In numerical reservoir simulation naturally fractured reservoirs are commonly divided into matrix and fracture systems. The high permeability fractures are usually entirely responsible for flow between blocks and flow to the wells. The flow in these fractures is modeled using Darcy`s law and its extension to multiphase flow by means of relative permeabilities. The influence and measurement of fracture relative permeability for two-phase flow in fractured porous media have not been studied extensively, and the few works presented in the literature are contradictory. Experimental and numerical work on two-phase flow in fractured porous media has been initiated. An apparatus for monitoring this type of flow was designed and constructed. It consists of an artificially fractured core inside an epoxy core holder, detailed pressure and effluent monitoring, saturation measurements by means of a CT-scanner and a computerized data acquisition system. The complete apparatus was assembled and tested at conditions similar to the conditions expected for the two-phase flow experiments. Fine grid simulations of the experimental setup-were performed in order to establish experimental conditions and to study the effects of several key variables. These variables include fracture relative permeability and fracture capillary pressure. The numerical computations show that the flow is dominated by capillary imbibition, and that fracture relative permeabilities have only a minor influence. High oil recoveries without water production are achieved due to effective water imbibition from the fracture to the matrix. When imbibition is absent, fracture relative permeabilities affect the flow behavior at early production times.

FEHM (Finite Element Heat and Mass Transfer Code) is a continuum-scale simulator developed by Los Alamos National Laboratory. FEHM is used to simulate groundwater and contaminant flow and transport in deep and shallow, fractured and un-fractured porous media.

DOE/BC/10842-5

Flow in Porous Media, Phase and Ultralow Interfacial Tensions: Mechanisms of Enhanced Petroleum Recovery

Flow of Foam Through Porous Media DOE/SF/11564-6

This file contains a list of relevant references on the Biot theory (forward and inverse approaches), the double-porosity and dual-permeability theory, and seismic wave propagation in fracture porous media, in RIS format, to approach seismic monitoring in a complex fractured porous medium such as Brady's Geothermal Field.

Processes involving liquid-to-gas phase change in porous media are routinely encountered. Growth of a gas phase by solute diffusion in the liquid is typical of the `solution gas-drive` process for the recovery of oil. The growth of a single gas cluster in a porous medium driven by a constant supersaturation is examined. Patterns and rates of growth are derived. It is shown that the growth pattern is not compact and changes from pure percolation to pure Diffusion-Limited-Aggregation (DLA) as the size of the cluster increases. The scaling of the cluster sizes that delineate these patterns, with supersaturation and diffusivity is presented for the case of quasi-static diffusion. In 3-D, the diffusive growth law is found to be R{sub g} {approximately} t{sup 2/3}, which is different than the classical R{sub g} {approximately} t{sup 1/2}.