Single phase flow in porous

media: Darcys law

Oil or gas reservoir

Limestone reservoir
Sandstone reservoir
V
p
V
r
r p
p
V V V
V
V
+ =
= |
Usually |= 0.05 0.40
Porosity
Rock Matrix and Pore Space
Rock matrix Pore space
Pore Structure
Typical Pore Structure
Scanning Electron Micrograph
Norphlet Formation, Offshore Alabama, USA
Pores Provide the
Volume to Contain
Hydrocarbon Fluids

Pore Throats Restrict
Fluid Flow
Pore
Throat
Porosity in Sandstone
Porosity of common rock types
Permeability
Permeability k [D, mD]
- capacity of rock to transmit fluid
- function of open space and its interconnection
- depends on properties of rock formation
Permeability
Permeability (Darcys Law)
Darcys experiment was performed to design a filter large enough
to ensure the daily requirement of water for the city of Dijon
(1856).
( )
1 2
h h
q KA
L

=
q: volumetric rate [m
3
/s]
K: hydraulic conductivity [m/s]
A: Cross-sectional area of sand
pack [m
2
]
h: piezometric head [m]
L: length of sand pack [m]
Permeability (Darcys Law)
In Petroleum Engineering we use phase potentials
p gh
KA p
q g
g L
kA p
q g
L

u = +
A
| |
= +
|
\ .
A
| |
= +
|
\ .
k is permeability and property of a
rock
Usually expressed in D or mD (D
stands for Darcy)
1 Darcy = 10
-12
m
2
= 1 m
2

Darcys Law and dip angle
sin
kA p
q g
L
o

A
| |
= +
|
\ .
( )
z
k
u p ge

= V +
u is Darcys velocity
,
x y
z
k p k p
u u
x y
k p
u g
z

c c
= =
c c
c
| |
= +
|
c
\ .
Definition of parameters
Total flow rate = total discharge [m
3
s
-1
]: Q

Darcy velocity u = specific discharge q [m s
-1
]:





Interstitial velocity = linear velocity or pore velocity v:
Q
u
A
=
u
v
|
=
Definition of parameters
Hydraulic gradient: In empirical Darcys law; ratio of
difference in piezometric head (P/g + z) and length of the
sand pack; sand pack arranged in vertical position




Potential gradient: Analogous to hydraulic gradient;
sand pack position not restricted to vertical position; in
more generalized Darcys law; ratio of difference in fluid
potential and length of the sand pack
2 1
h h
L

2 1
L
u u
Bundle of capillary tubes
Many pore space models are based on capillary
tube bundle
2
2
8
r p
q r g
L
t

A
| |
= +
|
\ .
Hagen-Poiseuille law for laminar flow:
kA p
q g
L

A
| |
= +
|
\ .
Darcys law:
Restrictions and assumptions of
Darcys law
- Laminar flow
- For Reynolds numbers between 1 and 10
- No inertial forces
- Viscous forces predominant
- No slip (zero velocity of fluid at wall)
- Incompressible fluid (=constant density)
- Viscosity of water

Application to gas flow through porous medium not
appropriate
Note: Transition to turbulent flow for Re between 60 and 150.
Permeability
Permeability is influenced by:
Pore size and pore-size distribution
Grain size
Grain-distribution
Compaction (which is function of pressure)
Grain shape


Klinkenberg effect
Permeability measurement
methods
core scale
Inject a fluid with defined properties
Use Darcys law to calculate permeability

Well test
Measure flow and pressure
Calculate permeability

Representative Elementary
Volume (REV)
To use equations we need average values for permeability,
saturations, porosity, over a volume
The volume must be small with respect to our problem of interest
and large enough such that the averaged quantity does not
change significantly if we increase the averaging volume by a
factor of say two.
Darcys law and Navier-Stokes equations
NS is continuum form of Newtons second law
inertia pres grav visc
visc
S
S V
V V V V
F F F F
d
m pdA m F
dt
pdA pdV
d
dV pdV dV dV
dt k

= + +
= +
= V
= V
}
} }
} } } }
v
g
v u
g
We neglect inertia forces:
0
V V V
pdV dV dV
k

V =
} } }
u
g
( )
k
p

= V + u g
Limitations of applicability of
Darcys law
- Due to skin formation permeability in vicinity of
wellbore is changing (decreasing)

- At higher flow rates inertial force, acting due to
convective acceleration of fluid particles through
porous medium, have to be taken into account

Forchheimer equation
- Modification of Darcys law taking the inertial forces into
account
- Inertial forces need to be attributed for Re numbers
higher than 10.
- In porous media inertial forces need to be taken into
account because of acceleration and decelerations of fluid
particles through pore spaces NOT because of turbulence
flow.
- Originally derived for flow of fluids through pipes where
at high velocity distinct transition from laminar to turbulent
flow
- Additional pressure drop due to skin formation can be
determined applying Forchheimer equation.
Forchheimer equation
Forchheimer equation is a phenomenological approach.
It was recognized that Darcys law deviates for Re numbers
of around 10. To correct for this the inertial forces were
also taken into account. These forces describe the fact that
in porous media the fluid flow is accelerating or
decelerating due to the tortuosity.
The Forchheimer equation was stated on this picture
empirically




Herein is the inertial parameter.
2
u u
L k

|
Au
= +
Forchheimer equation
As common for phenomenological approaches, the
phenomenological parameters are related to measurable
parameters by correlations. and can be related to pore
structure parameters by:




With the constants A=180 and B=1.8

In general, 1/k and the inertia parameter can be
deduced from experimental data on the drop of the
piezometric head as function of the Darcy velocity.
( ) ( )
2
2
3 3
1 1
1
P P
A D B D
k

|

| |
| |
= = |
|
|
\ .
\ .
Permeability-porosity correlations
General form of correlations:

k = Shape factor * Porosity factor * square of grain size
diameter

( )
3 2
2
1
72
1
p
D
k

t

=

Carman-Kozeny correlation:
Tortuosity is a variable that defines the straightness of
the flow paths
Other Data Used in Well Testing
Formation Volume Factor
surf
res
o
V
V
B
Viscosity
dy
v
v + dv
dy
dv
A
F

Fluid Compressibility
p
V ln
p
V
V
1
c
o o
o
o
c
c
=
c
c

Pore Compressibility
p
ln
p
1
c
f
c
| c
=
c
| c
|

Net Pay Thickness

h = h
1
+ h
2
+ h
3

Shale
Sand
h
3

h
2

h
1

Net Pay Thickness
Case 1 Case 3
Case 4 Case 2
Wellbore Radius
r
w

Total Compressibility
g g w w o o f t
c S c S c S c c
Radial (steady state) Darcys Law
qB
r
w
h
Radial system in steady state
r
r
w
r
e
p
w
p
e
p
qB
qB
p
e
p
r
Permeability can be derived:
Note: B assumed constant
p u
r k
c
=
c
2
qB
u
rh t
=
2
qB dr
dp
kh r

t
=
ln
2
w
w
qB r
p p
kh r

t
| |
=
|
\ .
( )
( )
2
ln /
w
w
kh
q p p
B r r
t

=
( )
( )
ln /
2
w
w
qB r r
k
h p p

t
=

Skin
Skin is any near wellbore phenomenon that causes an additional
pressure drop extra to that expected from Darcy inflow (Delta P-skin),
e.g. damaged rock:
Stimulated
Less Pressure drop
due to hydraulic frac
Can be negative too
!
Undamaged Damaged
Extra Pressure drop
due to damage skin
Ap
skin

Expected flowing pressure
undamaged
Actual flowing pressure
Positive Skin: drilling mud filtrates, clay swelling, mechanically
destroyed rock, gravel pack
Negative skin: acid jobs, extra deep perforations, hydraulically fractured
Skin and Productivity Index
2
skin
q
p S
kh

t
A =
van Everdingen equation:
ln
2
e
e wf
w
r q
p p S
kh r

t
| |
= +
|
\ .
e wf
q
PI
p p
=

Productivity Index:
Ways to improve PI:
Skin removal
Increasing effective permeability
Viscosity reduction
Reduction of B
o
Increasing well penetration h
Geometric Skin
Partially perforated Fully perforated
Pressure drop due
to geometric skin
Flow in parallel

=
=

=
n
j
j
n
j
j j
h
h k
k
1
1
Linear Radial
h
1
h
1
h
2
h
3
h
2
h
3
k
1
k
2
k
3
Q
1
Q
2
Q
3
Q
T
r
e
Q
1
Q
2
Q
3
Q
T
P
1
P
2
P
e
P
w
h
T
L
Flow in series
Linear
Often used for
vertical permeability
k
1
k
2
k
3
h
P
1
P
2
Q
Q
Radial
r
e
Q
P
e
P
w
L
1
L
L
3
L
2
r
2
r
1
AP1 AP2 AP3

=
n
j
j
j
k
L
L
k
1
Permeability averaging
Parallel Flow
Series Flow
Random Flow
Arithmetic
Average
Harmonic
Average
Geometric
Average

=
=

=
n
j
j
n
j
j j
h
h k
k
1
1

=
=

=
n
j
j
j
n
j
j
k
h
h
k
1
1
n
n k k k k =

2 1