbonates are complex rocks having a widespread variation in pore type, size, distribution, and porosity. With this method we can control vug shape, size, and position. Homogeneous glass bead core proxies are sintered using 1.0 mm diameter glass beads in a muffle furnace. Vugs are 3D–printed in plastic and used to make a mold in Play-Doh ®; which is cast in gypsum cement and used as a placeholder during the sintering process. The gypsum vug dissolves during acid flood, leaving an empty space inside the glass matrix. Computed tomography (CT) scans are made of the acid washed vug space and compared to the 3D model.