Imperial College London
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ProfessorMartinBlunt

Faculty of Engineering, Department of Earth Science & Engineering

Chair in Flow in Porous Media
 
 
 
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Contact

 

+44 (0)20 7594 6500m.blunt Website

 
 
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Location

 

2.38ARoyal School of MinesSouth Kensington Campus

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Summary

 

Publications

Citation

BibTex format

@article{Foroughi:2024:10.1029/2023WR036393,
author = {Foroughi, S and Bijeljic, B and Gao, Y and Blunt, MJ},
doi = {10.1029/2023WR036393},
journal = {Water Resources Research},
title = {Incorporation of Sub-Resolution Porosity Into Two-Phase Flow Models With a Multiscale Pore Network for Complex Microporous Rocks},
url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036393},
volume = {60},
year = {2024}
}
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RIS format (EndNote, RefMan)

TY  - JOUR
AB  - Porous materials, such as carbonate rocks, frequently have pore sizes which span many orders of magnitude. This is a challenge for models that rely on an image of the pore space, since much of the pore space may be unresolved. In this work, sub-resolution porosity in X-ray images is characterized using differential imaging which quantifies the difference between a dry scan and 30 wt% potassium iodide brine saturated images. Once characterized, we develop a robust workflow to incorporate the sub-resolution pore space into a network model using Darcy-type elements called microlinks. Each grain voxel with sub-resolution porosity is assigned to the two nearest resolved pores using an automatic dilation algorithm. By including these microlinks with empirical models in flow modeling, we simulate single-phase and multiphase flow. By fine-tuning the microlink empirical models, we match permeability, formation factor (the ratio of the resistivity of a rock filled with brine to the resistivity of that brine), and drainage capillary pressure to experimental results. We then show that our model can successfully predict steady-state relative permeability measurements on a water-wet Estaillades carbonate sample within the uncertainty of the experiments and modeling. Our approach of incorporating sub-resolution porosity in two-phase flow modeling using image-based multiscale pore network techniques can capture complex pore structures and accurately predict flow behavior in porous materials with a wide range of pore size.
AU  - Foroughi,S
AU  - Bijeljic,B
AU  - Gao,Y
AU  - Blunt,MJ
DO  - 10.1029/2023WR036393
PY  - 2024///
SN  - 0043-1397
TI  - Incorporation of Sub-Resolution Porosity Into Two-Phase Flow Models With a Multiscale Pore Network for Complex Microporous Rocks
T2  - Water Resources Research
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2023WR036393
VL  - 60
ER  -
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