Dynamic Displacement Measurements for Rapid Characterization of Flow in Unsaturated Aquifers

by
Qiang Fang, MSE

University of Texas at Austin, 1996
Supervisor: Kenneth E. Gray

Applications of increasingly sophisticated mathematical techniques to the analysis of field-scale flow and transport processes points to the need for accurate yet expedient methods for quantifying the hydraulic properties of the medium to be simulated. Less time-consuming methods for estimating the relative permeability are especially important in part because of the time and labor involved in the direct field-measurement of this parameter, and in part because of its spatial variability. The determination of input parameters to reliably simulate contaminant transport and the design of remediation schemes is labor intensive, expensive, and time consuming. This research developed a method to rapidly determine multiphase flow parameters through modification of dynamic displacement techniques. The approach is based on iterative methodologies developed in the petroleum industry, using measurements of transient pressure variations, water production, and pore fluid saturation profiles. The variations are then numerically computed using a simple, one-dimensional flow model. Computed behavior is compared with measured response, and adjustments are made in capillary pressure and relative permeability-saturation parameters to optimize the agreement. The necessary laboratory measurements can be carried out in a matter of a few hours to a few days per specimen.

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