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An Analytical Model for Analysis of Capillary Pressure Measurements by

Centrifuge

Article  in  PETROPHYSICS · August 2017

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 CENTRIFUGE

An Analytical Model for Analysis of Capillary Pressure Measurements by

Centrifuge

Pål Østebø Andersen1,2,*, Svein Magne Skjæveland1,2, and Dag Chun Standnes1

ABSTRACT
Primary drainage with centrifuge is considered where a core fully saturated with a dense
wetting phase is rotated at a given rotational speed and a less dense, non-wetting phase enters.
The displacement is hindered by a positive drainage capillary pressure and equilibrium is
approached with time. We present general partial differential equations describing the setup
and consider a multi-speed drainage sequence from one equilibrium state (at a given rotational
speed) to the next. By appropriate simplifications we derive that the process is driven by the
distance from equilibrium state as described by the capillary pressure at the inner radius and
position of the threshold pressure (transition from two to one-phase) from their equilibrium
values. Further, an exponential solution is derived analytically to describe the transient
production phase. Using representative input saturation functions and system parameters we
solve the general equations using a commercial software (Sendra v2016.1) and compare with
the predicted exponential solutions. It is seen that the match is excellent and that variations in
time scale are well captured. The rate is slightly underestimated at early times and
overestimated at late times, which can be related to changes in total mobility during the cycles
for the given input.

Keywords: Special Core Analysis (SCAL), Centrifuge measurement of capillary pressure,

Analytical solutions, Time scale of measurements, Drainage
1The Department of Petroleum Technology, University of Stavanger, 4036 Stavanger, Norway.
2The National IOR Center of Norway.
∗Corresponding author.
E-mail: pal.andersen@uis.no.

1. INTRODUCTION
Measuring capillary pressure using the centrifuge approach (Ruth and Chen, 1995) is one of
several methods available for obtaining such curves. Other methods include the use of
membranes / porous discs (Lenormand et al., 1996; Hammervold et al., 1998) and mercury
injection capillary pressure (MICP) (Purcell, 1949). Each method has benefits and
disadvantages regarding time consumption and interpretation of the measured data. Most of the
methods consist of exposing a rock sample saturated with a representative fluid composition to
various pressure conditions where the equilibrium state corresponds to a unique distribution of
fluids and hence capillary pressure in the sample (Forbes, 1997). The fluid saturations
corresponding to these equilibrium states are determined by the observed fluid production.
This work considers the centrifuge method applied to the measurement of the primary
drainage capillary pressure curve. The centrifuge method to determine capillary pressure in
rock samples was introduced by the work of Hassler and Brunner in 1945 (Hassler and Brunner,
1945). Primary drainage is defined whereby a sample is initially fully saturated with a wetting
phase (such as brine) and subsequently displaced by a non-wetting phase (such as oil). The
setup could equally well be considered for gas displacing oil or water (gas is always the non-
wetting phase) although our model does not consider compressibility. During the centrifuge
experiment the sample is rotated at different frequencies and the dense wetting phase is
displaced at the outer boundary, while the light non-wetting phase enters at the inner boundary.
 CENTRIFUGE

Even though the centrifuge method is much faster than the membrane/porous disc methods, it
can still consume a significant amount of time on each rotational speed in order to reach true
equilibrium (Fleury et al., 2000; Ruth and Chen, 1995). The possibility for interrupting the
production of wetting phase at an appropriate time before equilibrium will be addressed later
in this paper. It should be mentioned that the range of applicability for using the centrifuge
subsequently has increased to also include measurements of other fundamental petrophysical
and reservoir properties such as residual non-wetting phase saturations, electrical resistivity
(Anderson, 1987), wettability (USBM index (Donaldson et al., 1969)) and relative permeability
curves (Hagoort, 1980). All these quantities can only be derived from experimental centrifuge
data by the use of appropriate mathematical models capturing the quantities involved. The
method developed by Hagoort (Hagoort, 1980) e.g. is used normally for estimating the wetting
phase relative permeability when the non-wetting phase has very high mobility. Obtaining full
analytical solution of the dynamic transport equation for the centrifuge problem is not possible
due to the complexity and non-linearity of the partial differential equation. The aim of this
paper is therefore to develop a simplified general mathematical model for the transport equation
and then derive approximate solutions based on certain simplifications. The presence of a
threshold pressure is accounted for in the current model. The simplified model will address the
important issue of estimating a time-scale for the transient production profile between each
incremental rotational speed step. This could give theoretical justifications for the use of time
cut-off when considering production profiles (Ruth and Chen, 1995) induced by increase in
centrifuge rotational speed and thereby save significant time for establishing capillary pressure
curves (Fleury et al., 1997; Fleury et al., 2000).
The paper is structured as follows: a) We present the geometry of the centrifuge system and
general equations using conservation laws and Darcy’s law for a rotating system. b) An
analytical solution is derived based on some appropriate simplifications. c) The analytical
model is validated against the full model by numerical examples. d) Discussion and
conclusions.
2. MODEL GEOMETRY
We consider a standard setup for centrifuge tests applied to measure the primary drainage
capillary pressure curve. The following description is illustrated by Fig. 1. A core plug, initially
fully saturated with wetting (w) phase, is located in a rotating system, on an axis termed x that
is aligned outwards from the center of rotation, where x = 0. x is positive outwards from the
center and the core is mounted at r1 < x < r2. The core is assumed sealed in the directions
normal to the x-axis to treat the system in 1 dimension. The inner boundary x = r1 is exposed to
non-wetting (nw) low density phase which extends outside the core to a free w/nw surface at x
= r2 where we assume pc = 0, in accordance with Forbes (2000). The core is exposed to the
wetting (dense) phase at x = r2. Note that the nw phase has pressure continuity in the space
outside the core from x = r1 to x = r2, while due to the sealed surface on the core sides the nw
phase has pressure continuity into the core only at x = r1. Initially the core only contains wetting
phase and the positive capillary drainage curve retains this phase. When the system begins to
rotate, defined by the rotation speed ω, wetting phase is pushed out of the core at r2, while non-
wetting phase enters at r1 giving a non-uniform phase distribution. Increasing the rotation speed
further reduces the wetting phase saturation of the core.
3. GENERAL EQUATIONS
Darcy’s law in a rotating system is given by:
𝐾𝐾𝑘𝑘
𝑢𝑢𝑖𝑖 = − 𝜇𝜇 𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 [𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑖 − 𝜌𝜌𝑖𝑖 𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥], (𝑖𝑖 = 𝑤𝑤, 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛), (1)
𝑖𝑖
 CENTRIFUGE

where ui is the Darcy velocity, K absolute permeability, kri relative permeability, µi viscosity, pi
pressure, ρi density and ω angular speed (rad/s). The index i indicates phase specific properties
for the wetting i = w and non-wetting i = nw phases. Transport of each phase is described by
the linear conservation law:
𝜕𝜕𝑡𝑡 (𝜑𝜑𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑖 ) = −𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 (𝑢𝑢𝑖𝑖 ), (𝑖𝑖 = 𝑤𝑤, 𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛), (2)
where si is phase saturation. The pressures are dependent due to the drainage capillary pressure
function 𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 − 𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 = 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 . Also, we introduce total Darcy velocity uT as follows:

𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 = 𝑢𝑢𝑤𝑤 + 𝑢𝑢𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 = −𝐾𝐾𝜆𝜆𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 − 𝐾𝐾𝜆𝜆 𝑇𝑇 𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 + 𝐾𝐾[𝜆𝜆𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝜌𝜌𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 + 𝜆𝜆𝑤𝑤 𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 ]𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥, (3)

Figure 1. The geometry of the centrifuge setup and mathematical notation. The core is aligned
with the x-axis, which rotates around the center x = 0 with rotation frequency ω. The core is
mounted between r1 < x < r2 in a core holder. The core is exposed to wetting phase at r2, while
non-wetting phase surrounds the core for x < r2, thus a free surface (pc = 0) is assumed outside
the core at x = r2. Depending on the threshold pressure pth, a region rth < x < r2 is fully saturated
by wetting phase. It is assumed flow takes place along the x-axis alone.

where mobilities are defined by:

𝑘𝑘
𝜆𝜆𝑖𝑖 = 𝜇𝜇𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 , 𝜆𝜆 𝑇𝑇 = 𝜆𝜆𝑛𝑛 + 𝜆𝜆𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 . (4)
𝑖𝑖
It follows from adding the conservation law expressions in (2) that:
𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 = 0. (5)
The wetting phase w equation in (2) can be expressed with variables uT, sw:
𝜆𝜆 𝐾𝐾𝜆𝜆𝑤𝑤 𝜆𝜆𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝐾𝐾𝜆𝜆𝑤𝑤 𝜆𝜆𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛
𝜕𝜕𝑡𝑡 (𝜑𝜑𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤 ) = −𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 � 𝜆𝜆𝑤𝑤 𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 + 𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 + ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥�, (6)
𝑇𝑇 𝜆𝜆𝑇𝑇 𝜆𝜆𝑇𝑇
where ∆𝜌𝜌 = 𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 − 𝜌𝜌𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 . The terms on the right hand side represent co-current flow,
countercurrent capillary flow and phase separation due to rotation.
3.1. Boundary Conditions.
At the boundary x = r2 the capillary pressure outside the core is 0. For reference, both phase
pressures are set to 0, i.e.:
𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 (𝑟𝑟2+ , 𝑡𝑡) = 0, 𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟2+ , 𝑡𝑡) = 0, 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟2+ , 𝑡𝑡) = 0, (7)
see also Fig. 1. Only the wetting phase has pressure continuity and mobility at r2.
𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟2− , 𝑡𝑡) = 𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟2+ , 𝑡𝑡) = 0, 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 (𝑥𝑥 = 𝑟𝑟2 , 𝑡𝑡) = 1, (8)
i.e. 𝑢𝑢𝑤𝑤 (𝑥𝑥 = 𝑟𝑟2 , 𝑡𝑡) = 𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 and 𝑢𝑢𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 (𝑥𝑥 = 𝑟𝑟2 , 𝑡𝑡) = 0. The pressure in the non-wetting phase
decreases hydrostatically towards the rotation axis (no flow outside the core), and for a given
rotation speed its value at r1 is:
𝑟𝑟 𝑟𝑟 1
𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 (𝑟𝑟1+ ) = ∫𝑟𝑟 1 𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑 = ∫𝑟𝑟 1 𝜌𝜌𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥𝑥 = − 2 𝜌𝜌𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟12 ). (9)
2 2
 CENTRIFUGE

At the inner boundary x = r1, only the light non-wetting phase has pressure continuity. Both
phases can have mobility, but due to the wetting state and density difference, only the non-
wetting phase crosses the boundary, thus:
1
𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 (𝑟𝑟1+ , 𝑡𝑡) = 𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 (𝑟𝑟1− , 𝑡𝑡) = − 2 𝜌𝜌𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟12 ), 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 (𝑥𝑥 = 𝑟𝑟1 , 𝑡𝑡) = 0,
(10)
or 𝑢𝑢𝑤𝑤 (𝑥𝑥 = 𝑟𝑟1 , 𝑡𝑡) = 0 and 𝑢𝑢𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 (𝑥𝑥 = 𝑟𝑟1 , 𝑡𝑡) = 𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 , i.e., the counter-current terms vanish also at
this boundary, but due to a balance between capillary and centripetal forces:
[𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 + ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥]𝑥𝑥=𝑟𝑟1 = 0. (11)
The pressure of the wetting phase at the inner boundary is determined from the capillary
pressure relation:
1
𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟1+ , 𝑡𝑡) = 𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟1+ , 𝑡𝑡) − 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 �𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟1+ , 𝑡𝑡)� = − 2 𝜌𝜌𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟12 ) − 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 �𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟1+ , 𝑡𝑡)�.
(12)
A third boundary exists inside the core at the transition where both phases are mobile and where
the core is fully saturated by wetting phase. The threshold pressure of the drainage curve will
assure that wetting phase is fully saturated in a region rth < x < r2 surrounding the outer
boundary. Thus, for pnw − pw < pth we have sw = 1.

3.2. Equilibrium Distribution

At equilibrium (for a given rotational speed), we have 𝜕𝜕𝑡𝑡 𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤 = 0 and 𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 = 0 in (6) and we get
a distribution of capillary pressure 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥) that must obey the following:
𝐾𝐾𝜆𝜆𝑤𝑤 𝜆𝜆𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝐾𝐾𝜆𝜆𝑤𝑤 𝜆𝜆𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛
0 = 𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 �− 𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 − ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥�. (13)
𝜆𝜆𝑇𝑇 𝜆𝜆𝑇𝑇
Since the wetting phase flux is 0 at equilibrium, (13) can be integrated to give:
1
𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 = −∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥, and, 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥) = 𝐶𝐶 − 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥 2 . (14)
The integration constant C is obtained after evaluating the threshold pressure position.
At equilibrium, neither phases flow and their pressure gradients are hydrostatic (according
to the rotation speed, density and radius). Assuming the rotation speed is large enough, the
hydrostatic pressure difference will overcome the threshold pressure. The point where these
values coincide, is the location rth defining the boundary of the single phase region. At the
location rth the phase pressures are:
1 2 ), 1 2 ),
𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ) = − 2 𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ 𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ) = − 2 𝜌𝜌𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ (15)
corresponding to the threshold pressure:
1
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ) = 𝑝𝑝𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ) − 𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ) = 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ
2)
= 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ , (16)
which defines the equilibrium position of 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ by:
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 2 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ
�𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ � = 𝑟𝑟22 − 1 . (17)
∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔 2
2
This knowledge is applied to determine C in (14):
1 1 1
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ) = 𝐶𝐶 − 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ
2
= 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ , or, 2
𝐶𝐶 = 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ + 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ = 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 𝑟𝑟22 .
(18)
In result, the equilibrium distribution of capillary pressure is given as:
 CENTRIFUGE

1
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥) = 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑥𝑥 2 ), (𝑥𝑥 < 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ),
(19)
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥) = 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ , (𝑥𝑥 > 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ),

which is a 2nd order polynomial with distance, decreasing outwards. In particular, at x = r1, we
have:
1
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑟𝑟1 ) = 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟12 ), (20)
the well known Hassler-Brunner relation (Hassler and Brunner, 1945). Note that in order for
any flow to take place the threshold pressure must be overcome, first at the inner boundary.
The minimum rotation frequency that must be applied before the wetting phase can be
displaced is therefore found by setting 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑟𝑟1 ) = 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ in (20):
𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ
𝜔𝜔𝑐𝑐2 = 1 . (21)
∆𝜌𝜌�𝑟𝑟22 −𝑟𝑟12 �
2

Remark 1. By inspection, if we insert 𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 = −∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥 and 𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 = 𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥 for x < rth and
𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 = 𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥 with two-phase terms set to 0 for x > rth, we obtain uT = 0 in (3) and 𝜕𝜕𝑡𝑡 𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤 = 0
in (6), in accordance with the assumption of equilibrium.
Remark 2. By gradually increasing the rotation speed, wetting phase production will occur
when the threshold pressure has been obtained at r1. Thus, given the rotation speed when
production initiates, pth is found from (21).
3.3. Initial Conditions.
We initialize the model by switching the rotation speed from one rotation speed ω1 to another,
ω2. It will be assumed that equilibrium was obtained at the previous cycle where the rotation
speed ω1 was applied, i.e. the initial distribution of capillary pressure is:
1 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 (𝑥𝑥) = 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔12 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑥𝑥 2 ), �𝑥𝑥 < 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ �,
𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 (𝑥𝑥) = 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ , �𝑥𝑥 > 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ �, (22)
𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 2 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ
�𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ � = 𝑟𝑟22 − 1 ,
∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔12
2

and the corresponding saturation distribution is found from the pc(sw) relation. In the case where
rotation has not started (or ω < ωc) we have sw(x) = 1.

4. SIMPLIFIED MODEL
4.1. Average Saturation
We integrate the mass balance equation (6), and by applying the boundary conditions (8)+(10)
we obtain:
1
𝜕𝜕𝑡𝑡 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 = − 𝜑𝜑(𝑟𝑟 𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 , (23)
2 −𝑟𝑟1 )

where Sw represents the average wetting phase saturation in the core. Thus, knowing the
evolution of drainage rate uT, the time profile of average saturation can be calculated.
4.2. Drainage Rate uT.
The drainage rate generally depends on the phase distribution, capillary pressure curve, rotation
speed and phase mobilities, and is calculated by solving the pressure equation (5) together with
boundary conditions (8)+(10). We can express (3) as follows:
 CENTRIFUGE

1
𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 = − 𝐾𝐾𝜆𝜆 𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 − (1 − 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 )𝜕𝜕𝑥𝑥 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 + [(1 − 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 )𝜌𝜌𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 + 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 ]𝜔𝜔2 𝑥𝑥. (24)
𝑇𝑇

This equation is then integrated over the core along the intervals [r1,rth] and [rth,r2]. In the first
region both wetting and non-wetting phases are present, while in the second region only wetting
phase is present.
𝑢𝑢 𝑟𝑟 −𝑟𝑟 𝑟𝑟 −𝑟𝑟 1
𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟2 ) − 𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟1+ ) = − 𝑇𝑇 � 𝑡𝑡ℎ ∗ 1 + 2 −1𝑡𝑡ℎ � − (1 − 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤∗ )�𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ) − 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟1 )� + �(1 −
𝐾𝐾 𝜆𝜆𝑇𝑇 𝜇𝜇𝑤𝑤 2
2 1 2 ).
𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤∗ )𝜌𝜌𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛+ 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤∗ 𝜌𝜌𝑤𝑤 �𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ − 𝑟𝑟12 )
+ − 𝜌𝜌 𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟22
2 𝑤𝑤
𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ (25)
We have applied that uT is uniform (as given by (5)). It has been assumed that the two-phase
region (r1 < x < rth) can be represented by uniform mobility values 𝜆𝜆∗𝑤𝑤 , 𝜆𝜆∗𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 resulting in total
mobility 𝜆𝜆∗𝑇𝑇 = 𝜆𝜆∗𝑤𝑤 + 𝜆𝜆∗𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 and fractional flow function 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤∗ = 𝜆𝜆∗𝑤𝑤 /𝜆𝜆∗𝑇𝑇 . Using that
𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟2 ), 𝑝𝑝𝑤𝑤 (𝑟𝑟1+ ), 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ) are known from (7), (8), (12) and (16), we can formulate (25) as:
∗
𝐾𝐾𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 1 ∗) 1
(1−𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ
𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 = (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ −𝑟𝑟1) (𝑟𝑟 −𝑟𝑟 ) �2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟12 ) − 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟1 ) + ∗ ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 ��𝑟𝑟22 − 1 �−
+ 2 −1𝑡𝑡ℎ 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔 2
𝜆𝜆∗𝑇𝑇 𝜇𝜇𝑤𝑤 2

2
𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ �� (26)

or equivalently:
∗
𝐾𝐾𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 ∗) 1
(1−𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤
�𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑟𝑟1 ) − 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟1 ) +
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 2
𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 = (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ −𝑟𝑟1) (𝑟𝑟 −𝑟𝑟 ) ∗ ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 �(𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ )2 − 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ��, (27)
+ 2 −1𝑡𝑡ℎ 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 2
𝜆𝜆∗𝑇𝑇 𝜇𝜇𝑤𝑤

where 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑟𝑟1 ) and 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ represent the equilibrium values of capillary pressure at x = r1 and the
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒

position of the threshold pressure (where the single phase region begins), see also Fig. 1. Their
values are repeated below:
1
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑟𝑟1 ) = 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟12 ),
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 2 𝑝𝑝 (28)
�𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ � = 𝑟𝑟22 − 1 𝑡𝑡ℎ 2 .
∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔
2
For a given rotation speed ω we can thus interpret the system’s driving force to consist of two
parts: a) the capillary pressure at r1 and its difference from its equilibrium value, and b) the
threshold position rth relative to its equilibrium position. When they have reached their end
state, drainage stops. An underlying assumption is of course also that the distribution in
between these points also aligns with the theoretical equilibrium, as described by (19). The rate
is also controlled by the mobility in the core, depending both on the multi-phase and single
phase regions.
A special case is when the threshold pressure is negligible (compared to representative values
on the capillary pressure curve), i.e. pth ≈ 0 and rth ≈ r2. Then (27) can be reduced to the simpler
form:
𝐾𝐾𝜆𝜆∗
𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 = 𝑤𝑤 �𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑟𝑟1 ) − 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟1 )�, (29)
𝑟𝑟2 −𝑟𝑟1
where the capillary pressure at r1 is representative of the driving force towards equilibrium.
Note also that the non-wetting phase mobility is eliminated from the expression, i.e. the rate is
mainly controlled by the wetting phase.
In order to solve (23)+(27) we need to determine the evolution in 𝜆𝜆∗𝑤𝑤 , 𝜆𝜆∗𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 , 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟1 ) and rth with
time. The best way to obtain these properties would be to solve (6) numerically, however our
goal is to obtain explicit solutions. In the following section we will make assumptions on the
relation between these parameters and the evolution of Sw.

4.3. Closing Relationships.

 CENTRIFUGE

The simplified model (27) reaches an equilibrium condition that is consistent with the general
model at x = r1 and in the region rth < x < r2. The model also accounts for the fact that drainage
does not begin until the critical rotation speed ωc has been obtained: Assuming 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟1) =
1
𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ , 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ = 𝑟𝑟1, (i.e. 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ = 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔𝑐𝑐2 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟12 )), it can be shown that 𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 (𝜔𝜔𝑐𝑐 ) = 0 (regardless of the
value of 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤∗ ).
We further require that the initial and final average saturations, 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 and 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 , must
correspond to the equilibrium distributions of a given pc curve at the initial and final rotation
speeds, ω1 and ω2, which change instantly at t = tinit.
To solve the mass balance equation for average saturation Sw together with the rate
expression uT we need to relate the parameters pc(r1) and rth to a given value of Sw.
Define a function F that interpolates 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟1 )(𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 ) and 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ (𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 ) between initial and end states
as follows:
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟1 )(𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 ) = �𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑟𝑟1 ) − 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 (𝑟𝑟1 )� 𝐹𝐹 + 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 (𝑟𝑟1 ),
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 2
(30)
2 (𝑆𝑆 ) 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 2 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 2
𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ 𝑤𝑤 = �(𝑟𝑟 𝑡𝑡ℎ ) − (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ) �𝐹𝐹 + (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ ) ,
where:
1 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 2 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 (𝑟𝑟1 ) = 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔12 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟12 ), �𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ � = 𝑟𝑟22 − 1 ,
∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔12
2
1 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 2 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ
(31)
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑟𝑟1 ) = 2 ∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔22 (𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟12 ), �𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ � = 𝑟𝑟22 − 1 2
.
∆𝜌𝜌𝜔𝜔2
2
and:
𝐹𝐹�𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑡𝑡 � = 0, 𝐹𝐹(𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 ) = 1. (32)
Generally F is a function of saturation and pressure distributions, saturation functions, and core
properties, but it will be assumed that F is a monotonously increasing function of average
saturation Sw, with 0 ≤ F(Sw) ≤ 1.
1
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑟𝑟1 ) − 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 (𝑟𝑟1 )(𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 ) = 2 ∆𝜌𝜌(𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟12 )[𝜔𝜔22 − 𝜔𝜔12 ]�1 − 𝐹𝐹(𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 )�,
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 2 2 (𝑆𝑆 ) 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ 1 1 (33)
�𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ � − 𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ 𝑤𝑤 = 1 � 2 − 2 � �1 − 𝐹𝐹(𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 )�.
∆𝜌𝜌 𝜔𝜔1 𝜔𝜔2
2
The simplest case would be that both parameters increase linearly with Sw, i.e.:
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒
𝑤𝑤 𝑆𝑆 𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 −𝑆𝑆
𝑤𝑤 𝑤𝑤 𝑆𝑆 −𝑆𝑆
𝐹𝐹(𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 ) = 𝑆𝑆𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 , 1 − 𝐹𝐹(𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 ) = 𝑆𝑆𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑤𝑤
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 . (34)
𝑤𝑤−𝑆𝑆 𝑤𝑤 −𝑆𝑆
𝑤𝑤 𝑤𝑤
Inserting the expressions (33) and (34) into the rate in (27) we obtain:
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒
∗
𝐾𝐾𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 1 ∗)
(1−𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 𝜔𝜔 2 𝑆𝑆 −𝑆𝑆
𝑢𝑢𝑇𝑇 = (𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ −𝑟𝑟1 ) (𝑟𝑟 −𝑟𝑟 ) �2 ∆𝜌𝜌(𝑟𝑟22 − 𝑟𝑟12 )𝜔𝜔12 + ∗
𝑤𝑤
𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ � �𝜔𝜔22 − 1� 𝑆𝑆𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 𝑤𝑤
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 . (35)
∗ + 2 −1𝑡𝑡ℎ 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 1 𝑤𝑤 −𝑆𝑆 𝑤𝑤
𝜆𝜆𝑇𝑇 𝜇𝜇𝑤𝑤
(35) is further combined with (23) and we can write:
𝑑𝑑𝑡𝑡 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 = −𝜏𝜏 −1 �𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 − 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 �, (36)
where τ is assumed to be constant during a cycle between the rotation frequencies ω1, ω2 and
can be interpreted as a characteristic time scale defined by:
𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 −𝑆𝑆 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 )𝜑𝜑(𝑟𝑟 −𝑟𝑟 )�(𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ −𝑟𝑟1 )+(𝑟𝑟2 −𝑟𝑟𝑡𝑡ℎ )�
(𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 𝑤𝑤 2 1 𝜆𝜆∗𝑤𝑤 𝜇𝜇−1
𝜏𝜏 = 𝜔𝜔2
𝑇𝑇
. (37)
2 1 2 2 2 ∗ ∗ )�
𝐾𝐾� 2 −1�� ∆𝜌𝜌�𝑟𝑟2 −𝑟𝑟1 �𝜔𝜔1 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 +𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ (1−𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤
𝜔𝜔1 2

Integration of (36) results in an exponential production profile:

𝑡𝑡−𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖
𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 = 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑞𝑞 + �𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 �exp �− �. (38)
𝜏𝜏
We further note that in the case where the threshold pressure is negligible, i.e. rth = r2 and pth =
0, (37) can be approximated by:
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒
𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 −𝑆𝑆 )𝜑𝜑(𝑟𝑟 −𝑟𝑟 )
(𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 2 1
𝜏𝜏 = 1
𝑤𝑤
. (39)
𝐾𝐾𝜆𝜆∗𝑤𝑤 ∆𝜌𝜌�𝜔𝜔22 −𝜔𝜔12 �(𝑟𝑟2 +𝑟𝑟1 )
2
 CENTRIFUGE

4.4. Calculation of 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 , 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 .

We note that the time scale τ in (37) and (39) depend on the difference between 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 and 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 .
These values depend non-trivially on the capillary pressure curve, geometry, fluid densities and
rotation speed. By definition, the equilibrium average saturation at rotation frequency ω is
given by:
1 𝑟𝑟
𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝜔𝜔) = 𝑟𝑟 −𝑟𝑟 ∫𝑟𝑟 2 𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥)𝑑𝑑𝑑𝑑, (40)
2 1 1
where 𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥) is calculated from the inverted capillary pressure distribution:
𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥) = (𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 )−1 (𝑥𝑥), (𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 > 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ ),
(41)
𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥) = 1, (else).

5. RESULTS
In this section we present simulation results of a synthetical primary drainage test where oil
displaces water from a core. The input data are listed in the next section. It is assumed that the
rotation frequency is increased instantaneously in steps. For reference, the general system of
equations (3)+(5)+(6) are solved numerically using the commercial software Sendra v2016.1.
Using the same input parameters we calculate the parameters 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 , 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 from (40) numerically
and obtain time scales τ, see (37), for the exponential solution (38). These analytical solutions
are compared with the solutions from the full model.

Table 1. Rock-fluid input parameters used in the reference case simulations.

K, 10 mD 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ , 0.10 bar
𝜑𝜑, 0.3 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐,𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 , 10 bar
ρw, 1.0 g/cc k, 150
ρnw, 0.7 g/cc 𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 , 0.2
µw, 1.0 cP nw, 2
µnw, 10 cP nnw, 2
∗
r1 , 25 cm 𝑘𝑘𝑤𝑤 , 1.0
∗
r2 , 30 cm 𝑘𝑘𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 , 0.4
5.1. Input.
As input for core material we assume Corey relative permeabilities:
𝑛𝑛 ∗ (1 𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤 −𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤
𝑘𝑘𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 = 𝑠𝑠̂𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 , 𝑘𝑘𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟𝑟 = 𝑘𝑘𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 − 𝑠𝑠̂𝑤𝑤 )𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 , 𝑠𝑠̂𝑤𝑤 = , (42)
1−𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤
∗
where 𝑠𝑠̂𝑤𝑤 is scaled wetting saturation, nw, nnw are Corey exponents and 𝑘𝑘𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 is the end point
relative permeability of non-wetting phase at connate wetting saturation swc (the wetting phase
has full mobility at the start of drainage, i.e. krw(sw = 1) = 1). The capillary pressure function
for primary drainage is taken to be of the following form (Andersen et al., 2014):
𝑎𝑎
𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐 = 1+𝑘𝑘𝑠𝑠̂ + 𝑏𝑏. (43)
𝑤𝑤
The parameters a, b are set according to the end points of the curve such that pc(swc) = pc,max
and pc(1) = pth, which are specified values:
1+𝑘𝑘 𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐,𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 −𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ
𝑎𝑎 = �𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐,𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 − 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ � 𝑘𝑘
, 𝑏𝑏 = 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ − . (44)
𝑘𝑘
The parameter k controls the steepness of the curve near swc.
 CENTRIFUGE

The rock, fluids and saturation curves are parameterized in Table 1. Note that the core sample
is r2 − r1 = 5 cm. The curves are illustrated in Fig. 2 together with resulting total mobility λT and
fractional flow function fw. The same set of data will be applied in all simulations, unless
otherwise is specified.

Figure 2. Input drainage relative permeability and capillary pressure functions (top) and
resulting total mobility and fractional flow function (bottom) used in reference case
simulations.

5.2. Selection of Rotation Speeds.

First, assuming the reference parameters in Table 1, we calculate the average equilibrium
saturation 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 for a given ω using (40)+(41) where we have applied that the used pc correlation
is easily invertible:
1−𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 𝑎𝑎
𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥) = 𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑤𝑤 + �𝑝𝑝𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥)−𝑏𝑏 − 1� , �𝑝𝑝𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥) > 𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ �,
𝑘𝑘 𝑐𝑐 (45)
𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥)
= 1, (else).
The corresponding desaturation curve is demonstrated in Fig. 3. We note that for ω < ωc = 470
rpm the equilibrium average saturation is 1, i.e. the rotation is too low to initiate displacement.
Increasing the rotation speed further will however lead to wetting phase production. It can be
also seen that the production is less sensitive to changes in ω for large ω. Based on this figure
we select the indicated rotation speeds, also listed in Table 2 with corresponding average
saturations. Mainly these values were taken to give similar production intervals 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 − 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒
(where 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 is just the equilibrium average saturation at the previous rotation speed).
The calculated equilibrium wetting phase distributions 𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥) are shown in Fig. 4, based on
(19)+(45). The wetting phase is highly non-uniformly distributed and a large part of
 CENTRIFUGE

Figure 3. Calculated average wetting saturation at equilibrium (𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 ) at different rotation speeds
ω. Selected rotation speeds used for simulation comparisons are indicated.

Table 2. Selected rotation speeds ω (rpm) and corresponding equilibrium saturations 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 based
on the reference parameters (Table 1).
𝜔𝜔 (rpm) 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝜔𝜔22
−1
𝜔𝜔12
470 1.00
700 0.80 1.22
1000 0.58 1.04
1500 0.41 1.25
3500 0.25 4.44

the mobile saturation interval is represented during each cycle. Referring to Fig. 2 we thus note
that there will be a significant region with low total mobility that limits the rate of production.
For a simple evaluation of (37) it was assumed that the minimum total mobility 𝜆𝜆𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 𝑇𝑇 on the
saturation interval swc < sw < 1 was applicable, while the wetting phase fractional function 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤∗
was evaluated at the equilibrium average wetting saturation 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 , i.e. for a given cycle the time
scale is given by:
𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒
𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 −𝑆𝑆 �𝜑𝜑(𝑟𝑟 −𝑟𝑟 )2
�𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 𝑤𝑤 2 1
𝜏𝜏 ≈ 2
𝜔𝜔2
. (46)
1 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒
𝐾𝐾𝜆𝜆𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚𝑚 2 2 2
𝑇𝑇 � 2 −1�� ∆𝜌𝜌�𝑟𝑟2 −𝑟𝑟1 �𝜔𝜔1 𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 �𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 �+𝑝𝑝𝑡𝑡ℎ �1−𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 �𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤 ���
𝜔𝜔1 2

Note that (46) contains no local parameters in space or time and can be evaluated
straightforward given that 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖𝑖 and 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 have been calculated.
 CENTRIFUGE

Figure 4. Equilibrium saturation profiles 𝑠𝑠𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝑥𝑥) at the indicated rotation frequencies ω.

5.3. Model Comparison.

In Fig. 5 we show the comparison of production profiles using the analytical solution (38)+(46)
and the solution generated by solving the general equations (3)+(5)+(6) with Sendra v2016.1.
Both models consistently predict the same equilibrium saturations for a given rotation speed.
This is natural, since it is a theoretical result. In particular, also the general model indicates no
production of wetting phase at the critical rotation speed ωc. When the rotation speed is
increased, production is initiated with gradually decreasing
rate until the equilibrium average saturation 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 is obtained. The analytical solution is able to
capture this behavior in a general sense and captures the time scale of the process in an excellent
fashion. Generally, the analytical solution shows slower production in the beginning and faster
production at the end compared to the general solution. This phenomenon can be attributed to
the fact that the mobility is gradually reduced during the drainage process in these examples,
i.e. a low mobility phase fills a greater fraction of the core during the cycle. The analytical
solution also captures the changes in time scale, varying from 8.6 hrs in the 700 rpm cycle and
decreasing systematically to 1.0 hrs in the 3500 rpm cycle. The applied rotation speeds cause
𝜔𝜔 2
the ratio 𝜔𝜔22 to increase from ca 1.0-1.3 in the first 3 cycles to 4.4 in the fourth. The capillary
1
resistance term also changes from one cycle to the next, but in a more non-intuitive way. As
the core is desaturated, the increased rotational energy reduces the time scale required to
produce the phases, but the threshold pressure becomes more important for very low wetting
phase saturations as it takes more energy to move the single phase region at higher velocities.
 CENTRIFUGE

Figure 5. Comparison of simulated time profiles of average wetting saturation Sw(t). Full line
represents simulations from Sendra v2016.1 where the general equations (3)+(5)+(6) were
solved while the analytical model simulation results are given by (38)+(46).

6. DISCUSSION
The centrifuge system is a standard method to measure capillary pressure and is relatively
quick compared to other methods. In spite of its shorter duration it can still require significant
time (weeks to months) to perform multi-speed tests (5+ different rates) that provide enough
information to accurately determine the capillary pressure curve. Since the measurements
normally are indirect and require interpretation, it is essential to obtain as many and as accurate
measurements as possible that in combination can be used to derive the capillary pressure
curve.
We have derived general equations (3)+(5)+(6) for this type of system and considered the
case where primary drainage is performed on a strongly wetted sample by increasing the rate
in steps. By simplifying this system, we were able to produce an explicit formulation for the
production rate (27), which is described by the parameters capillary pressure at the inner radius
pc(r1) and the position of the threshold pressure rth and their deviance from equilibrium values.
These parameters are key characteristics in a centrifuge setup as the Hassler-Brunner condition
(Hassler and Brunner, 1945) is obtained at the inner radius at equilibrium and since a
characteristic separation into a two-phase and single-phase region is observed in this type of
system, also with a well defined equilibrium position. The analytical solution respects these
characteristics, the boundary conditions and the equilibrium states and is also consistent with
the fact that a critical rotation speed ωc has to be obtained to start wetting phase production. An
explicit production profile was obtained for a given cycle in the form of an exponential solution
(38)+(46). This analytical model was validated by comparison with the commercial simulator
Sendra v2016.1 using a synthetical 5-cycle primary drainage test. The first cycle only verified
that no production occurred at the critical rotation speed, while the 4 other cycles matched
 CENTRIFUGE

production profiles in excellent fashion, showing both that the exponential profile follows the
data very well and that the time scales are well captured even with variations by an order of
magnitude (from 8.6 to 1.0 hrs). Previously, Lenormand et al. (1996) studied capillary pressure
measurements with membrane and found that the transient production curve between two
pressure steps also could be approximated by an exponential-like function vs. time. Similarly,
Andersen et al. (2017) derived an exponential solution analytically for porous disc experiments,
in good agreement with experimental results.
With the analytical model and its successful match in mind, it seems reasonable that primary
drainage production data from centrifuge can be fitted to exponential models in order to
estimate equilibrium points 𝑆𝑆𝑤𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑒𝑒 (𝜔𝜔). This can be used to save time or add more cycles to the
measurements.
Our model has assumed that equilibrium has been obtained before a new cycle is initiated.
The impact of a non-equilibrium situation on the analytical model has not been discussed, but
can potentially lead to other time scales or production profiles and must be investigated further.
Also, although the exponential profile is a good approximation, it seems that the rate is
overestimated in the early phase and underestimated at late times. This could result from our
approximation of a constant τ in (36) and not accounting for gradual changes in mobility along
the core during a cycle.
We will also seek to further validate the analytical solution by a more comprehensive
comparison with more general data using various saturation curves, mobility ratios (i.e. gas
displacing oil or water), geometries, etc. and comparing with experimental behavior in future
work.

7. CONCLUSIONS
We derive general equations for a standard experimental setup with centrifuge where
multispeed primary drainage is performed. The general equations were then simplified to derive
analytical solutions.
• For the first time, to the knowledge of the authors, an analytical model has been derived
for primary drainage experiments with centrifuge. The analytical model respects the
boundary conditions, equilibrium states, that a critical rotation speed must be obtained
to initiate wetting phase production and that the core is divided into a single- and a
multi-phase region.
• The driving force for wetting phase production can be expressed by two parameters’
distance from equilibrium: the capillary pressure at the inner radius pc(r1) (where the
Hassler-Brunner condition is obtained at equilibrium), and the position of the threshold
pressure rth (the transition point from multi- to single-phase regions), also with a defined
equilibrium.
• For the first time, to the knowledge of the authors, a time scale for centrifuge
experiments has been derived that has been able to accurately reproduce results from a
full numerical model with realistic input parameters and no assumed constraints on the
saturation functions.
• The good match of the analytical model shows that data fitting with exponential
correlations can be used to predict equilibrium states with reasonable success. The
analytical model does however seem to slightly overestimate production rates at early
times and underestimate rates at late times. Improvements will be presented in future
work.
 CENTRIFUGE

Nomenclature
a,b, Capillary pressure correlation parameters, Pa
fw , Water fractional flow function, -
∗
𝑓𝑓𝑤𝑤 , Characteristic value of water fractional flow function, -
J, Scaled capillary pressure, -
k, Capillary pressure correlation parameter, -
K, Absolute permeability, m2
∗
𝑘𝑘𝑛𝑛𝑛𝑛 , Endpoint non-wetting phase relative permeability, -
kri Relative permeability, -
nnw, nw, Corey exponents, -
pc, Capillary pressure, Pa
pi, Phase pressure, Pa
pth, Threshold capillary pressure, Pa
r1 , Inner radius, m
r2 , Outer radius, m
rth, Position where pc = pth, m
sw , Water saturation, -
𝑠𝑠̂𝑤𝑤 , Normalized water saturation, -
Sw, Average water saturation, -
Swc, Connate water saturation, -
ui, Darcy phase velocity, m/s
uT, Darcy total velocity, m/s

Greek
∆ρ, Density difference, kg/m3
λi, Phase mobility, 1/(Pa s)
λT, Total mobility, 1/(Pa s)
𝜆𝜆∗𝑇𝑇 , Characteristic total mobility, 1/(Pa s)
µi, Phase viscosity, Pa s
ρi, Phase density, kg/m3
σow, Interfacial tension, N/m
τ, Time scale, -
ϕ, Porosity, -
ω, Rotation speed, rad / s
ω1, Initial rotation speed, rad / s
ω2, New rotation speed, rad / s
ω c, Critical rotation speed, rad / s

Indices
eq, Equilibrium state of a cycle corresponding to the newly applied rotation speed ω2
i, Phase index
init, Initial state of a cycle corresponding to previously applied rotation speed ω1
nw, Non-wetting phase
th, Threshold
w, Wetting phase
 CENTRIFUGE

Abbreviations
rpm, Rotations per minute

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The 1st and 2nd author acknowledge the Research Council of Norway and the industry
partners; ConocoPhillips Skandinavia AS, Aker BP, Eni Norge AS, Maersk Oil Norway AS,
DONG Energy A/S, Denmark, Statoil Petroleum AS, ENGIE E&P NORGE AS, Lundin
Norway AS, Halliburton AS, Schlumberger Norge AS, Wintershall Norge AS of The National
IOR Centre of Norway for support. The 3rd author thanks Statoil ASA for supporting the
adjunct prof. position at the University of Stavanger. We greatly appreciate comments from
Einar Ebeltoft (Statoil ASA) that have improved the quality of this work.

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ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Pål Østebø Andersen is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Stavanger (UiS) and
the National IOR Center of Norway. He holds a PhD in Petroleum Technology from UiS. He
has co-authored more than 15 journal or conference publications and teaches Core Scale
Modeling and Interpretation for MSc students at UiS. His research interests include Special
Core Analysis (SCAL), multiphase flow in naturally fractured reservoirs with focus on
spontaneous imbibition, fracture-matrix models and wettability alteration and development of
analytical or simplified mathematical models for interpretation of complex systems.
Andersen’s hobbies include playing music and sports.

Svein M. Skjæveland is a reservoir engineering professor at the University of Stavanger

with a PhD in physics from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology and a PhD
in petroleum engineering from Texas A&M University. He has worked to establish the master
and PhD programs in petroleum engineering and in geoscience in Stavanger and to develop the
research organization IRIS. He is an appointed ”Oil Man of the Year” by the Stavanger SPE
Section and has received many prizes. During 1992-94 he was an elected rector and has held
several administrative positions in academia. He enjoys teaching and has published many
papers in the fields of physics, reservoir engineering, and multiphase flow in porous media.
 CENTRIFUGE

Dag Chun Standnes is a Leading Research in the Recovery Methods department in Statoil
ASA Bergen Norway and adjunct professor at the University of Stavanger Norway. His main
research interests are related to water-based enhanced oil recovery (EOR), multiphase flow in
porous media, special core analysis (SCAL), wettability of crude oil-brine-rock systems and its
effect on oil recovery and reservoir engineering challenges in general. He holds a M.S. in
theoretical physics and a Ph.D. in reservoir chemistry both from the Norwegian University of
Science and Technology (NTNU) Trondheim Norway.

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