Experimental observations of multiphase flow in heterogeneous porous media

Abstract

A parallel-plate, heterogeneous, sand-pack cell was constructed to study the effects of porous media heterogeneity on the displacement of water by a dense, immiscible phase, organic solvent. Tetrachloroethylene-water drainage capillary-pressure - saturation curves were measured for each of four sands used to create various lenses within the cell, and fitted with the Brooks-Corey capillary-pressure - saturation function using a nonlinear least-squares fitting routine. Tetrachloroethylene was injected under constant head conditions into the top of the initially static, water-saturated cell. The tetrachloroethylene behavior in the sand pack illustrated several key features of multiphase flow in heterogeneous porous media and demonstrated the critical role played by the capillary characteristics of the four sands employed. © 1989.