Capillary Pressure

1
:Definitio
n
PC= Curvature × Surface Tension

The Higher Curvature

,
The Higher Capillary Pressure
2
:Thus
In the smaller pores,

The Higher Curvature of the

Interface

»»» The Higher PC

3
:AS Sw Decreases
Wetting Phase will be drawn into

The smaller Pores

Resulting in:
The Increase in PC

4
The lower Sw,

The Higher Curvature in smaller pores,

The Higher PC

A5t Swi : w phase: 1-In very small pores (infinite PC)

6
 Dipping a Lump of Sugar in a Cupof
Tea
Hydrophilic Sugar:
Tea Flows Upward Spontaneously to reacha
New Equilibrium State:
Pn = Pw + PC
Hydrophobic Sugar:
Tea Would not move into the cube at the 1st
contact.
Cube must be Pushed Down into the Tea.
7
ControllingForces:

1- Viscous Force (Friction): Always acting against the flow

depending on Velocity
 u
f  2
r


2- Capillary force:? fc = 2
r

Drainage: Against theFlow

8
Imbibition: In Favor ofFlow
 Entry or Threshold Pressure
• Required (Pn - Pw ) to enable:

n-Phase to invade a porous medium

saturated with w-Phase (Sw=1).

Entry Pressure is related to the largest pore

diameter. 2Cos
Pd =
9
rmax
Thus: 10
• Drainage begins only when an entry
pressure pn− pw> 0 is applied. Related to
the largest pore.

• Imbibition occurs spontaneously, does not

require an entry pressure.

W-phase goes to the smallest pores with

highest Pc. Pcincreases as Sw decreases.
The Influence of Varying PoreDiameter
11

2Cos
In Drainage: Pn  Pw +
r
The Smaller pore, the Higher required Pn
The Influence of Varying Pore
Diameter 12

X6: An Unstable equilibrium location.

Interface jumping from X6to X5is called a

Haines jump corresponding to a locally abrupt

.change in saturation
The Influence of Varying PoreDiameter
13

2Cos
In Imbibition: Pw  Pn −
r
The Largerpore, the Higher required Pw
HYSTERSIS: 14
Different Behavior of the
Process depending on its
direction.
The Difference Occurs because:
The Small Pores Control Drainage.
The Large Pores Control Imbibition.

»»» for a certainSw

(PC )Drainage  (PC )imbibition
Hysteresis Loop: The Path of the full 15
Cycle
Scanning Curves: Shortcuts across the Hysteresis
Loop.

Example of Hysteresis: Driving between home and work

Two paths together: Hysteresis loop
Scanning Curve: Halfway
 16
Fluid
Entrapment
e.g: Drying a porous Solid by
Passing air through it.

(some water remains in the small pores

and is only released due to evaporation)
Entrapped 17
Saturation
• Irreducible saturation for w- Phase

• Residual Saturation for n-Phase

Irreducible Saturation, 18
SwiSwi
At
--Some w-phase molecules are strongly
adsorbed onto the solidsurface.
-- Capillary w-phase is held tightly inthe
Corners and Crevices.

So: w-Phase will no longer flow in responseto a

gradient in a hydraulichead.
 19
At Swi
Actually: w-Phase is Hydraulically connected
{coating the solid surface with a thin film}

However effective conductivity is

negligible.
Thus:
In Practice: w-Phase is Hydraulically Disconnected.
:Trapped-Phase 20
volume
The Volume Which will no-longer Respond to a
gradient in Hydraulic Potential.

S  = S + S
Free Trapped
Entrapment in
Imbibition
• More Complicated

• Two Primary Mechanisms:

1 Snap-off
2 Bypassing

21
Snap- 22
Off
• W-Phase tends toflow along the pore wall as
it displaces the n-Phase.
Snap- 23
Off Pore Body diam.
Aspect Ratio = AR =
Pore Throat diam.

The Higher AR,The More Snap-Off

The Smaller θ, The More Snap-Off

Bypassing 24

Pore doublet
:Residual Saturation depends 25
on
• Pore Network Geometry

• Fluid Properties, SurfaceTension

Density Ratio
Viscosity Ratio

• Potential Gradient (Flow)

• Incomplete Displacement
In another 26
Vie
•wSor depends on the Magnitude of Viscous
and Capillary Forces.

If Capillary force isdominant

The Higher Capillarity Effect, The Higher Sor
Capillary 27
Numbe f  
c
r
2
r
u w w  u
Nc = f  2
r


For Nc < 10-4

Capillary Forces Dominate Over Viscous Forces
 ?Why 28

ul
Viscous − force = Viscous − Pr essure drop = k
Capillary − force Capillary Pr essure 2
r

Carmen-KozenyEq.:

 2  = 0.2
k= r ⎯⎯⎯→k = 10 r
−3 2
45
 29
 Viscous − force u l l
=  = N C 500
Capillary − force  210 r
−3
r

:For common porousMedium

l Viscous −
= 20  = N C 10 4
force r Capillary −
force

Thus if Nc < 10-4

Capillary Forces Dominate Over Viscous Forces
 :In an ordinary water 30
flooding
m m
Uw  1  10−5
day S
w  1cp 10 −3 paS −7
 NC  210
n
  5010 −3

m
Effects of FlowProperties 31

when Nc<10-4
Sor Can be Decreased by the Increase in Nc
uw w
Nc =
 wn

The Increase in Water velocity, Viscosity

Effect of Incomplete 32
Displacemen
• The Higher Initial Sn, The Higher Snr
t

In incomplete drainage smaller pores are not

occupied by the n-Phase resulting in
smaller Snr , If Nc <10-4
 33

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