New capillary number definition for displacement of residual nonwetting phase in natural fractures

Journal article (2017)

Authors

B. Alquaimi Reservoir Engineering - CEG , Saudi Aramco
W.R. Rossen Reservoir Engineering - CEG
Research Group
Reservoir Engineering (CEG) (TU Delft)
Copyright: © 2017 B. Alquaimi, W.R. Rossen
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/2017GL073211
Capillary number Desaturation curve Flow in fracture Trapping in fracture
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Published Date

16-06-2017

Language

English

Reuse Rights

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Faculty

Civil Engineering & Geosciences

Department

Geoscience and Engineering

Research Group

Reservoir Engineering

Abstract

We propose a new capillary number for flow in fractures starting with a force balance on a trapped ganglion in a fracture. The new definition is validated with laboratory experiments using five distinctive model fractures. Capillary desaturation curves were generated experimentally using water-air forced imbibition. The residual saturation-capillary number relationship obtained from different fractures, which vary in aperture and roughness, can be represented approximately by a single curve in terms of the new definition of the capillary number. They do not fit a single trend using the conventional definition of the capillary number.