Rock Sample Scanning Loop and Wettability Distribution Analysis
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current methods for testing rock samples are inefficient and costly, as they require multiple tests across multiple samples to determine capillary pressure, relative permeability, and wettability distribution, making it difficult to maintain initial water saturation conditions representative of an oil-water transition zone and compare data reliably.
Innovation Solution
A method involving a series of processes such as primary drainage, core aging, spontaneous water imbibition, forced water imbibition, spontaneous hydrocarbon imbibition, and secondary drainage on a single rock sample, allowing for the determination of capillary pressure scanning loops, relative permeability curves, and wettability distribution, while maintaining initial water saturation conditions, using calibrated imaging machines and fluid flow control systems.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If multiple tests are conducted across multiple rock samples to determine capillary pressure, relative permeability, and wettability distribution, then measurement precision and reliability of individual parameters can be improved, but device complexity, time consumption, and cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate testing procedures (capillary pressure testing, relative permeability testing, and wettability analysis) into a single integrated experimental system. By implementing multiple sensors and measurement capabilities within one apparatus, the system simultaneously captures all three parameters during sequential imbibition and drainage cycles, eliminating the need to conduct separate tests on multiple samples.
Solution Approach 2:
The testing apparatus is designed with multi-functionality to perform diverse measurements on a single rock sample. The system includes pressure sensors, saturation measurement capabilities, and imaging systems that can determine capillary pressure, relative permeability, and wettability distribution through different operational modes (imbibition and drainage cycles), making one piece of equipment replace multiple specialized testing devices.
2Loss of information
If multiple tests are conducted across multiple rock samples, then comprehensive data coverage can be achieved, but the complexity of comparing and correlating data sets from different samples increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges all testing operations onto a single rock sample, maintaining consistent sample characteristics throughout all measurements. The system captures capillary pressure, relative permeability, and wettability data from the same sample during sequential imbibition and drainage cycles, ensuring data consistency and eliminating variability introduced by using multiple different samples.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous monitoring and feedback mechanisms during the testing process. Sensors measure pressure, saturation, and other parameters in real-time, allowing the system to adjust and maintain optimal testing conditions throughout sequential cycles. This feedback approach ensures comprehensive data coverage while maintaining consistent reference points for comparison across all measurements.
3Reliability
If conventional testing methods are used on multiple samples, then initial water saturation conditions representative of oil-water transition zones can be established, but maintaining these conditions during core aging becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The system establishes the initial water saturation distribution representative of an oil-water transition zone before beginning the core aging process. By pre-configuring the sample with realistic initial conditions and then monitoring throughout subsequent imbibition and drainage cycles, the system maintains awareness of condition changes and can reference the initial state for comparison, ensuring the representativeness is preserved throughout the testing sequence.
4Productivity
If one set of tests is performed on a single rock sample, then time and cost efficiency improve, but the ability to maintain representative initial water saturation conditions during testing becomes more challenging
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple testing functions into a single integrated system that operates on one rock sample through sequential imbibition and drainage cycles. This approach maintains representative initial water saturation conditions by continuously monitoring and comparing against the established initial state, while achieving time and cost efficiency through consolidated testing operations that would otherwise require multiple separate experiments.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables the efficient and economical determination of capillary pressure, relative permeability, and wettability distribution on a single rock sample, facilitating more straightforward and reliable data comparison and improving hydrocarbon recovery predictions from oil-water transition zones.
Implementation Method 1
spontaneous water imbibition process, forced water imbibition process, spontaneous hydrocarbon imbibition process
Implementation Method 2
capillary pressure bounding curve and scanning loop
Implementation Method 3
An imaging machine can be calibrated using the rock sample saturated with the water stream
Data Source
AI summary
A primary drainage process, a core aging process, a spontaneous water imbibition process, a forced water imbibition process, a spontaneous hydrocarbon imbibition process, and a secondary drainage process is conducted on a rock sample. For each of the primary drainage process, the spontaneous water imbibition process, the forced water imbibition process, the spontaneous hydrocarbon imbibition process, and the secondary drainage process, a pressure distribution and a fluid saturation distribution are measured across multiple locations along the rock sample. For each of the locations, the pressure distribution and the fluid saturation distribution are combined to produce a capillary pressure bounding curve and scanning loop for the rock sample, and a relative permeability bounding curve and scanning loop are determined at least based on the measured fluid saturation and pressure distributions at the respective location. A wettability distribution along the rock sample is determined based on the bounding curves and scanning loops.