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Comparison between Laboratory Experiments and Detailed Simulations of Unstable Miscible Displacement Influenced by Gravity

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Book cover North Sea Oil and Gas Reservoirs—II

Abstract

This paper presents a study of oil displacement by a less-dense, less-viscous solvent. A comparison is made between laboratory observations and high-resolution simulations in order to test the predictive capability of the numerical model. Observations are made of linear displacement in a Ballotini pack with the principal flow at right angles to the direction of gravity. The pack is sufficiently thin that flow is approximately two-dimensional. Flow is visualized using a dye tracer and recorded on video; subsequent image processing of the video film enables the concentration distribution to be determined for any chosen time. The effluent is analysed by colorimetry. The numerical model used to simulate the experiment has a simplified physical description (two-dimensional displacement of oil and solvent). High-order finite-difference techniques in conjunction with extremely fine grids provide detailed resolution of the flow.

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A. T. Buller E. Berg O. Hjelmeland J. Kleppe O. Torsæter J. O. Aasen

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© 1990 Norwegian Institute of Technology

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Christie, M.A., Jones, A.D.W., Muggeridge, A.H. (1990). Comparison between Laboratory Experiments and Detailed Simulations of Unstable Miscible Displacement Influenced by Gravity. In: Buller, A.T., Berg, E., Hjelmeland, O., Kleppe, J., Torsæter, O., Aasen, J.O. (eds) North Sea Oil and Gas Reservoirs—II. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0791-1_20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-0791-1_20

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-010-6843-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-009-0791-1

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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