Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

3-D visualization of diffusive and convective solvent transport processes in oil-saturated porous media using laser technology

  • Regular Paper
  • Published:
Journal of Visualization Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A technique to visualize miscible displacement in porous media is introduced in this paper. After saturating the model made of different sized glass beads with oil, solvent was introduced to mix and displace it. The refractive indices of saturated and injected fluids were made the same by mixing them with lower and higher indices of refraction. Refractive index matching made the model transparent. Fluorescent dyes that were only visible with excitation of laser were dissolved in the solvent. A laser sheet scanned the model while synchronous pictures were taken by two high speed cameras from two sides of the model. Two groups of models representing diffusive (no injection) and convective (injection of solvent) interaction, respectively, were considered to test the visualization system: (1) solvent diffusion under purely static conditions, and (2) injection/production through a pair of horizontal wells. Visual data were analyzed and the limitations of the visualization technique introduced were presented.

Graphical abstract

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18
Fig. 19

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alkindi AS, Al-Wahaibi YM, Muggeridge A (2011) Experimental and numerical investigations into oil-drainage rates during vapor extraction of heavy oils. SPE J 16(2):343–357. doi:10.2118/141053-PA

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Butler R, Morkys IJ (1989) Solvent analog model of steam-assisted gravity drainage. AOSTRA J Res 5(1):1–8. doi:10.2118/93-03-02

    Google Scholar 

  • Cessou A, Meier U, Stepowski D (2000) Applications of planar laser induced fluorescence in turbulent reacting flows. Meas Sci Technol 11:887. doi:10.1088/0957-0233/11/7/305

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chao YC, Han JM, Jeng MS (1990) A quantitative laser sheet image processing method for the study of the coherent structure of a circular jet flow. Exp Fluids 9:323–332. doi:10.1007/BF00188761

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen JD, Wada N (1986) A new technique for visualizing the distribution of oil, water, and quartz grains in a transparent, three-dimensional, Porous medium. SPE Form Eval 1(2):205–208. doi:10.2118/13349-PA

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen B, Mikamib F, Nishikawab N (2005) Experimental studies on transient features of natural convection in particles suspensions. Int J Heat Mass Transf 48(14):2933–2942. doi:10.1016/j.ijheatmasstransfer.2004.11.016

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Das SK (1998) VAPEX: an efficient process for the recovery of heavy oil and bitumen. SPE J 3:232–267. doi:10.2118/50941-PA

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang F, Babadagli T (2014) Three Dimensional Visualization of Solvent Chamber Growth in Solvent Injection Processes: An Experimental Approach. Paper IPTC 18115, presented at the International Petroleum Technology Conference (IPTC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 10–12 Dec

  • Fang F, Babadagli T (2015) Three dimensional visualization of solvent chamber growth in solvent injection processes: an experimental approach. J Petrol Sci Eng (in print)

  • Fang F, Babadagli T (2016) 3-D Visualization of solvent diffusion into oil saturated porous media using laser technology and fractal analysis of the mixing/displacement process. Trans Porous Media (in review)

  • Hatiboglu CU, Babadagli T (2004) Experimental analysis of primary and secondary oil recovery from matrix by counter-current diffusion and spontaneous imbibition. SPE 90312 paper presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, TX, 26–29 September. doi:10.2118/90312-MS

  • Hatiboglu CU, Babadagli T (2005) Visualization studies on matrix- fracture transfer due to diffusion. Paper 2005-077 presented at the Canadian International Petroleum Conference, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 7–9 June. doi:10.2118/2005-077

  • Hatiboglu CU, Babadagli T (2007a) Oil recovery by counter-current spontaneous imbibition: effects of matrix shape factor, gravity, IFT, oil viscosity, wettability, and rock type. J Petrol Sci Eng 59(1–2):106–122. doi:10.1016/j.petrol.2007.03.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatiboglu CU, Babadagli T (2007b) Lattice-boltzmann simulation of solvent diffusion into oil-saturated porous media. Phys Rev E 76:066309. doi:10.1103/PhysRevE.76.066309

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatiboglu CU, Babadagli T (2008) Diffusion mass transfer in miscible oil recovery: visual experiment and simulation. J Transp Porous Media 74(2):169–184. doi:10.1007/s11242-007-9189-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hatiboglu CU, Babadagli T (2010) Experimental and visual analysis of co-and counter-current spontaneous imbibition for different viscosity ratios, interfacial tensions, and wettabilities. J Petrol Sci Eng 70(3–4):214–228. doi:10.1016/j.petrol.2009.11.013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Heller W (1945) The determination of refractive indices of colloidal particles by means of a new mixture rule or from measurements of light scattering. Phys Rev E 68:5–10. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.68.5

    Article  MathSciNet  Google Scholar 

  • Hut J, Omrane A, Nygren J, Kaminski C et al (2002) Quantitative three-dimensional imaging of soot volume fraction in turbulent non-premixed flames. Exp Fluids 33:265–269. doi:10.1007/s00348-002-0410-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ito Y, Ipek G (2005) Steam-fingering phenomenon during SAGD process. Paper SPE-97729 presented at the SPE International Thermal Operations and Heavy Oil Symposium, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, 1–3 November. doi: 10.2118/97729-MS

  • Mavko G, Nur A (1997) The effect of a percolation threshold in the Kozeny–Carman relation. Geophysics 62(5):1480–1482. doi:10.1190/1.1444251

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nygren J, Hullt J, Richter M, Alden M, Christensen M, Hultqvist A, Johansson B (2002) Three-dimensional laser induced fluorescence of fuel distribution in an HCCI engine. Proc Combust Inst 29(1):679–685. doi:10.1016/S1540-7489(02)80087-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sakakibara J, Adrian RJ (1999) Whole field measurement of temperature in water using two-color laser induced fluorescence. Exp Fluids 26(1–2):7–15. doi:10.1007/s003480050260

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sharma P, Aswathi P, Sane A et al (2011) Three-dimensional real-time imaging of bi-phasic flow through porous media. Rev Sci Instrum 82:113704. doi:10.1063/1.3658822

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sutton JA, Fisher BT, Fleming JW (2008) A laser-induced fluorescence measurement for aqueous fluid flows with improved temperature sensitivity. Exp Fluids 45(5):869–881. doi:10.1007/s00348-008-0506-4

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wiederseiner S, Andreini N, Epely-Chauvin G et al (2001) Refractive-index and density matching in concentrated particle suspensions: a review. Exp Fluids 50:1183–1206. doi:10.1007/s00348-010-0996-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

This research was conducted under the second author’s (TB) NSERC Industrial Research Chair in Unconventional Oil Recovery (the industrial partners are CNRL, SUNCOR, Petrobank, Sherritt Oil, APEX Eng., PEMEX, Statoil, and Husky Energy) and an NSERC Discovery Grant (No: RES0011227). This paper is the substantially revised and improved version of SPE 170649 presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition held in Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 27–29 October 2014.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, School of Mining and Petroleum Engineering, University of Alberta, 3-112 Markin CNRL-NREF, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2W2, Canada

    Fang Fang & Tayfun Babadagli

Authors
  1. Fang Fang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Tayfun Babadagli
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tayfun Babadagli.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Fang, F., Babadagli, T. 3-D visualization of diffusive and convective solvent transport processes in oil-saturated porous media using laser technology. J Vis 19, 615–629 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12650-016-0350-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12650-016-0350-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation