Simulation of gravity fingering in porous media using a modified invasion percolation model

被引:53
作者
Glass, RJ
Yarrington, L
机构
[1] Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque
关键词
D O I
10.1016/0016-7061(95)00087-9
中图分类号
S15 [土壤学];
学科分类号
0903 ; 090301 ;
摘要
We introduce a modified invasion percolation (MIP) model for the immiscible displacement of a nonwetting fluid by a wetting fluid within a porous network. The model includes the influence of gravity and is applicable in the quasi-static limit of infinitesimal flow rate where viscous forces are negligible with respect to gravity and capillary forces. The incorporation of gravity alone creates complicated, pore-scale gravity fingers. To properly model wetting fluid invasion where macroscopic gravity fingers form, we incorporate a pore-scale geometric capillary smoothing function we refer to as ''facilitation.'' Facilitation models the physics of wetting fluid invasion of pores by modifying the capillary pressure required to fill a pore based on the number of adjacent necks connecting the pore to the invading wetting fluid. The wetting fluid invasion facilitation process creates compact clusters and macroscopic fronts in horizontal simulations and in combination with gravity, creates macroscopic, gravity fingers that are in qualitative agreement with physical experiments. The MIP model yields much different imbibition front structures than standard invasion percolation. For MIP, capillary fingering, capillary facilitation, and gravity fingering compete to determine the wetted network structure as a function of pore-size distribution.
引用
收藏
页码:231 / 252
页数:22
相关论文
共 15 条
[1]   THE FORMATION FACTOR OF RECONSTRUCTED POROUS-MEDIA [J].
ADLER, PM ;
JACQUIN, CG ;
THOVERT, JF .
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, 1992, 28 (06) :1571-1576
[2]  
CHOU RL, 1959, T AM I MIN MET ENG, V216, P8073
[3]   WETTING FRONT INSTABILITY .2. EXPERIMENTAL-DETERMINATION OF RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN SYSTEM PARAMETERS AND TWO-DIMENSIONAL UNSTABLE FLOW FIELD BEHAVIOR IN INITIALLY DRY POROUS-MEDIA [J].
GLASS, RJ ;
STEENHUIS, TS ;
PARLANGE, JY .
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, 1989, 25 (06) :1195-1207
[4]   MECHANISM FOR FINGER PERSISTENCE IN HOMOGENEOUS, UNSATURATED, POROUS-MEDIA - THEORY AND VERIFICATION [J].
GLASS, RJ ;
STEENHUIS, TS ;
PARLANGE, JY .
SOIL SCIENCE, 1989, 148 (01) :60-70
[5]   WETTING FRONT INSTABILITY .1. THEORETICAL DISCUSSION AND DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS [J].
GLASS, RJ ;
PARLANGE, JY ;
STEENHUIS, TS .
WATER RESOURCES RESEARCH, 1989, 25 (06) :1187-1194
[6]   Physics of gravity fingering of immiscible fluids within porous media: An overview of current understanding and selected complicating factors [J].
Glass, RJ ;
Nicholl, MJ .
GEODERMA, 1996, 70 (2-4) :133-163
[7]  
GLASS RJ, 1993, P 4 ANN INT C HIGH L, P2042
[8]  
Glass RJ., 1989, EOS T AM GEOPHYS UN, V70, P1117
[9]  
HARR ME, 1987, RELIABILITY BASED DE, P93
[10]   INVASION PERCOLATION IN AN ETCHED NETWORK - MEASUREMENT OF A FRACTAL DIMENSION [J].
LENORMAND, R ;
ZARCONE, C .
PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS, 1985, 54 (20) :2226-2229