Numerical study of two-phase fluid distributions in fractured porous media

Peijie Yin & Gaofeng Zhao

Two-phase fluid distributions in fractured porous media were studied using a single-component multiphase (SCMP) lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), which was selected among three commonly used numerical approaches through a comparison against the available results of micro X-ray computed tomography.The influence of the initial configuration and the periodic boundary conditions in the SCMP LBM for thefluid distribution analysis were investigated as well. It was revealed that regular porous media are sensitiveto the initial distribution, whereas irregular porous media are insensitive. Moreover, to eliminate theinfluence of boundaries, the model’s buffer size of an SCMP LBM simulation was suggested to be takenas approximately 12.5 times the average particle size. Then, the two-phase fluid distribution of a porousmedium was numerically studied using the SCMP LBM. Both detailed distribution patterns and macroscopic morphology parameters were reasonably well captured. Finally, the two-phase fluid distributionsin a fractured porous media were investigated. The influence of the degree of saturation, fracture length,and fracture width on the fluid distributions and migration was explored. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley &Sons, Ltd.