An Investigation of Solving Multidimensional Multiphase Flow: Streamline front tracking method

Abstract

In the present paper we have studied streamline front tracking method for two and three-phase flow contains capillary forces. Increased demand for assessment of uncertainties and history matching require fast and accurate flow simulations on multiple plausible geological models on a routinely basis. On the other hand, conventional reservoir simulators fail to fulfill this need, and there seems to be trend within the petroleum industry to simulate reduced sets of equations. Hence, typically streamline or front tracking methods are used to solve the hyperbolic Buckley Leverette equation for two-phase flow. In this paper we consider models of multi-phase flow which do capillary forces, allowing for three phase. In particular we shall investigate a streamline front tracking method and to account for capillary effects we use operator splitting. Thus we compare the streamline front tracking method (SFTM) with a fast marching method (FFM) and a modified method of characteristics (MMOC).

Keywords: Streamline front tracking method, three-phase immiscible flow, modified method of characteristics, Cartesian grid, Riemann solver, Fast Marching method.