Realizing the revolution in reservoir characterization:a tale of X-ray imaging, wettability and minimal surfaces
Join us on 17 October for the Halliburton | Landmark – STEPS Distinguished Lecture
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM, RSM 1.31
This year, Professor Martin Blunt will deliver the STEPS Distinguished Lecture:
Professor Martin Blunt will discuss recent developments in pore-scale modelling and imaging, with an emphasis on three-dimensional X-ray visualizations of multiphase flow and reaction at reservoir conditions of temperature and pressure.
Fundamental properties, such as contact angle, interfacial curvature, and pore-scale fluid distributions may be derived directly from these images, providing a powerful test for numerical models.
Professor Blunt will show how these pore-scale observations can be combined with measurements of pressure differential, which allow relative permeability and capillary pressure to be found simultaneously.He will demonstrate how the morphology and curvature of the fluid interfaces impacts recovery. Modelling approaches will be briefly discussed, emphasizing that a hierarchy of methods are required to characterize flow.Pore network modelling will be introduced as a flexible upscaled formulation which uses experiments and direct numerical simulation to inform the pore-averaged properties used in the model.
Overall the subject of multiphase flow in porous media is undergoing a revolution: this talk will present some ideas that might be used to supersede our current, rather limited, understanding and interpretation of this important topic.
If you cannot attend in person, the talk can be followed online: Go to the GoToWebinar link to register online beforehand.