Constitutive Relations for Reactive Transport Modeling

Effects of Chemical Reactions on Multi-phase Flow Properties

Journal article (2016)

Authors

Shuo Zhang Aramco Research Center
Hui Hai Liu Aramco Research Center
Marinus I  J van Dijke Heriot-Watt University
S. Geiger Heriot-Watt University
Susan M. Agar Aramco Research Center
Affiliation
External organisation
Reactive transport Constitutive relations Mineral reactions Multi-phase flow properties
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Published Date

01-09-2016

Language

English

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Abstract

The relationship between flow properties and chemical reactions is the key to modeling subsurface reactive transport. This study develops closed-form equations to describe the effects of mineral precipitation and dissolution on multi-phase flow properties (capillary pressure and relative permeabilities) of porous media. The model accounts for the fact that precipitation/dissolution only takes place in the water-filled part of pore space. The capillary tube concept was used to connect pore-scale changes to macroscopic hydraulic properties. Precipitation/dissolution induces changes in the pore radii of water-filled pores and consequently in the pore size distribution. The updated pore size distribution is converted back to a new capillary pressure–water saturation relation from which the new relative permeabilities are calculated. Pore network modeling is conducted on a Berea sandstone to validate the new continuum-scale relations. The pore network modeling results are satisfactorily predicted by the new closed-form equations.