Miscible Displacements in a Heterogeneous Rock: Detailed Measurements and Accurate Predictive Simulation

Abstract

Abstract This paper describes comparisons between the prediction of high resolution simulation and the results of detailed laboratory measurements of miscible flow in a heterogeneous rock slab. The permeability distribution was characterised using minipermeametry and an X-ray radiography technique was developed to obtain quantitative concentration maps. Displacement experiments were conducted at four mobility ratios. Both stable and unstable flows were investigated, enabling the effects of physical dispersion and viscous fingering to be quantified. Excellent agreement was obtained between simulation and experiment without the use of history matching. The simulations predicted the development of individual viscous fingers as well as the correct effluent and recovery profiles. This work has validated characterization techniques and demonstrated our ability to simulate single phase flow in a heterogeneous rock. The experimental results also provide a set of data for use in bench-marking other simulation packages.