HR: 16:50h
AN: H22J-04    [PDF]
TI: Visualization and Analysis of Multiple Fluid Phases in Sandstone for Drainage and Imbibition
AU: * Chen, D
EM: chen36@purdue.edu
AF: Daiquan Chen, Purdue University, Dept. of Earth and Atmos. Sci., West Lafayette, IN 47907 United States
AU: Pyrak-Nolte, L
EM: ljpn@physics.purdue.edu
AF: Laura J. Pyrak-Nolte, Purdue University, Dept. of Physics, Dept. of Earth and Atmos. Sci., West Lafayette, IN 47907 United States
AB: In this study, we present results on the measurements of interfacial area per volume (IAV) in a natural three-dimensional porous medium, i.e. sandstone. A set of cored sandstone samples measuring 52 mm in diameter by 100 mm or 25mm in length were used in Wood's metal injection experiments to determine IAV. A wood's metal injection method was used to solidify the non-wetting fluid, which is the metal, and ethylene glycol was used to represent a wetting phase fluid. These samples were injected under different pressures from 0.014 MPa to 0.68MPa. Ethylene glycol flow rates measurements were applied before and after the injections to find the permeability difference of the samples. To visualize different phases and determine the IAV for a sample injected with Wood's metal, images of the Wood's-metal-injected core were taken with a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). A custom computer code was used to analyze each SEM image to isolate the rock phase, the wetting phase (EG) and the non-wetting phase, and to calculate the interface between each two phases. Analysis of the images of the metal-injected sample of the imbibitions processes found that average interfacial length per area (ILA) values for a natural three-dimensional system (i.e., sandstone) range from 4 to 150 per cm for the rock-metal interface and 20 to 480 per cm for the EG-rock interface, for pressures that range from 0.0134 MPa to 0.68 MPa. For the metal-EG interface, ILA values rang from 0.4 to 2.5 per cm for the same pressure range. Analysis of the images of the metal-injected sample of the drainages processes found that average ILA values of sandstone samples range from 80 to 120 per cm for the rock-metal interface and from 120 to 170 per cm for the EG-rock interface, for pressures that range from 0.0134 MPa to 0.68 MPa. For the metal-EG interface, ILA values ranged from 0.4 to 3.0 per cm for the same pressure range. The investigation also found a break though pressure for imbibition process between 0.027 and 0.034 MPa where metal saturation increases rapidly. We present the results of both imbibition process and the drainage process. Acknowledgments: Department of Energy - Fossil Energy contract DE-AC26-99BC15207. LJPN wishes to acknowledge Purdue University Faculty Scholar.
DE: 1899 General or miscellaneous
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2003 Fall Meeting