Abstract
This paper presents a method and describes an experimental device for determining the steam-water relative permeabilites of unconsolidated porous media. The experimental conditions are as close as possible to those of geothermal reservoirs. The relative permeabilities have been obtained at 180 and 150‡C. Their variations versus liquid saturation are quite classical. The air-water relative permeabilities have been measured also at room temperature. The values obtained under these three conditions are almost identical. However, the air-water relative permeability differs slightly from that of steam at 180 and 150‡C. We think this discrepancy is acceptable in practice, as it is easier to determine the relative permeabilities for an air-water flow at room temperature than for a steam-water flow at high temperature and pressure.
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Abbreviations
- A :
-
cross-sectional area
- A e :
-
cross-sectional area of the sample holder
- C pT :
-
specific heat at constant pressurep and temperatureT
- g :
-
gravity acceleration
- h :
-
specific enthalpy
- H :
-
total enthalpy
- I :
-
current of the electrical power supply
- k :
-
experimental constant of the stream generator
- K :
-
intrinsic permeability
- K γ ω :
-
relative permeability to theω phase
- L :
-
length of a section of the sample holder
- L T :
-
specific heat of evaporation at temperatureT
- P a :
-
atmospheric pressure
- P c :
-
capillary pressure
- P ω :
-
pressure of theω phase
- q ω :
-
volumetric flow rate of theω phase
- \(\bar q_\omega \) :
-
mass flow rate of theω phase
- S :
-
liquid saturation
- T :
-
temperature
- V :
-
voltage of the electrical power supply
- W e :
-
electrical power of the steam generator
- W f :
-
lost thermal power
- W u :
-
power transferred to water by the steam generator
- x :
-
coordinate
- y :
-
steam quality
- λ * :
-
thermal conductivity of the porous medium
- λ e :
-
thermal conductivity of the sample holder
- μ ω :
-
dynamic viscosity of theω phase
- ρ ω :
-
density of theω phase
- G :
-
gas phase
- L :
-
liquid phase
- ω :
-
phase
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Piquemal, J. Saturated steam relative permeabilities of unconsolidated porous media. Transp Porous Med 17, 105–120 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00624727
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00624727