Evaluation of Scale-Up Laws for Two-Phase Flow Through Porous Media
Authors: Nielsen Russell L. , Tek M.R. 
Published: December 2007

The scaling laws as formulated by Rapport relate dynamically similar flow systems in porous media each involving two immiscible, incompressible fluids. A two-dimensional numerical technique for solving the differential equations describing systems of this type has been employed to assess the practical value of the scaling laws in light of the virtually unscalable nature of relative permeability and capillary pressure curves and boundary conditions.Two hypothetical systems - a gas reservoir subject to water drive and the laboratory scaled model of that reservoir - were investigated with emphasis placed on water coning near a production well. Comparison of the computed behavior of these particular systems shows that water coning in the reservoir would be more severe than one would expect from an experimental study of a laboratory model scaled within practical limits to the reservoir system.This paper also presents modifications of the scaling laws which are available for systems that can be described adequately in two-dimensional Cartesian coordinates.

Introduction

Present day digital computing equipment and methods of numerical analysis allow realistic and quantitative studies to be carried out for many two-phase flow systems in porous media. Before these tools became available the anticipated behavior of systems of this type could be inferred only from analytical solutions of simplified mathematical models or from experimental studies performed on laboratory models.To reproduce the behavior of a reservoir system on the laboratory scale, certain relationships must be satisfied between physical and geometric properties of the reservoir and laboratory systems. Where the reservoir fluids may be considered as two immiscible and incompressible phases, the necessary relationships have been formulated by Rapoport and others. Rapoport's scaling laws follow from inspectional analysis of the differential equation describing phase saturation distribution in such systems.It will be recalled that these scaling laws presuppose three conditions:the relative permeability curves must be identical for the model and prototype;the capillary pressure curve (function of phase saturation) for the model must be linearly related to that of the prototype; andboundary conditions imposed on the model must duplicate those existing at the boundaries of the prototype.

These three requirements seldom if ever can be satisfied in scaling an actual reservoir to the laboratory system because:The laboratory medium normally will be unconsolidated (glass beads or sand) while the reservoir usually is consolidated. Relative permeability and capillary pressure curves are usually quite different for consolidated and unconsolidated porous media.The reservoir usually will be surrounded by a large aquifer which could be simulated in the laboratory only to a limited extent.Wells present in the reservoir would scale to microscopic dimensions in the laboratory if geometric similarity is to be maintained.

In view of these considerations, rigorous scaling of even a totally defined reservoir probably would never be possible.The purpose of this paper is to assess the practical value of the scaling laws in the light of the unscalable variables. This has been done by carrying out numerical solutions in two dimensions to the differential equations describing the flow of two immiscible, incompressible fluids in porous media for a field scale reservoir and a laboratory model of that reservoir. While both the reservoir and the laboratory model were purely fictional, each has been made as realistic and representative as possible.The field problem selected as the basis for the investigation was an inhomogeneous, layered gas reservoir initially at capillary gravitational equilibrium and subsequently produced in the presence of water drive. The laboratory model of this reservoir was designed to utilize oil and water in a glass bead pack.

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