3-D visualization of diffusive and convective solvent transport processes in oil-saturated porous media using laser technology

摘要

A technique to visualize miscible displacement in porous media is introduced in this paper. After saturating the model made of different sized glass beads with oil, solvent was introduced to mix and displace it. The refractive indices of saturated and injected fluids were made the same by mixing them with lower and higher indices of refraction. Refractive index matching made the model transparent. Fluorescent dyes that were only visible with excitation of laser were dissolved in the solvent. A laser sheet scanned the model while synchronous pictures were taken by two high speed cameras from two sides of the model. Two groups of models representing diffusive (no injection) and convective (injection of solvent) interaction, respectively, were considered to test the visualization system: (1) solvent diffusion under purely static conditions, and (2) injection/production through a pair of horizontal wells. Visual data were analyzed and the limitations of the visualization technique introduced were presented.