Overview of polymer simulation models

A number of publications have appeared in the literature describing simulation models for polymer flooding (Zeito, 1968 Slater and Farouq-Ali, 1970 Jewett and Schurz, 1970 Patton etal, 1971 Bondor etal, 1972 Vela etal, 1974 Naiki, 1979 Todd and Chase, 1979 Scott etal, 1987). The transport properties of the polymer, the interaction with the rock matrix, possible chemical reactions and the non-Newtonian rheological behaviour of polymeric liquids combine to make polymer flow through porous media very complex. The main features which should be included in a polymer simulator for both field and laboratory use are as follows  

Ignoring gravity and capillary terms (P = Po = P) the two-phase flow equations for an incompressible, 1-D system are  

Adding Equations 8.10 and 8.11 gives the following equation for the pressure, p  

A simplified form of the 1-D polymer transport equation in two-phase flow, in which the polymer is found only in the aqueous phase, is given by the following generalised convection-dispersion equation  

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