Three-Phase Relative Permeability

Abstract

Abstract The results of three-phase relative permeability tests on nine water-wet consolidated Berea sandstone samples are presented as composite ternary diagrams showing isoperms of oil, water and gas. Capillary pressure control was exercised over the flow of gas and oil in the presence of water. The water saturations ranged from 17 to 71 per cent pore volume. A method of calculating both the oil and water permeabilities of a three-phase system from the easily measured gas relative permeability is presented. Experimental Procedure and Results A renewed interest has been shown in three-phase relative permeability as a result of recent developments involving underground combustion processes, steam injection, and other multiphase displacement processes. The experiments and results described here involved simultaneous flow of oil and gas in consolidated Berea sand with brine present as the wetting phase. Gas and oil relative permeabilities were measured on nine cores with CaCl2 brine present as the wetting phase in saturations ranging from 17 to 71 per cent.