Modeling flow in nanoporous, membrane reservoirs and interpretation of coupled fluxes

Abstract

The average pore size in unconventional, tight-oil reservoirs is estimated to be less than 100 nm. At this pore size, Darcy flow is no longer the dominating flow mechanism and a combination of diffusive flows determines the flow characteristics. Concentration driven self-diffusion has been well known and included in the flow and transport models in porous media. However, when the sizes of the pores and pore-throats decrease down to the size of the hydrocarbon molecules, the porous medium acts like a semi-permeable membrane, and the size of the pore openings dictates the direction of transport between adjacent pores. Accordingly, characterization of flow and transport in tight unconventional plays requires understanding of their membrane properties. This Master of Science thesis first highlights the membrane properties of nanoporous, unconventional reservoirs and then discusses how filtration effects can be incorporated into the models of transport in nanoporous media within the coupled flux concept. The effect of filtration on fluid composition and its impact on black-oil fluid properties like bubble point pressure is also demonstrated. To define filtration and filtration pressure in unconventional, tight-oil reservoirs, analogy to chemical osmosis is applied two pore systems connected with a pore throat, which shows membrane properties. Because the pore throat selectivity permits the passage of fluid molecules by their sizes, given a filtration pressure difference between the two pore systems, the concentration difference between the systems is determined by flash calculations. The results are expressed in the form of filtration (membrane) efficiency, which is essential parameter to define coupled fluxes for porous media flow.