Abstract
The characterisation of multiphase flow properties is essential for
predicting large-scale fluid behaviour in the subsurface. Insufficient
representation of small-scale heterogeneities has been identified as a
major gap in conventional reservoir simulation workflows. Capillary
heterogeneity has an important impact on small-scale flow and is one of
the leading causes of anisotropy and flow rate dependency in relative
permeability. We evaluate the workflow developed by Jackson et al.
(2018) for use on rocks with complex heterogeneities. The workflow
characterises capillary heterogeneity at the millimetre scale. The
method is a numerical history match of a coreflood experiment with the
3D saturation distribution as a matching target and the capillary
pressure characteristics as a fitting parameter. Coreflood experimental
datasets of five rock cores with distinct heterogeneities were analysed:
two sandstones and three carbonates. The sandstones exhibit laminar
heterogeneities. The carbonates have isotropic heterogeneities at a
range of length scales. We found that the success of the workflow is
primarily governed by the extent to which heterogeneous structures are
resolved in the X-ray imagery. The performance of the characterisation
workflow systematically improved with increasing characteristic length
scales of heterogeneities. Using the validated models, we investigated
the flow rate dependency of the upscaled relative permeability. The
findings showed that the isotropic heterogeneity in the carbonate
samples resulted in non-monotonic behaviour; initially the relative
permeability increased, and then subsequently decreased with increasing
flow rate. The work underscores the importance of capturing small-scale
heterogeneities in characterising subsurface fluid flows, as well as the
challenges in doing so.