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Method for Calculating Non-Darcy Flow Permeability in Tight Oil Reservoir

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Abstract

Capillary force and boundary layer effect are the main causes of non-Darcy flow in tight oil reservoir. This paper proposes a non-Darcy flow dynamics characterization method for low-speed water flooding in tight oil reservoirs. It applies constant-speed mercury injection and casting thin section experiments to quantitatively characterize the micro-pore throat structure parameters, and uses the visual experimental device to measure the boundary layer thickness and fit the expression of the relationship between boundary layer thickness and displacement pressure gradient and fluid viscosity. The results show that the ratio of boundary layer thickness to microtubule radius changes exponentially with the pressure gradient and fluid viscosity and that the boundary layer thickness decreases gradually with the increase of pressure gradient. Given the capillary force and boundary layer thickness, the flow rate of single capillary is calculated. On this basis, the equation of nonlinear seepage dynamic characteristics per unit area of core is derived by taking into account the throat distribution frequency and throat size characteristics. The new seepage flow model can reflect the nonlinear seepage flow law of tight oil reservoir and provide reference for parameter formulation during water flooding development of tight oil reservoir.

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Abbreviations

H:

Boundary layer thickness, μm

R:

Capillary radius, μm

c1 :

The coefficient relating to the viscosity of the displaced fluid, m/MPa

△P:

Displacement pressure, MPa

ɩ:

Capillary length, m

h0 :

Solidified layer thickness, μm

μ:

Fluid viscosity, mPa·s

Pc :

Capillary pressure, Pa

σwo :

Oil–water interfacial tension, mN/m

θ:

Contact angle

r:

Fluidable column radius, μm

v:

Flow velocity, m/s

τ:

Shear stress

η:

Tortuosity

rmax :

Maximum throat radius, μm

rmin :

Minimum throat radius, μm

L:

Sample length, m

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge the funding by the project (U1562102 and 51204193) sponsored by the Natural Science Foundation of China. All the work in this article was done by State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting of China University of Petroleum (Beijing) and Institute of Petroleum Engineering of China University of Petroleum (Beijing). Yang graduated from China University of Petroleum (Beijing) in July 2019 and then went to the National University of Singapore for graduate study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing, 102249, China

    Hengli Wang, Leng Tian, Daihong Gu, Mei Li, Xiaolong Chai & Yicong Yang

  2. Institute of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing, 102249, China

    Hengli Wang, Leng Tian, Daihong Gu, Mei Li, Xiaolong Chai & Yicong Yang

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  1. Hengli Wang
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  2. Leng Tian
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  3. Daihong Gu
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  4. Mei Li
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  5. Xiaolong Chai
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  6. Yicong Yang
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Materials were prepared by DG and XC: the experiment was completed by LT and ML: data collection and analysis were performed by HW and YY. The first draft of the original manuscript was written by HW, and all authors modified the original manuscript and confirmed the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Hengli Wang.

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Wang, H., Tian, L., Gu, D. et al. Method for Calculating Non-Darcy Flow Permeability in Tight Oil Reservoir. Transp Porous Med 133, 357–372 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-020-01427-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-020-01427-8

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