Pore-scale modeling of oil/water phases in porous reservoirs using microfluidics

能源正成为该国经济繁荣的关键问题。需要制定有效的策略来开采储集层孔隙中的每一位石油，储集层的大小通常为2-5微米。这种策略只能通过深入了解孔隙尺度中发生的流体力学才能得到发展。一个典型的油田(或储油层)延伸到地球表面以下几百米处，本质上是多孔的，在一个相互连接的三维孔隙网络中包含油相和水相。拟议的研究方案旨在通过仔细观察微观范围内发生的现象来解决这一能源问题。该研究项目包括建模和实验两个部分。两相流中最先进的模拟方法，如格子Boltzmann和孔隙网络，将被用来了解滞留在储集层孔隙空间中的油和水相的动力学。实验研究包括在微流体中使用最新的制备和表征技术，以及它在能源领域的新应用。除了解决发生在微尺度上的基本物理过程外，本研究计划的成果还将对石油和天然气行业的工程师有用，特别是那些参与阿尔伯塔省使用的蒸汽辅助重力排水(SAGD)等强化石油开采工艺的工程师。

Energy is becoming a critical issue for the economic prosperity of the country. Efficient strategies need to be developed for extracting every last bit of oil residing within the pores of reservoirs, which are typically 2 - 5 µm in size. Such strategies can only evolve through in-depth understanding of the fluid mechanics occurring in the pore-scale. A typical oil field (or reservoir) extends a few hundred meters below the earth's surface and is porous in nature containing oil and water phases in an interconnected three-dimensional network of pores. The proposed research program aims to address this energy issue by taking a close look at the phenomena which are occurring in the micro-scale. The research program has both modeling and experimental components. The state-of-art modeling approaches in two-phase flow, like Lattice Boltzmann and Pore-Network, will be used to understand the dynamics of the oil and water phases residing in the pore space of the reservoir. Experimental study involves the use of latest fabrication and characterization techniques in microfluidics and its novel application in the field of energy. Apart from addressing fundamental physical processes occurring in micro-scale, the outcomes of this research program will be useful for engineers working in the oil and gas sectors, particularly those involved in enhanced oil recovery processes like Steam Assisted Gravity Drainage (SAGD) used in the Province of Alberta.