.

, /
.

spes=-

1:
1

,,

I
,

Some Experiments on the Flow of Miscible Fluids of

Unequal Density Through Porous Media
,,,
F. !% CRANE
H. A. KENDALL*
G, Ii. F. GARDNER
MEM8ER AIME

ABSTRACT
Two e fects of a di~ference in density
may be
(
obsetved
is miscible displacement.
As tbe difference
.
is increased
~om zero there is first a change in
mode from rnzdtipie fingers to a single finger. A
further increase results in a more rapid growth of
tbe
single
finger.
Miscible
displacement
with
multiple fingers has been discussed
by Blaekwell,
et al, whereas miscible displacement
with a single
finger has beert discussed
by Craig, et al. In the
present
paper experiments
are described
which
bridge the gap betweeq these extreme cases.

GULF RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

PITTSBURGH,
PA.

,:
within the Dorous msdiitmi

The tran~ition range depends on all the dimensionless

groups which ~haracterize
the problem;
but
this dependence
has not been exhaustive~ y studied
as yet and only fragmentary
results
are discussed
in this paper.

HORIZONTAL SY$TEM

MULTIPLE FINGERS
BLACKWELL ct al.

sINOLE FINGSR
CRAIO @d.

~~ INTRODUCTION

,.

Craig, et ~1~ investigated

the effect of gravity
ion frontsl displacements
for circutastaqces
in which
$d@@y
~forces
were significant.
Blackwell,
dealt wi.ti the other extreme in which gravi~
)
forcL
were siegligible.
The
considerable
difference
between
their resuits
is illustrated
in
Fig.
1 where , the breakthrough
recoveries
are
plotted
against the, mobility ra;io. The experiments
described
in the present papex were conducted
to
exainine
how the transition
from the one extreme
case to the other occurs when the gravity forces
tie gradually reduced.
The transition
is weII illustrated
by the production
history
after Li:akthrough.
Fig. 2 shows
how the xnunber of pore volumes
which must be
98 per cent
injected
at a constant rate to displace
of the original fluid depends on the gravity force.
For each mobility ratio there is a transition
range,
snd a very significimt
change in the number of
pore vohmies occurs when this range is traversed.
This range of the gravity force iri physically
Iirtked
with the formation of viscous fingers. A single finger
is predominant
for larger gravity forces;
a rinMpliiity
of fingers
is formed for smaller
gravity
forces.
Improved recove}y and the occurrence
of
multiple
fingers
is. concomitant
with a large increase in the amount by which the fluids sr~ mixed
Orsfnal manuscript received in Socf etY of petroleum Z2ngineers
offce Nov. 29, 1962, Revised manuscript received June 19,1963.
i References given at nd of peper,
.,

*Now ssrqiated
Stwfont. Tex.
..
.,
DECEMBEil,
-.

19G9

with The & & M. College of Texas, College

.
.
.

CO,

OJ

3 MoB:,n &07

FIG, 1 THE FORMATION OF A MULTIPLICITY

OF
FINGERS
INCREASES
THE MIXING OF THE FLUIDS
AND INCREASES THE BREAKTHROUGH
EFFICIENCY.
24

8=30
L=I12 CM.

22 e
=s0
k

*%lHEoRY,M~2z
--h
----

I*

16 -

20-S3 US BEADS -@
%0-70
us BEAOS -~

M *27 20-S6 US BEADS +

-n

~s

14
12
10

s.,
,.

@iEOTC+ M=6.5

\
.\,~53
\\

--

\
2
1.
01
.1

5!

O--*
32,

I I I 111111 I !
10
.

1111111
100L

33

43
5045
e
,4?
44
e-cl
\
- ----- J
0..
1 1 1111111I I 11!11111 !1

>-~-JmRY*=l
------------

4849 \

Imo

@w

&

OF GRAVITY
FORCES ON
FIG.
2 THE EFFECT
THE PRODUCTION HISTORY AFTER BREAKT~OUGH.
INCREASED
EFFICIENCY
AT HIGH
VALUES OF
F! ./6
IS ACCOMPANIED
BY MULTSPLEFINGE$UNG.
,..
---.
.
.,-%77

.,.

,
.

curves. The integrated

2 and 5.

EXPERIMENTAL

The flow channel had a rectangular

cross section,
10 cm high and 0.412 cm wide, and consisted
of
Lucite
walls with glass spheres of a single size
packed between.
Physical
properties
are listed in
1. The displaced
fluid was a suitable
mixTable
ture of glycerine, isopropyl alcohol and water. The
displacing
fluid was water containing
potassium
chloride
(10 gin/liter)
and a trace of uranine. The
effluent
was analyzed
automatically
by measuring
the electrical
conductivity
of 5 cc samples.
A
schematic
diagram of the apparatus
is shown in
Fig; 3.
Small screw holes were drilled through the walls
of the model 10 cm downstream from the inlet face.
J3Y in jectirrg one fluid through the inlet, the other
through the outlet, and bleeding both through the
screw holes a very sharp straight
interface
could
be obtained.
The uranine in the salt water made
the line of separation
visible.
The initial position
of the fluids was always obtained in this way, and
the initial
inclination
of the interface
with the
vertical
in the experiments
discussed
here was
30?
The fluids were produced through a single outlet
placed
at the center of the end plate which WRS
separated
from the packing of spheres
by a. wire
screen. This method of production had no appreciable
effect on the motion of the fluids within the model
except
when gravity forces were extremely
large
(R ~/g < IQ).
The concentration
of the displaced
fluid in the
eff Iuent stream was measured and F igi 4 illustrates
the data obtained.
A montonic decrease in concentration is obtained only for small values of R ~/g.
The maxima and minima obtained for larger values
of Rv/g , are associated
with the arrivaI of different
fingers
of ,th~ invading
fluid at the outlet. The
,
Vol m-ix of the o~iginal fluid produced up to any
time cart be obtained by integrating
the measured

1 PROPERTIES
L=112cm.

OF MODELS AND FLUIOS

fi=lOcm,

(Q/A)
#
.

55
54
56
57*
53
52
51
48
49

,.

?:

54
44
41
45
46
47

27
27
26,9
26.9

L@

,049
.049
.2)07
.007

6,92
.131
.131
6,92
.131
6.97
. 13T
6.88
6.88
.131
.132
6.88
.132
6.88
.131
6,91
102
6.5
6.43 ~~ .079
.052
6.62
6.86
.02
-.002
6.67

v
cc/see

%/9

342
342
342
342

.0034s
.0463
.0485
.0462

58.2
775
5990
m

342
342
342
44* 1
44.1
44* 1
44.1
44,1
~4&}
44!
44,1
44,1
44.1

.00345
.0143
.0434
,0158
i0332
,0405
,04S2
.367
.0443
,0357
,0452
,0443
.0449

!i,5
22.7
69
192
403
.504
540
578
672
688
1380
3340
35800

?Madel was horiz~ri; iol for sIJ ww

278
... .-.
..

. .. .. ..
----

W=.412cm

Pvto

Pv to
produce
98%

17,5
9.2
4.18
3,6
6
4*5
4.5
4.5
3.65
3.28
2.8
2,7
2,0s
2..
1.96
2.1
2.1

except Run ~ 57.

produce
95%
.

15.6
7.7
3.66
2.8
5
~ 3.75
3.65
3. 9s
3.27
2.96
2,71
2.5
1.9
1.8.
1,~6
1.95
1.95

in Figs.

THEORY
The
dimensionless
groups
which characterize
the flow of miscible fluids in a horizontal
system
may be divided
into geometrical
ratios, and hydrodynamic
ratios.
Among the former may be listed
the ratios of length to height, width to height, and
the initial
and boundary
conditions,
Among the
latter are the mobility ratio, the ratio of the viscous
gradient
to the gravity gradient,
and the ratio of
the viscous force and diffusive
force, The dependent

l.Jr-l- I

.,

A
,412CM.

FEl-

.}

IO,CM.

112OR 2VOCM.

INTERVAL TIMER
I TO 2 MIN.
AP?ROX 6ML

b
II

FIG.

3 SCHEMATIC
DIAGRAM
APPARATUS
TO ANALYZE

OF MODEL
EFFLUENT.

Aik) ..

I!Z2!!I
m
Iizz!!I
m
0

TABLE

i%ra are illustrated

{2345,678910

012345678910
PORE VOLUME INJECTED

FIG.
4 VARIATION
IN COMPOSITION
FLUENT
WITH RATIO OF, VISCOUS TO
FORCES R Id .

OF EFGRAVITY

Lo

5
u

2
0.
K

[/

.,

#
ok

o,

!,

...

>

-:?-

PORE VOLUMS3 INJECTED

FIG. S - COMPARISON
OF EXPERIMENTAL
DATA
WITH THEORY
FOR A SMALL VALUE OF R ,/g,
.
. ... .
.,
.-.
.,,
. .

,.
,-----

,,
.
..

1 ..-..

. ..
-

..

.
.-

..

,
,

..
variable
chosen to illustrate
the behavior
of the
system waa the number of pore volumes required to
produce 9S per cent of the original fluid. Three of
the
independent
variables
were changed
in the
course of the experiments
performed.
Thus we may
describe
the scope of the experiments
by writing

fJ=/(R1.~Af#M)

CC~O.0..

(U

R ~ was varied from 1 to W, L/ff had the values

of either 10 or 30 and M hsd the values of either
6.5 Or 27.
The theoretical
form of the function
f in Eq.
1 is not known in general, but has been found in
special
cases.
For exampie,
the prob:em
when.
M = 1 has been treated3
and one simple result
will be quoted here: The number of-pore VOIu,mes
n which
must be injected
to displace
all of the
orl~inaI fluid is given by

(.:1,2

+#!&)(j)=%g,

the one mode of displacement

or the other is obviously
not dependent
on L/H and hence musr be
determined
by the value of RI.
Mixing
between
the fluids
is greatest
when
multiple fingering
occurs,
sod it may have a significant effect on the displacement.
However, there
does not a~pear to be a simde
theorv which can
be used. O~iy in the limit of *no densi~y difference
has a theoretical
analysis
been made.s)s
In this
[imit a transition
zone gradually develops in which
the viscosity
varies linearly from that of the displacing
fiuid to that of the displaced
fluid. After
the transition
zone has developed,
the displacement
is piston-like
and viscous instabilities
are danrped
out by diffusion
and dispersion.
This stabilized
zone is imimportant
except
in models which are
narrow. Dispersion
may have an appreciable
ef feet,
however,
even when a sing~e graviry finger forms ~
and may explain why recoveries
are always better
than the predictions
of the Die.tz theory, especially
at high ,mobility ratios, Jn experiments
discussed
here no attempt was made co change the amount
of dispersion
within the porous medium.

~ * 9(2)

RESULTS
Thus the two groups R 1 and (L/H) do not OCCLU
E q. 2 is
independent
y but only as a prodwct.
illustrated
in Fig, 2 and it is clear that only for
/
Rvl$
less than 10 has the density
difference
a
significant
effect.
The influence
of the mobility ratio can also be
illustrated
by considering
a special
case.
The
theory described
by Diet z ~ has a simple interpretation
if the difference
in density
between
the
fluids is large enough to form a single finger, yet
smalk enough to be negligible
compared with the
viscous
forces. In these circumstances
each point
on the interface
has its, own constant
velocity.
. The disdacin~
fluid arrives
at -the outlet
when
l/M por~ vol&es
have been injected;
all of the
displaced
fluid has been produced
when M pore
voIumes have been in jetted;
Between rhese limits
it may easiIy be deduced that the number of pore
volumes
n required to displace
x per cent of the
tyiginal
fluid is related to the mobility ratio M by
1
M-l

+=

2(Mrr) 1/2-l-n

Fig.
5 shows a comparison
experiment
data.
The

theory

outlined

1,

between

by Dietz

Eq,

predicts

o (3)
3 and
that

in

eneral
N s.ISa restricted
Wc:ion fto %
d
of. ow:ver
thla theory
t e case
a single
penetrating
finger of the injected
fluid. This assumption
is invalid when the density
difference
is small ~enough, and multiple fin-gers form, It must
then ,be assumed that R 1 and L/ff are ind~pendent
vsfiiables
and do not occur simply as their product

%/g.

:,

-.
.-

The trs6sition
from a si~gle predominant
finger
to mukiple fingkrs is illus~ated
in Fig. 2 for .L/H
G -10 and for M = 6.5 and 27. The occurrence
of
. . . ..
. . . . . _,,
.,-e
.,,
DECEMBEa,

..

~,
.,

1969
. .
..;
- .-,
.-.

.;

. ...

.,. ,

The experiments
reported here were designed to
cover a wide range of the variabIe RVIg and hence
test
the applicability
of the Dietz th;ory.
The
main restdrs are shown in Fig. 2. For small values
of Rv/g the theory is quite satisfactory
although
the observed efficiency
of displacement
is td ways
somewhat
better
than the prediction.
The large
increase in efficiency
for small density differences
is associated
with the formation of multiple fingc+~s
rather than a single finger, and marks the 1imit of- _
applicability
of the theory. For M = 6.5 the theory
is satisfactory
provided RI is Iess than about 30,
and for M = 27 if RI is less than about 10. MuItipIe
fingering
appears
to be fairly completely
developed
for $?I = 70 if M= 6,5, and for R1 =600
if M = 27. Below these transition
regions N depends
on R vie and M; above the transition
regions N tends
to be a constant,
approximately
2; within the transition regi,ons N depends
on R 1,, L/H and M. lt
will be noted that the transition
is gradual. Thus
from Fig. 4 it may be seen that for I?v/g = 192
the production
history is influenced
by ,secondary
fingers and, from Fig. 2, that the Dietz theory gives
a reasonable
agrekmerx with experiment. The lower
limit for the transition
regions
IS cnosen here to
indicate
the start of a wide divergence
from the
theory rather than the, compl-;e
disappear&ce
of
secondary
fingera.
To test these conclusions,
rfuts have also been
made with L/H = 30. The transition
regions were
i
some~hat
wider but had about the same lower
Iirniis,
As further confirmation,
experimen~s
have
also been_, made with verticaI
c ylin~ers with cross
sectionaI areas up to 200 tinie5 targkr. In aH, case<
folly
developed
:mukiple fingering
occurred
and
98 per cent of the original fluid was displaced
by
less
than two pore volumes
even for viscosity
rat{,os as large as 27.
.. . ,..
.. ... ... . . .. . ... .. ..

/.

-,.

As a practical
example
let us suppose
that
H .20
ft, and M = 27.
Then
Ap = 0.2 gin/cc,
ApgH = 1.75 psi and the gravity gradient
is about
0.09 psi/ft.
If the viscous
gradient
is less than
(0.09)
(10) = 0.9 psi/ft,
the Dietz theory is applicable
and the displacement
depends only on the
pressure drop between wells. If the viscous gradient
exceeds
(0,09) ( 600) = 54 psi/ft
the density difference is entirqly negligible.
If the viscous gradient lies between 0.9 and 54 psi/ft multiple fingering
occur:
but is significantly
affected
by the difference in density,

A recovery value of 98 per cent was chosen to

illustrate
the results
because
it emphasizes
the
difference
between
a single
finger and multiple
fingers and yet is not influenced
much. by diffusion
and, mixing within the p,orous medium. For lower
recover y values the transition
zone is 1ess pronounced.
For example,
Fig. 5 shows that with a
single finger 75 per cent recovery will be achieved
when one and a half pore volumes have been injected,
The inducement ~of multiple
fingering will
not reduce the number of pore volume required to
achieve this recovery by much,
Breakthrough
recovery
was observed
to agxee
with Craigs results for low values of RI, but for
large values
of RI when multiple
fingering
was
evident,
breakthrough
was not a clear cut event.
Sometimes
a trace of the injected
fiuid couId be
detected,
followed by production
of the originai
fluid undiluted,
and then a second arrival of the
injected
fluid. .However, there was a definite trend
toward later breakthrough
for high values of R 1,
and disagreement
with Blackwells
results
is not
in question.
The initial angle of inclination
of the interface
was arbitr~ily
selected
as 300. Experiments
were
also pe:formed
in which this angle was 00, 10
alteration
affected
breakthrough
and 60 . This
recoveries,
but the production
after .breal@rough
~
,was only affe cred slightly.

This
number is about 30 for M = 6.5 aind 10 for
M = 27. Dispersion
of the fluids by the porous
medium appears to affect thr? recoveries
appreciably.
2. Above a certain value of RI the recovery is
independent of M, L!H and RI . This value is about
70 for M = 6.5 and 600 for M= 27.
3. Between
these
upper and lower values
of
R1 recovery is dependent on M, L/H and RI.

$ = porosity

..

v=

L The 13ietz theory is applicable

only when
R 1 is less than a certain number depending on M,
and then the recovery is determined by. M ad RVIZ:

..

average fluid particle velocity

viscosity of the original fluid in model

P
L:

Iength of model

R=

permeability

Ap = density
placing

of mo,del

difference
fluid

of displaced

and

of gravity
g= acceleration
H = height of model
w.
width of model

M=

of displaced
fluid)

mobility rario (v;scosity

viscosity
of displacing

n=

iv=

dis~

fluid/

RI = +VIJWP

R ~lg = defined

by Eq.

1-

number of pore volumes

pore volumes
to ret:
original fIuid

in jetted
:sr 98 per

cent

of

REFERENCES
L

Cra@
F. F,, Sanderlin, J. L., Moore, D. W. and
Geffen, T, M.: t 1A Laborstqt study Of GrwMy e g
regation
in Frontal
Vol. 210, 27S.

2. Blackwell,
(lFactora

R. J.,

Gravity
Models;

4. Dietz,
Vol.

Drives,
Rayne,

~flwncing

placement)t,
3, Gardner,

CONCLUSIONS

!
.

NOMENCLATURE

the

J.

Trans.,

AIME

R. and ~erry,

Efficiency

(1957)
W. M.:

of Msible

DIs-

Trm, s., AIME (1959) Vol. 216, I.

G. H, F.; Downie,
J. and Kendall, H. A.:
Segregation
of Miscible
Fluids
in Linear
Sot. Pet, Eng+ Jow, (June, 1962) %

D. N.;
56, 83.

Profi,

Acad.

Science

Amst.

(1953)
***

r..

. .
,..

..
SOCIETY

j,1

..

.
.,

,.
..-.

OF

..

Pt3T110LEll M

... .. .. .
ENGINEERS-

. .
JOURNAL