Multi-Phase Fluid Flow through Petroleum Reservoirs
1. When exactly the network of solid-grains associated with a petroleum reservoir needs to be treated as a stress-dependent solid, where a definite solid-solid mechanical interaction could be expected?
To what extent, the effect of stress-induced deformation – would remain significant/critical, while characterizing multi-phase fluid flow through a petroleum reservoir?
What is the scale at which the concept of stress-dependent multi-phase fluid flow is expected to remain to be very sensitive? (a) pore-scale; (b) core-scale; (c) field-scale; or through a highly complex inter-linked scales (involving a complex non-linear theory of poro-elasticity)?
Whether the coupling between pore-pressure and in-situ stresses – resulting from the deformation of pores – caused by the changes in local pore-pressures and in-situ stresses – would remain sensitive – all through (a) primary recovery (involving only fluid production); (b) water-flooding (involving both fluid injection & production); and (c) EOR processes (involving both fluid injection & production)?
2. If ‘evolving’ pore-size distribution does not take into account the impact of pore deformation induced by effective stress changes on multi-phase flow parameters, then, to what extent, the models relating relative permeability and capillary pressure curves to the pore size distribution in a petroleum reservoir – would remain correct?
For that matter, even, if we are able to quantify the shape and structure of pores – along with a near precise pore-size distribution, whether the relation between relative-permeability/capillary-pressure functions and the effective stress conditions – could be understood and up-scaled to the larger field-scale – that finally projects the hydraulically-connected fluid flow paths precisely (leaving aside the changes in capillary pressure curves and relative permeability magnitudes)?
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