U.S.-Brazil Cooperative Research: Improved Oil Recovery Through Scale Up for Multiphase Flow

University Of Wyoming, Laramie WY

Investigators

Abstract

0104529 Furtado This Americas Program award will support Dr. Frederico C. Furtado of the University of Wyoming and Dr. Bradley J. Plohr of SUNY at Stony Brook in collaboration with Dr. Dan Marchesin of the Instituto de Matematica Pura e Aplicada, Brazil and Dr. Felipe F. Pereira of the Instituto de Politecnico da Universadade do Estado Rio de Janeiro. The team will join complementary expertise and technical accomplishments in mathematical analysis, numerical analysis, and multiphase flow to investigate the equations and solutions of multiphase flows in geologically heterogeneous porous media. This project involves five tasks: (1) development of multiphase flow models that accurately account for important physical effects; (2) computational investigation and stochastic analysis of fluid mixing dynamics for these models in the presence of stochastic geologic heterogeneities; (3) construction of up-scaled multiphase flow models based on these results; (4) mathematical analysis of the solutions and non-linear wave structure; and (5) application of the newly developed models to technologically important flows such as Water-Alternating-Gas enhanced oil recovery.