Flow in Porous Rocks
Energy and Environmental Applications

This book provides simplified models explaining flows in heterogeneous rocks, their physics and energy production processes, for researchers, energy industry professionals and graduate students.

Andrew W. Woods (Author)

9781107065857, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 December 2014

289 pages, 179 b/w illus. 45 colour illus. 24 exercises
25.2 x 17.8 x 2 cm, 0.81 kg

'Students or members of the industry with a strong background in fluid dynamics will find this book accessible. Practicing reservoir engineers may find this book particularly insightful due to [the] novel approach of nice applied mathematics coupled with simple experiments.' Colin R. Meyer, Pure and Applied Geophysics

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.

Subject Areas: Environmental science, engineering & technology [TQ], Petroleum technology [THFP], Energy technology & engineering [TH], The environment [RN], Geology & the lithosphere [RBG], Earth sciences [RB], Fluid mechanics [PHDF], Petroleum & oil industries [KNBP], Energy industries & utilities [KNB]