DIMENSIONLESS NUMBERS IN GAS-ASSISTED GRAVITY DRAINAGE PROCESSES

Abstract

Numerical simulations of Gas-Assisted Gravity Drainage (GAGD) processes were analyzed by using three dimensionless groups: Capillary Number (the ratio between viscous and capillary forces), Bond Number (the ratio between gravity and capillary forces), and Gravity Number (the ratio between gravity and viscous forces). The effect of each number on the oil recovery factor was evaluated. The simulation results indicated that higher oil recoveries were obtained with higher Capillary and Bond Numbers, and lower Gravity Numbers. At last, based on simulations, this work proposes that numerical simulations with dimensionless groups can be useful tools to predict the performance of Gas-Assisted Gravity Drainage processes.