NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF EMULSION FLOW THROUGH

POROUS MEDIA
M.R. ISLAM S.M. FAROUQ ALI

this article begins on the next page

PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM

PAPER
NO.
89-40-63 THIS IS A PREPRINT - SUBJECT TO CORRECNON NUMERICAL SIMULATION OF EMULSION FLOW THROUGH POROUS MEDIA BY M.R. Islam NOVA,
Husky
Cwp. S.M. Farouq Ali UnWmky of PUBLICATION RIGHTS RESERVED THIS PAPER IS TO-BE PRESENTED AT THE 40th ANNUAL TECHNICAL MEETING OF THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM HELD IN BANFF, MAY 28 TO 31,1989. DISCUSSION OF THIS PAPER IS INVITED. SUCH DISCUSSION MAY BE PRESENTED AT THE TECHNICAL MEETING AND WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATION IN CIM
JOURNALS IF FILED IN WRITING WITH THE TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIRMAN PRIOR TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING. ABSTRACT Flow of emulsions in porous media is of gr at interest to the oil indu t ,
6 8 ry zinc
emulsions
play an important role in various enhanced oil recovery processes. Even though Many laboratory studies have been conducted to understand the rheology of emulsions and mechanisms of emulsion flow through porous media, relatively few efforts h
ave been made towards the mathematical simulation of emulsion
rheology and propagation in a porous medium. Only a few researchers have attempted to simulate emulsion flow through porous media, and most of them h"ve considered the case for which emulsion is the only phase present in the system. Besides, mechanisms involved in selectively blocking high-permeability channels have not been incorporated. Also, phenomena of emulsion breaking and formation have been poorly defined by existing flow models.
The formulation developed in the present work explains the blocking mechanism of emulsion, incorporates emulsion breaking and formation, and
relates emulsion
stability
and
permeability reduction to emulsion throughput and absolutely permeability. The mathematical model is tes ted against experimental results &v&ilable in the literature, showing excellent agreement. INTRODUCTION 0 S Emulsion flow in porous media is of int re t
in almost all enhanced oil recovery
(EOR)
processes ' Emulsions have been
used
as
selective
plugging agents to improve oil recovery in waterflooding as well as chemical and steam-flooding operations.
Also, it is believed that emulsion flow occurs by accident in
thermal processes (such as
in
situ combustion,
steam
flooding,
etc.),
chemical flooding
waterflooding
or
even
in
primary depletio( 1) n . Natural porous media often provide enough shear
to generate emulsions in Situ.
McAuliffe (2.3) is one of the first researcher to report the use of oil-in-water
emulsions
in improving oil recovery in
waterfloods.
Broz
et al (4) reported
laboratory
results
in
the development of emulsion blocking technique for
the correction and control of steam override and channelling.
While emulsions have been well accepted as effective blocking agents, very little has been reported on mathematical modelling of emulsion flow through porous media.
In 1979,
Alvarado
and Marsden (5) introduced their bulk viscosity model in which an emulsion was considered to be a continuous, single-phase fluid. No permeability reduction was introduced and emulsion flow was different: from that described by Darcy's law only when the bulk emulsion viscosity was shear-rate dependent. The
so-called
'droplet
retardation model' was introduced by McAuliffe and
was
used by Devereux (a) who
modified
Buckley-Leverett
theory for two-phase flow
by
including
a
retardation 63 -1

':.

',.
~

PETROLEUM SOCIETY OF CIM

PAPER NO. 8940-63

..
THIS IS A PREPRINT SUBJECT TO CORRECTION
:~

NUMERICAL SIMULATION
OF EMULSION FLOW
THROUGH POROUS MEDIA
BY
M.R.lslam
NOVA,. Huiky A8IIearct1 COfP.

S.M. Farouq Ali

Unlwrllty

gf

AIlor1a

PUBLICATION RIGHTS RESERVED

THIS PAPER IS TO BE PRESENTED AT THE 40111 ANNUAL TECHNICAL MEETING OF THE PETROLEUM SOCIETY
OF CIM HELD IN BANFF MAY 2B TO 31, 19B9. DISCUSSION OFTHIS PAPER IS INVITED. SUCH DISCUSSION MAY BE
PRESENTED AT THE TECHNICAL MEETING AND WILL BE CONSIDERED FOR PUBLICATlON IN CIM JOURNALS IF
FILED IN WRITING WITH THE TECHNICAL PROGRAM CHAIRMAN PRIOR TO THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETING.

".

-,

ABS'l'RACT

";

..

I,
!

FloW' of emulsions in porous media is of great:

since emulsions play
an important: role in various enhanced oil recovery
processes. Even though many laboratory studies have
been conducted to understand the rheology of
ellluisions and mechanisms of emulsion flow through
porous media, relatively few efforts have been made
~owards the mathematical simula~ion of emulsion
rheology and propagation in a porous medium. Only a
feW' researchers have attemp~ed to simUlate emulsion
flo\l through porous media, and most of them have
considered the case for which emulsion is the only
phase preserit In 'the system. Besides. mechanisms
involved in selectively blocking high-permeability
channels
have
not
been
incorporated_
Also,
phenomena of emulsion breaking and format:ion nave
been poorly defined by eXisting flow models.
The formulat:ion developed in t:he present ,..ork
explains
the blocking mechanislll of emulsion,
incorporaees emulSion breaking and formacion, and
relates
emulsion
stability
and
permeability
reduceion to emulsion. throughpuc and absolute
permeability. The mathematical model is tested
against experimental resulcs available in the
literacure, showing excellent agreement.

agents to improve oil recovery in waterflooding as

well as chemical and steam-flooding operacions.
Also, it is believed that emulsion flow Occurs by
accidenc in thermal processes (such as in situ
combustion,
steam
flooding.
etc.),
chemical
flOOding,
vacerflooding
or
eVen
in
primary
deplecion(l), Natural porous media often prOVide
enough shear to generate emulsions 1n situ.

int()res~ to the oil industry,

INTRODUCTION
Emulsion flow in porous media is of interese in
almost all enhanced oil recovery (EOR) processes.
Emulsions have been used as selective plugging

KCAul1fe (2.3) is one of the first researcher 'to

report the USe of oil-in-waeer emulsions
in
improving oil recovery in waeerfloods. Broz ee
a1. (4)
reported
laboratory
resul~s
in
the
development of emulsion blocking technique for the
correction and control of steam override and
channelling.
Yhile emulsions have been well accepeed as
effective blocking agenes, very litt:le has been
reported on machematical mOdelling of emulsion flow
through porous media,
In 1979,
Alvarado and
Harsden(~) In~roduced their bulk viscosity model in
which
an
emulsion was
considered
to
be
a
concinuous, single-phase fluid_ No permeability
reduction was introduced and emulsion flo~ was
different from that described by Darcy's law only
Ll'nen the bulk emulsion viscosity was shear-rate
dependent.
The
so-called
'drop~~f
recarrlation
model' vas introduced by McAuliffe
and was used
by Deverewc(6) who modified Buckley-Leverett theory
for two-phase flow by including a retardaeion

63 -1

..'.-

.. ',
.-'-.....
'

facror
in the pressure driving force of the
dispersed 011 phase. This model implies that the
permeability of the porous medium decreases as
emulsion is injec~ed until steady state is reached.
The model also implies
that
the permeability
reduction increases with decreasing flow rate and
with increasing drop-size 1:0 pore-size ratio. One
of
the
problem
of
this
model
is
that
the
permeability of the porous medium rises back to
initiel value :i~en emulsion is followed by water.
500
and Radke
presented another mechanism for
reducing permeability by emulsions. They argued
that, when ellJUlsions are injec~ed in1:o a porous
medium, droplets not only block pores of throat
sizes smaller than their 0 ...11. but they are captured
on pore walls and 1n crevices forming an ensemble
of smaller droplets. These crowding drople~s in a
single pore ~hroat ",ould have ~he same effec~ in
blocking the pore
throat as would one large
droplet. The entrapment could be due to smaller
pore
throar
and/or
due
to
the
presence
of
recircula~ion eddies,
wedge in crevices, or even
due to van der Waals, electrical, gravitational,
and
hydrodynamic
forces.
(1_p,B,ased
on
rhis
description,
500
and
Radke
presented
a
filtration model describing the flow of stable,
dil~~e emulsions in porous media.
Islam and Farouq
Ali
presented a model in which they considered
emulsion
as
an
independent phase.
They
also
incroduced
permeability
reduccion
as
a
Step
function of emulsion throughpuc. This was the first
model reported to have investigated emulsion flow
in the presence of mobile water and continuous oil
phase.
Their
model
eliminated
some
of
the
shorccomings of previous 'bulk viscosity model' and
'recardation
model'
by
introducing
permanent
permeability reduction due to emulsion injection.
This model also incorporated permeabilicy reduction
as a function of initial permeability_ Even though
this
model
showed
excellent
agreement
with
experlme?~~lDfesulcs for a particular oil-in-warer
emulsion
,their
model
could
not
handle
transient permeability reduction and could not
explain the relationship bet~leen pore throat size
and emulsion droplet si~e.
In this paper we
eliminate these difficulties of previous reports
and present a complece model of emulsion formation
and propagation in porous media _ Three differenc
models are presented: one for gtable emulsion. and
the other two for In sItu generation of emulsions.

MATHEMATICAL FORMULATION
Stable Emulsion:
In the follo"'ing formulation, stable emulsion is
assumed. Therefore, the equation for surfactant
propagation is eliminated.
Continuity equations are written for different
phases.
Aqueous Phase

EmulsIons

+ I

For small retentions,

Soo and Radke(81 gave a
phenomenological expression for the droplet capture
kinetics:

a.
at:. -

aw

L-

~1 1- 0_3459

log (k ) + 1.85
i

for 0.5 pm

(4)

(\ )

SkiS 16.0 pm 2

This model does not allow for unsteady permeability

reduction due to emulsion throughput.. Also, this
expression is valid for the particular sec of
fluid/porous medium system. It is difficult to
cons truce
a
generali~ed
formula
relnting
permeabiliey,
porOSity and emulsion throughput.
Con.!lequently J
we
will
incorporate
the
above
expression
in
a
phenomenological
expression
originally sU~'fsted by Campill', and later used by
Soo and Radke
vho
described local permeability
as:
X

1 .

(' )

Also,

+ V . (po v 0) - qo -

droplets. Islam and Farouq Ali (0) observed that.

permeability reduction "'as a funccion of absoluce
permeability of the porous medium. They expressed
permeability reduction due to emulsion blockage by
the following empirical expression:

for seeady state,

all Phase

Permeahilicy Reduction
Permeability reduction of the porous medium is
due to flow restriction caused by captured emulsion

k
( 1)

>'51

where a is the flow redistribution parameter and ~~J

is the filter coefHcient (l/m). As poineed ou
by
Soo and Radke
, a is in general a function
of a. During early stages of emulsion flood. a acts
in
significant
flow
redistribution
due
high
seraining capture in the small size pores. However,
after initial colmaeage, local flow redistribution
is no longer significant because of the fact chat
most flow occurs in larger pores "'here capture is
not important. At this point, a acts as the steady
staee retention parameter.
Mathemaeically, when
au/at - 0, then a becomes equal to u /~.
In
the
above
formulation,
the
possil;iU!y
of
decolmat.age is eliminated. However, it is easy to
introduce this feature.
An additional
t.erm in
Equat.ion (4) "'ill make it analogous to Langmuir
adsorption isotherm in steady stat.e. Due to the
lack of experime.ncal data "'e confined t.he pre sene
scudy without re-ent.rainment. of emulsion droplets.

(J)

ac

1 .

..L
~

(7)

where P is the flow-restriction paramecer which is

----I--'-=='-=--=
considered to be a function of the pore throat_

(2 )

63 - 2