LAPSE:2023.35319
Published Article
LAPSE:2023.35319
Unusual Water Flow in Ultra-Tight Porous Media: Integration of Profession and Innovation
Yanglu Wan, Na Niu, Wei Lu, Yushuang Zhou, Bin Wang, Shan Lu
April 28, 2023
Hydraulic fracturing is an effective method for stimulating reservoirs, making the economic development of ultra-tight shale gas and coalbed methane reservoirs possible. These formations are rich in nanopores, in which the fracturing fluid, such as fresh water, the flow, and the behavior of this flow differ significantly from those described in the classic Navier-Stokes formula. In bulk space, the interaction force exerted by the solid phase can be ignored, but the solid−fluid interaction plays a dominant role in nanoconfinement spaces in which the pore size is comparable to the molecular diameter. Nanoconfined water molecules tend to approach the water-wet pore surface, enhancing the water viscosity, which is a key parameter affecting the water flow capacity. Conversely, water molecules tend to stay in the middle of nanopores when subjected to a hydrophobic surface, leading to a decrease in viscosity. Thus, nanoconfined water viscosity is a function of the strength of the surface−fluid interaction, rather than a constant parameter, in classic theory. However, the influence of varying the viscosity on the nanoscale water flow behavior is still not fully understood. In this research, we incorporate wettability-dependent viscosity into a pore network modeling framework for stable flow for the first time. Our results show that: (a) the increase in viscosity under hydrophilic nanoconfinement could reduce the water flow capacity by as much as 11.3%; (b) the boundary slip is the primary mechanism for boosting the water flow in hydrophobic nanopores, as opposed to the slight enhancement contributed by a viscosity decline; and (c) water flow characterization in nanoscale porous media must consider both the pore size and surface wettability. Revealing the varying viscosity of water flow confined in nanopores can advance our microscopic understanding of water behavior and lay a solid theoretical foundation for fracturing-water invasion or flowback simulation.
Keywords
nanoconfinement, pore network, Simulation, viscosity, wettability
Suggested Citation
Wan Y, Niu N, Lu W, Zhou Y, Wang B, Lu S. Unusual Water Flow in Ultra-Tight Porous Media: Integration of Profession and Innovation. (2023). LAPSE:2023.35319
Author Affiliations
Wan Y: School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Wuchang University of Technology, Wuhan 430200, China
Niu N: Southwest Oil and Gas Company, SINOPEC, Chengdu 610041, China
Lu W: School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Wuchang University of Technology, Wuhan 430200, China
Zhou Y: Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, SINOPEC, Wuxi 214126, China
Wang B: Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, SINOPEC, Wuxi 214126, China
Lu S: School of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Wuchang University of Technology, Wuhan 430200, China
Journal Name
Processes
Volume
11
Issue
4
First Page
1245
Year
2023
Publication Date
2023-04-18
Published Version
ISSN
2227-9717
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PII: pr11041245, Publication Type: Journal Article
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LAPSE:2023.35319
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doi:10.3390/pr11041245
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Apr 28, 2023
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