Adjustment on UTHYST (May-07-2015)

UTHYST model
( ) = ( )

( ) =

( ) =

1
)
1

+ ( ) (

= 1,2, 3

( )

1+( ) [( ) ( )

1
) ( )
(

..... (2)

]
1

( ) ( )

.. (1)

.. (3)

where is the conjugate phase critical/connate saturation,

is the conjugate phase saturation at
the start of current cycle (n), E denotes the end of cycle, M denotes the maximum saturation, n
denotes the cycle number, r denotes the residual saturation, and t denotes the trapped saturation.
is the history-matching parameter.

The first term in Eq. 1 is the accumulated trapped saturation up to the end of last cycle. is the
trapped saturation for the current cycle and the set of the parentheses introduces the effect of
conjugate phase saturation at the start of the current cycle.

UTHYST features:
1.

Phase trapping monotonically increases as the cycle number increases. It results in a cycledependent relative permeability that decreases as n increases for the same saturation.
Note: The monotonic behavior could be manipulated by mass-transfer effect between the
phases which is reflected in trapping number as part of the relative permeability model.

2.

Phase trapping is partly controlled by dynamic Land coefficient. The Lj term, in turn, is
governed by residual saturation at the maximum phase saturation in the increasing cycle, the
phase trapping at the start of the current cycle, and their associated saturations. These
parameters are a function of saturation history. As a result, the Land coefficient and phase
trapping is controlled by saturation history and entrapment of all of the phases.

3.

As
increases while keeping other criteria identical, phase j entrapment decreases. It is due
to the smaller porous volume accessible to phase j when that part is partly been occupied with
phase m.

4. If = : In that conjugate phase effect is being neglected, phase j has the maximum
entrapment capacity during the current cycle which is evaluated by .

5. As increases while keeping other criteria identical, phase j has lower entrapment chance
within the current cycle and, in overall, the phase j relative permeability increases for the same
saturation. By decreasing , however, phase j entrapment increases. It is due to the larger
porous space to which the phase j is introduced. Otherwise, the phase m occupies some
volume in which phase j would be trapped. If approaches zero the model still is valid.

UTHYST old format

( ) = ( )

) .

+ ( ) (

.. (4)

Issue with UTHYST old format: If conjugate phase connate/critical saturation ( ) is zero, the
entrapment of phase j will be neglected.