Modeling of a Micellar/Polymer Process

Abstract

Abstract A highly implicit, multidimensional, multicomponent, multiphase, unsteady-state flow model has been formulated to simulate a micellar/polymer process. Unlike most compositional approaches, the proposed model accounts for capillary pressure. In addition, the model describes the unsteady-state flow of fluids and accounts for additional pressure- and concentration-dependent variables such as average mass velocity, effective dispersivity, and FVF that most compositional models do not. Numerical solutions to this model are obtained by a finite-difference method. For a one-dimensional (ID) case, the system is treated in terms of five pseudocomponents and two mobile phases. The proposed model is represented by a system of nonlinear partial differential equations in the dependent variables, component concentrations, and phase pressures. The model incorporates the process variables. These include those mentioned above plus interfacial tension (IFT), relative permeability, partition coefficient, adsorption concentration, and viscosity. The model was validated by history-matching with a laboratory core displacement test. The agreement of the numerical results and laboratory results shows the model's reliability and gives a realistic insight into its usefulness as a multidimensional, multicomponent, multiphase simulator. After testing, the model was used to investigate the effect of variations in the input parameters on the production history.