Compositional Pore-Network Modeling of Gas-Condensate Flow

TL;DR

This paper introduces a fully implicit compositional pore-network model that simulates gas-condensate flow in reservoirs, accurately capturing phase transitions and predicting relative permeability with good agreement to experimental data.

Contribution

It presents a novel 3D pore-network model incorporating phase transition physics and PT-flash calculations, improving reservoir flow predictions under complex conditions.

Findings

Good quantitative agreement with experimental relative permeability data.

Model accurately captures phase transitions and flow regimes.

Predicts effects of interfacial tension and flow velocity on flow behavior.

Abstract

Liquid dropout and retention in gas-condensate reservoirs, specially in the near wellbore region, obstruct gas flowing paths and impact negatively the produced fluid volume and composition. Yet, condensate banking forecasting is commonly inaccurate, as experiments seldom reproduce reservoir extreme conditions and complex fluid composition, while most pore-scale models oversimplify the physics of phase transitions between gas and condensate. To address this gap, a fully implicit isothermal compositional pore-network model for gas and condensate flow is presented. The proposed pore-networks consist of 3D structures of pores connected by constricted circular capillaries. Hydraulic conductances are calculated for the capillaries, which can exhibit single-phase flow or two-phase annular flow, according to local gas and liquid saturations, or be blocked by a liquid bridge, when capillary forces overcome viscous forces. A PT-flash based on the Peng-Robinson EoS is performed at control volumes defined for the pores at each time step, updating the phases properties. Flow analyses were carried based on coreflooding experiments reported in the literature, with matching fluid composition and flow conditions, and approximated pore-space geometry. Predicted and measured relative permeability curves showed good quantitative agreement, for two values of interfacial tension and three values of gas flow velocity.