Pore-Scale Simulation of Gas and Water Two-Phase Flow in Rough-Walled Fractures Using the Volume of Fluid Method

Qingzhong Zhu, Yanhui Yang, Xueying Zhang, Sanshuai Wang, Jinzhao Yang and Jiyuan Zhang ()
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Qingzhong Zhu: PetroChina Huabei Oilfield Company, Renqiu 062552, China
Yanhui Yang: PetroChina Huabei Oilfield Company, Renqiu 062552, China
Xueying Zhang: PetroChina Huabei Oilfield Company, Renqiu 062552, China
Sanshuai Wang: PetroChina Huabei Oilfield Company, Renqiu 062552, China
Jinzhao Yang: Key Laboratory of Unconventional Oil & Gas Development, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
Jiyuan Zhang: Key Laboratory of Unconventional Oil & Gas Development, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China

Energies, 2022, vol. 15, issue 24, 1-15

Abstract: The gas and water flow behavior in rough-walled hydrophilic fractures at the pore scale is crucial for understanding the gas production characteristics of naturally fractured formations. This paper presents a systematic analysis of the gas and water flow characteristics in both the single-fracture and Y-shaped junction fracture models using the volume of fluid (VOF) method. Numerical simulations showed that the gas/water rate ratio is the most significant factor influencing gas bubble/slug geometry, phase distribution, and saturation. The effect of fracture roughness and tortuosity is less significant than the gas/water ratio, whereas the total fluid rate has a negligible effect. For Y-shaped junction models, the phase distribution and referential pathways are predominantly controlled only by the channel aperture ratio, whereas the effect of the intersecting angle and fluid flow rate can be neglected.

Keywords: computational fluid dynamics; rough-walled fracture; gas/water two-phase flow; volume of fluid; fracture geometry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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