A framework for multiphase pore-scale modeling based on micro-CT imaging
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
We demonstrate how to use pore-scale modeling combined with high-resolution imaging to make predictions of multiphase flow properties. Experiments were performed on two sandstone samples that were mixed-wet after contact with crude oil: Bentheimer and a reservoir rock. Flow experiments were combined with high-resolution X-ray imaging from which the pore space, fluid configurations and local contact angles can be measured. We first show that both lattice Boltzmann modeling and a pore network model can predict the fluid occupancy to within experimental and model uncertainty in Bentheimer using the measured contact angles. We then used the greater computational efficiency of the network model to simulate flow in a large network representing the reservoir sample. By calibrating the contact angle to match the observed pore-by-pore arrangement of fluid, the model was able to make predictions of relative permeability and capillary pressure that were within the bounds of experimental and model uncertainty. The results provide a framework for predictive image-based pore-scale modeling, where wet and dry images of rock samples are used to characterize both the pore structure and wettability.
Date Issued
2025-03-01
Date Acceptance
2025-01-29
Citation
Transport in Porous Media, 2025, 152 (3)
ISSN
0169-3913
Publisher
Springer
Journal / Book Title
Transport in Porous Media
Volume
152
Issue
3
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2025 Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Subjects
2-PHASE FLOW
CONTACT-ANGLE
Engineering
Engineering, Chemical
IMAGES
INTERFACIAL CURVATURE
Lattice Boltzmann model
LATTICE BOLTZMANN MODEL
Micro-CT image
NETWORK MODEL
Optimization
Pore network model
Pore-by-pore analysis
POROUS-MEDIA
RELATIVE PERMEABILITY
Science & Technology
SIMULATIONS
Technology
Two-phase flow
Validation
WET
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
18
Date Publish Online
2025-02-17