Numerical Simulations of Viscous Fingering in Fractured Porous Media
This paper study the impact of fractures on the unstable displacement of viscous fingers. Particular focus is given the transition from a regime where the flow is dominated by the viscous instabilities, to a regime where the heterogeneity induced by the fractures define the flow paths.
Main content
The findings reveal that even minor permeability differences between the rock matrix and fractures significantly influence the behaviour of viscous fingering. The interplay between the viscosity contrast and permeability contrast leads to the preferential channelling of the less viscous fluid through the fractures. Consequently, this channelling process stabilizes the displacement front within the rock matrix, ultimately suppressing the occurrence of viscous fingering, particularly for higher permeability contrasts.
Numerical Simulations of Viscous Fingering in Fractured Porous Media
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-024-02081-0
Runar Lie Berge, Inga Berre, Eirik Keilegavlen, Jan Martin Nordbotten