Angel Sanchez Barra, PhD Candidate, University of Alberta, presents his talk "Effects of Triaxial Stress and Strain on Multiphase Flow Using 3D-printed Fractured Sandstone Analogues".
Abstract: Hydrocarbon reservoirs are dynamic systems that change considerably through their life cycle. As primary hydrocarbon production decreases reservoir pore pressure, the in-situ stress state is modified, leading to an increase in effective stress. This change results in the deformation of the reservoir rock mass, which influences the flow properties of both the intact rock and its fractures. Such stress dependencies are especially evident in the alterations of the multiphase flow properties of the rock, namely relative permeability and capillary pressure. These alterations affect the balance between viscous and capillary forces governing fluid exchange between the rock matrix and its fractures, thus impacting the reservoir flow physics.
This study investigates the effects of stress and strain (both normal and shear) on drainage relative permeability, drainage capillary pressure, and matrix-to-fracture flow contributions in sandstone analogues produced using 3D printing technology. These analogues, featuring both intact and fractured components, are designed to simulate fractured reservoir rock. The experimental results contribute to the assessment of realistic hydrocarbon recovery, considering the stress sensitivity of naturally fractured reservoirs during depletion. The stress-path sensitivity of multiphase flow in fractured porous media significantly affects the performance of hydrocarbon recovery, geothermal processes, radioactive waste repositories, and carbon capture and storage operations.
Speaker Bio: Angel Sanchez-Barra is a PhD candidate under the supervision of Dr. Rick Chalaturnyk and Dr. Gonzalo Zambrano at the University of Alberta. He holds an MSc in Petroleum Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico. Angel's research is centred on reservoir geomechanics, with a keen focus on stress-dependent multiphase flow in fractures and fractured porous media. He also explores the application of 3D-printing technology in geosciences. Before joining the University of Alberta for his PhD, Angel worked as a field engineer at Halliburton.
1 ноя 2023
