FLUID & POROUS MEDIA CHARACTERIZATION & DYNAMICS

SSD – ING-IND/30, 5 CFU (57 hours)

Teacher: prof. Dario Viberti

LEARNING CONTENTS PRESENTATION

The course provides the fundamental concepts and competences necessary to characterize, understand and describe the flow behavior of water, hydrocarbons, CO2 and Hydrogen in underground porous media taking into account the phase behaviour and phase changes under different thermodynamic conditions.

EXPECTED LEARNING OUTCOMES

Understanding the parameters describing the fluids and rock fluids interaction behavior and used in fluid flow problems. Knowledge of physical meaning and order of magnitude is expected. Ability of approaching different technical problems by the selection the most suitable model. Critical approach to review real data. Communication skills, ability of using and understanding the technical language and terminology adopted worldwide in the industries. Ability in increasing their own knowledge by selecting the appropriate technical and scientific literature.

PROGRAMME

  • Basics definitions and nomenclature
  • Thermodynamic behavior of hydrocarbon mixtures, CO2 and Hydrogen: qualitative phase behaviour (PVT) of single and multi-component systems; reservoir nomenclature and classification. quantitative phase behaviour: PVT parameters of gas, oil, and water. Fluid viscosity.
  • Drive mechanisms and recovery factors.
  • Static pressure profiles: hydrostatic equilibrium; pressure gradients fluid contacts; interpretation of static pressure profiles for different reservoirs typology.
  • Rock petrophysical properties: Routine core analyses; Porosity: total, effective, primary and secondary; Fluid saturation; Electrical conductivity: Archie's law.
  • Darcy's law: hydraulic conductivity, permeability; generalized equation; Darcy's law in different flow geometries: linear, radial flow, vertical free flow, 3D flow. Permeability tensor, homogeneity and isotropy. Darcy's law for gases, slip flow and Klinkenberg effect. Forchheimer equation.
  • Rock-fluids interaction properties: effective permeability; relative permeability, mobility. Gas Oil Ratio. Interfacial tension, contact angle, wettability, immiscible fluids flow. Capillary pressure and capillary rise.
  • Diffusivity equation for monophase flow of slightly compressible fluids (oil and water): analytical solutions in transient, steady and pseudo steady conditions, skin effect and productivity index.
  • Diffusivity equation for monophase flow of highly compressible fluids (gas): diffusivity equations for laminar flow; analytical solution for turbulent flow, integration of Forchheimer equation under steady state conditions. Extension to pseudo-steady state and transient conditions. Turbolence skin and non-Darcy coefficient.

TEACHING METHODOLOGY

The course is delivered through lectures with the support of slides. After the explanation of a topic, practical exercises/examples are proposed. The student is asked to solve them. The final solution is then presented by the Instructor. Some lectures are delivered by Eni Staff.