Analytical solutions to radial two-phase displacement with nonlinear flow
Abstract
In analytical modeling of two-phase flow problems in porous media, the propagation of shocks in saturation can be obtained by using the method of characteristics (MOC). One of the basic assumptions in the application of the MOC is that the fractional flow is a function of saturation only. However, when gas is injected it is often flowing under nonlinear flow conditions and inertial losses are significant in the near-well region. Therefore, in a radial displacement non-Darcy flow applies at the injection well, but as the saturation front gets further away, its velocity will decrease and the fractional flow curve will vary with the distance along the streamline. This work presents the extension of the Buckley-Leverett analytical solution when the injected gas phase flow is governed by the two-phase extension to the Forchheimer equation and the fractional flow function depends both on the saturation and radial distance from the well. The application of the proposed approach is shown for the carbon dioxide (CO2) injection into saline aquifers, focusing on the influence of nonlinear flow conditions on the CO2 storage capacity, plume distribution and near-well pressure buildup. Finally, this analytical solution is tested against the corresponding finite difference numerical model.
- Publication:
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AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
- Pub Date:
- December 2011
- Bibcode:
- 2011AGUFM.H33B1318M
- Keywords:
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- 1800 HYDROLOGY