Recovery of Water from the Unsaturated Zone by Air Injection: I-Design of a Large Physical Model

摘要

'Secondary recovery' techniques (the injection of a second fluid such as natural gas or water into a reservoir under pressure) enhance oil recovery from reservoirs. Recently, air was injected into the unsaturated region above the Ogallala aquifer, and water levels in the area were raised significantly. Models describing the phenomena are needed for predictive purposes. Objectives of the research were to design a large physical model to verify numerical models, and explore similitude criteria for physical models of air-water flow in porous media. A two-phase oil and water numerical model from the petroleum industry was modified for air and water, and run using relative permeability vs. saturation data for sandstones from the petroleum literature.