Details
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 2033-2056 |
| Number of pages | 24 |
| Journal | Water resources research |
| Volume | 55 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 25 Feb 2019 |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Apr 2019 |
Abstract
We develop an efficient computational model for simulating fluid invasion patterns emerging in variable aperture fractures. This two-dimensional model takes into account the effect of capillary force on the fluid-fluid interfaces and viscous pressure drop in both fluid phases. The pressure distribution is solved at each time step based on mass balance and local cubic law, considering an imposed pressure jump condition at the fluid-fluid interface. This pressure jump corresponds to the Laplace pressure which includes both terms related to the out-of-plane (aperture-spanning) curvature and to the in-plane curvature. Simulating a configuration that emulates viscous fingering in two-dimensional random porous media confirms that the model accounts properly for the role of viscous forces. Furthermore, direct comparison with previously obtained experimental results shows that the model reproduces the observed drainage patterns in a rough fracture reasonably well. The evolutions of tip location, the inlet pressures, and the invading phase fractal dimensions are analyzed to characterize the transition from capillary fingering to viscous fingering regimes. A radial injection scenario of immiscible invasion is also studied with varying modified capillary number and viscosity ratio, showing displacement patterns ranging from capillary fingering to viscous fingering to stable displacement. Such simulations using two contact angles show that the invading phase becomes more compact when the wetting condition changes from strong to weak drainage, as already observed in 2-D porous media. The model can be used to bridge the gap in spatial scales of two-phase flow between pore-scale modeling approaches and the continuum Darcy-scale models.
Keywords
- capillary fingering, immiscible displacement, numerical simulation, rough fracture, viscous fingering, wettability
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Environmental Science(all)
- Water Science and Technology
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In: Water resources research, Vol. 55, No. 3, 15.04.2019, p. 2033-2056.
Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › Research › peer review
}
TY - JOUR
T1 - Modeling Immiscible Two-Phase Flow in Rough Fractures From Capillary to Viscous Fingering
AU - Yang, Zhibing
AU - Méheust, Yves
AU - Neuweiler, Insa
AU - Hu, Ran
AU - Niemi, Auli
AU - Chen, Yi Feng
N1 - Funding information: Financial supports from National Natural Science Foundation of China (41877203, 51779188, and 51579188) are gratefully acknowledged. The code for the simulations and data for tables and figures are available in the supporting information.
PY - 2019/4/15
Y1 - 2019/4/15
N2 - We develop an efficient computational model for simulating fluid invasion patterns emerging in variable aperture fractures. This two-dimensional model takes into account the effect of capillary force on the fluid-fluid interfaces and viscous pressure drop in both fluid phases. The pressure distribution is solved at each time step based on mass balance and local cubic law, considering an imposed pressure jump condition at the fluid-fluid interface. This pressure jump corresponds to the Laplace pressure which includes both terms related to the out-of-plane (aperture-spanning) curvature and to the in-plane curvature. Simulating a configuration that emulates viscous fingering in two-dimensional random porous media confirms that the model accounts properly for the role of viscous forces. Furthermore, direct comparison with previously obtained experimental results shows that the model reproduces the observed drainage patterns in a rough fracture reasonably well. The evolutions of tip location, the inlet pressures, and the invading phase fractal dimensions are analyzed to characterize the transition from capillary fingering to viscous fingering regimes. A radial injection scenario of immiscible invasion is also studied with varying modified capillary number and viscosity ratio, showing displacement patterns ranging from capillary fingering to viscous fingering to stable displacement. Such simulations using two contact angles show that the invading phase becomes more compact when the wetting condition changes from strong to weak drainage, as already observed in 2-D porous media. The model can be used to bridge the gap in spatial scales of two-phase flow between pore-scale modeling approaches and the continuum Darcy-scale models.
AB - We develop an efficient computational model for simulating fluid invasion patterns emerging in variable aperture fractures. This two-dimensional model takes into account the effect of capillary force on the fluid-fluid interfaces and viscous pressure drop in both fluid phases. The pressure distribution is solved at each time step based on mass balance and local cubic law, considering an imposed pressure jump condition at the fluid-fluid interface. This pressure jump corresponds to the Laplace pressure which includes both terms related to the out-of-plane (aperture-spanning) curvature and to the in-plane curvature. Simulating a configuration that emulates viscous fingering in two-dimensional random porous media confirms that the model accounts properly for the role of viscous forces. Furthermore, direct comparison with previously obtained experimental results shows that the model reproduces the observed drainage patterns in a rough fracture reasonably well. The evolutions of tip location, the inlet pressures, and the invading phase fractal dimensions are analyzed to characterize the transition from capillary fingering to viscous fingering regimes. A radial injection scenario of immiscible invasion is also studied with varying modified capillary number and viscosity ratio, showing displacement patterns ranging from capillary fingering to viscous fingering to stable displacement. Such simulations using two contact angles show that the invading phase becomes more compact when the wetting condition changes from strong to weak drainage, as already observed in 2-D porous media. The model can be used to bridge the gap in spatial scales of two-phase flow between pore-scale modeling approaches and the continuum Darcy-scale models.
KW - capillary fingering
KW - immiscible displacement
KW - numerical simulation
KW - rough fracture
KW - viscous fingering
KW - wettability
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85062970108&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1029/2018WR024045
DO - 10.1029/2018WR024045
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85062970108
VL - 55
SP - 2033
EP - 2056
JO - Water resources research
JF - Water resources research
SN - 0043-1397
IS - 3
ER -