Flow in Porous Rocks Energy and Environmental Applications

Focusing on simplified models of physical flow processes, this book develops a series of quantitative models to describe the recovery of oil and gas from hydrocarbon reservoirs (including fracking), the physics of geo-sequestration of CO2, geothermal power production, and the potential for underground contaminant dispersal in the long-term storage of nuclear waste. The author approaches these problems by developing simplified mathematical models and identifying the key dimensionless variables that control the processes. This analysis is then used to demonstrate the challenges and constraints of modelling flow in complex and heterogeneous rocks, which often have uncertain flow properties. Analytical solutions for flows are provided where possible, and analogue laboratory experiments are also presented to help illustrate and provide a different perspective on the flows. Incorporating end-of-chapter exercises, this is an important introduction to the different controls on flow in porous rocks for academic researchers, energy industry professionals and graduate students.

1. Introduction; 2. Porous rocks; 3. Flow in porous rocks; 4. Accounting for uncertainty; 5. Dispersion in porous media; 6. Frontal instability; 7. Two phase flow; 8. Fluid rock interactions; 9. Gravity driven flow in porous media; 10. Buoyancy effects on dispersion; 11. Geothermal power and heat storage; 12. Compressibility and gas flows; References; Index.

Andrew W. Woods is the BP Professor and Head of the BP Institute in the University of Cambridge, and a Fellow of St Johns College, Cambridge. His research interests include theoretical and experimental modelling of flows in porous rocks, phase changes, turbulent plumes, volcanic systems and other natural flows in the environment and near surface of the Earth. Professor Woods has received several awards including the 1997 Italgas Prize for work on geothermal systems, the 1997 Marcello Carapezza Prize for work on volcanic systems, and the 2002 Wager Medal of the International Association of Volcanology and Chemistry of the Earth's Interior.