Effects of low frequency external excitation on oil slug mobilization and flow in a water saturated capillary model

The present research is to experimentally study the joint effects of external pressure and vibratory excitations of low frequency on oil slug mobilization and flow in a capillary model.During and after the oil slug mobilization,the flow phenomena and pressure drop variation across the model are investigated.The distance travelled by the oil slug subjected to various external pressure and vibratory excitations are also studied.The experimental results obtained indicate that the external vibratory excitation acting on the model has positive effect on the flow and mobilization of the oil slug in the model.It is found in the research,with the application of the excitation,the contact angle between the oil slug and tube-wall is changed;the maximum pressure required to mobilize the oil slug is reduced accordingly;and the oil slug travel distance is increased in comparing with that without external excitations.This research contributes to the comprehension of improved liquid mobilization in porous media under the application of external excitations.The finding of the research is significant for studying the two-phase liquid flow in porous media subjected to external excitations and provides insights for Enhanced Oil Recovery with waterflooding and vibratory stimulations.

Quantitative prediction of residual wetting film generated in mobilizing a two-phase liquid in a capillary model

This research studies the motion of immiscible two-phase liquid flow in a capillary tube through a numerical approach employing the volume of fluid method,for simulating the core-annular flow and water flooding in oil reservoirs of porous media.More specifically,the simulations are a representation of water flooding at a pore scale.A capillary tube model is established with ANSYS Fluent and verified.The numerical results matches well with the existing data available in the literature.Penetration of a less viscous liquid in a liquid of higher viscosity and the development of a residual wetting film of the higher viscosity liquid are thoroughly investigated.The effects of Capillary number,Reynolds Number and Viscosity ratio on the residual wetting film are studied in detail,as the thickness is directly related to the residual oil left in the porous media after water flooding.It should be noticed that the liquids considered in this research can be any liquids of different viscosity not necessarily oil and water.The results of this study can be used as guidance in the field of water flooding.