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

能源正成为该国经济繁荣的一个关键问题。需要制定有效的策略，以提取储层孔隙中的每一点石油，这些孔隙通常为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来发展。典型的油田（或储层）在地球表面以下延伸几百米，并且本质上是多孔的，在互连的三维孔隙网络中含有油相和水相。拟议的研究计划旨在通过密切关注微观尺度上发生的现象来解决这一能源问题。该研究计划包括建模和实验两部分。最先进的两相流建模方法，如格子玻尔兹曼和孔隙网络，将被用来了解驻留在储层孔隙空间中的油相和水相的动态。实验研究涉及微流体及其在能源领域的新应用的最新制造和表征技术的使用。除了解决发生在微观尺度的基本物理过程，这项研究计划的成果将是有用的工程师在石油和天然气部门工作，特别是那些参与提高石油采收率的过程，如蒸汽辅助重力泄油（SAGD）在阿尔伯塔省使用。

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.