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Nano-scale Wetting Film Impact on Multiphase Transport Properties in Porous Media

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Abstract

The multiphase distribution and transport properties in porous media are strongly influenced by capillary pressure and rock–fluid interactions. The influence of nano-scale wetting film caused by the disjoining pressure on the multiphase transport properties is not fully considered in the current pore scale modeling methods, and it is unclear how the nano-scale wetting film influences the transport behavior at different porous media scale. In this study, we propose a multiphase pore network transport model that considers capillary pressure, disjoining pressure (the latter arising only in fluid films on solid surfaces) and fluid transport mechanisms in irregular pores. The thickness of nano-scale wetting film under multiphase conditions in irregular pores is calculated based on the force balance between capillary pressure and disjoining pressure resulting from van der Waals force, electric double-layer interactions and structural force. The gas displacing water process is simulated in a water-wet 3D unstructured pore network extracted from 3D-reconstructed digitized shale image. The influence of nano-scale wetting film on essential transport properties including relative permeability, capillary pressure curve and resistivity index is analyzed, and its variation is elucidated for different porous media length scales. Notably, the nano-scale wetting film enhances the wetting-phase relative permeability and electrical conductivity in nano-scale porous media, and the effect is way less important on micron-scale. We further conclude the deviation from the case without nano-scale water film can be attributed to the interplay of corner water transport area and nano-scale water film transport area in invaded pore throats by analyzing the wetting-phase distribution based on the proposed three microscopic parameters. We also found that the nano-scale wetting film causes more wetting fluid retention after displacement in nano-porous media, which possibly explains the low flowback rate after hydraulic fracturing in shale and ultra-tight sandstones.

Article Highlights

  • A multiphase pore network transport model that considers both capillary pressure and disjoining pressure is proposed.

  • Nano-scale wetting film enhances the wetting phase relative permeability and electrical conductivity in nano-scale porous media.

  • Nano-scale wetting film causes more wetting fluid retention after displacement in nanoporous media.

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Acknowledgements

Jun Yao acknowledges the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 52034010), Wenhui Song acknowledges the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (No. 20CX06088A), Qingdao Postdoctoral Applied Research Project (qdyy20200083), Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province (ZR2021QE022). Shandong Province Postdoctoral Innovation Program (202101010), Young Elite Scientist Sponsorship Program By Cast (No. YESS20200107).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Unconventional Oil and Gas Development, China University of Petroleum (East China), Ministry of Education, Changjiang West Road 66, Economic Technical Development Zone, Qingdao, 266580, Shandong Province, People’s Republic of China

    Wenhui Song, Jun Yao & Kai Zhang

  2. School of Petroleum Engineering, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao, 266580, China

    Wenhui Song, Jun Yao & Kai Zhang

  3. Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas, Austin, TX, 78712, USA

    Maša Prodanović

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  1. Wenhui Song
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Song, W., Prodanović, M., Yao, J. et al. Nano-scale Wetting Film Impact on Multiphase Transport Properties in Porous Media. Transp Porous Med 149, 5–33 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-022-01800-9

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