2017 Annual Meeting

(7gm) Pore-Level Multiscale Simulation of SAGD

Authors

Peyman Mohammadmoradi - Presenter, University of Calgary
Apostolos Kantzas, University of Calgary
A numerical framework is presented to simulate SAGD in multi-scale porous media images. To leverage pore-scale data sets and evaluate residual oil saturation and performance of the SAGD as a complex EOR method, it is essential to provide comprehensive computationally cheap algorithms for multi-phase and multi-physics micro-scale studies. Here, a hybrid pore-scale simulation approach called DyMAS is utilized to simulate SAGD in a reliable and time efficient manner applying two quasi-static and CFD-based techniques to micro- and macro-pore domains. Quasi-static simulations are conducted in micropores, where the capillary force is dominant, and a dynamic CFD solver is applied to macropores taking into the account the gravity and viscous forces, simultaneously. The workflow is applied to three-dimensional digital rock samples representing the McMurray formation of the Athabasca Oil Sands Deposit, and a detailed sensitivity analysis is performed on operational conditions leading to minimum residual oil. The post-processing results, including capillary pressure curves, residuals, and effective permeability/thermal conductivity curves, are then predicted and discussed in terms of pore-scale phenomena. According to the results the condensed water imbibition plays a crucial role in decreasing the residual oil within micropores, and buoyancy-driven flows are determining in intergranular spaces demonstrating the scale-dependent nature of gravity, viscose and capillary forces.

Research Interests:

  • Multiphase flow and heat transfer in porous media.
  • Pore-level simulations and characterizations.
  • Dynamic and static reservoir simulation.
  • Coding and algorithm design.
  • Geostatistics.
  • Well testing and stimulation.
  • Production surveillance and optimization in gas condensate reservoirs.
  • Characterization of Shale and tight reservoirs.
  • Hydrate-bearing sediments.

Teaching Interests:

  • Reservoir Simulation.
  • Geostatistics.
  • Well testing.
  • Reservoir Rock and Fluid Properties.

References: