Stencil-Based Pore Network Construction for Porous Media

Solution Overview

Problem

Current techniques for modeling fluid flow through porous media are limited by low resolution and computational expense, leading to inaccurate characterization of physical and chemical properties, particularly at the microscale, which hinders applications in industries like petroleum resource development and medical technology.

Innovation Solution

A method and apparatus using central processing units (CPUs) to construct high-resolution pore networks by replicating and aligning pore body elements and throat connections from a representative network, allowing for efficient generation and characterization of porous media samples with improved accuracy and reduced computational burden.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If lower resolution implementation is used to match computational capabilities, then computational expense is reduced, but manufacturing precision (model accuracy) deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvecomputational efficiencyVSAvoidmodel accuracy

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The pore network model is segmented into representative elementary units (REUs) that capture essential microscale features. By dividing the larger porous media into these manageable segments, the model achieves high resolution at the microscale while maintaining computational efficiency at the macroscale through hierarchical modeling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent creates simplified copy models of pore structures that replicate key geometric and topological characteristics without requiring full-resolution imaging of the entire porous media. These copy models preserve essential flow pathways and pore throat configurations, enabling accurate fluid flow prediction with reduced computational burden.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

2Manufacturing precision

If higher resolution model input is used, then manufacturing precision (model accuracy) is improved, but use of energy (computational expense) increases

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemodel accuracyVSAvoidcomputational expense

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent creates simplified copy models of pore structures that replicate key geometric and topological characteristics without requiring full-resolution imaging of the entire porous media. These copy models preserve essential flow pathways and pore throat configurations, enabling accurate fluid flow prediction with reduced computational burden.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #26Copying

Solution Approach 2:

The model applies different levels of detail to different regions of the porous media. Representative elementary units are constructed with high local resolution to capture critical pore throat and pore body characteristics, while the overall model uses a coarser representation, optimizing the balance between accuracy and computational cost.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

3Adaptability or versatility

If larger scale porous media is modeled, then adaptability (modeling capability) is improved, but manufacturing precision (accuracy reflection) deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemodeling capabilityVSAvoidaccuracy reflection

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The pore network model is segmented into representative elementary units (REUs) that capture essential microscale features. By dividing the larger porous media into these manageable segments, the model achieves high resolution at the microscale while maintaining computational efficiency at the macroscale through hierarchical modeling.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The representative elementary units are designed as universal building blocks that can represent various pore structures across different scales and applications. These REUs can be replicated and assembled to model porous media of any size, from microscale samples to large-scale reservoirs, maintaining accuracy across different length scales.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Data Source

PatentUS20240070356A1Methods and devices for stencil-based pore network construction

Publication Date: 2024.02.29 UNIVERSITY OF WYOMING

AI summary

A method for pore network construction by one or more processors is disclosed. The method may include generating one or more sample pore bodies based on a representative pore network corresponding to a porous media sample, selecting a target pore body from the one or more sample pore bodies, adding the target pore body to a generated pore network, the generated pore network associated with one or more target parameters, replicating one or more pore throat connections from the representative pore network substantially within the generated pore network, the one or more pore throat connections disposed between the target pore body and one or more duplicated neighbors of the target pore body, and processing the generated pore network to substantially align the generated pore network with the representative pore network.