Chapter 10 Simultaneous Laminar Flow of Miscible Fluids

10.1 Introduction
In the previous chapter the fluids displaced each other without mixing, resulting
in a distinct fluid-fluid interface within the pores. In this chapter, we will discuss the
simultaneous flow of two fluids that are soluble; subsequently a distinct interface does
not exist. This process is termed miscible displacement. Applications in the petroleum
industry exist in areas of improved oil recovery, contamination plumes, and tracer tests.
In remaining sections of this chapter we will discuss the mathematical foundation for
miscible displacement, and then provide applications.
10.2 Transport Processes
Consider a homogeneous, isotropic porous media, saturated, with Darcys law
applies. Under the Darcy assumption flow occurs by convection, described by the
volumetric flux. If this was the only transport mechanism, then solutes in the fluid would
move as a plug. In reality, mixing occurs caused by variations in the microscopic
velocity within the pores; i.e., hydrodynamic dispersion or just dispersion. Subsequently,
to account for this microscopic mixing on a macroscopic scale, it is necessary to
introduce a second mode of transport.
The conservation of mass for the transport of solutes in porous media over a fixed
elemental volume can be given as:
net rate of change flux of flux of loss or gain
of mass of solute solute out solute into of solute mass (10.1)

within the element of the element the element due to reactions

The physical processes that control the flux into and out of the elemental volume are
convection and dispersion. Loss or gain of the solute mass in the elemental volume can
occur as a result of chemical reactions.
Convection is the component of solute movement attributed to fluid flow. The
rate of transport is a function of the average linear velocity, v v / . In the x-direction,
convection term vxCdA (10.2)
where C is the concentration of the solute defined as the mass of solute per unit volume
of solution. The process of dispersion occurs as a result of mechanical mixing and
molecular diffusion. In the x-direction,

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Chapter 10 Simultaneous Laminar Flow of Miscible Fluids

C
dispersion term Dx dA (10.2)
x
where Dx is the dispersion coefficient in the x-direction. This coefficient can be
expressed in terms of two components,
Dx xv D * (10.3)

where x is a characteristic property of the porous media known as dispersivity [L] and
D* is the coefficient of molecular diffusion for the solute in the porous media [L2/T].
If we define Fx as the total mass of solute per unit cross-sectional area transported
in the x direction per unit time, then
C
Fx vxC Dx (10.4)
x
The difference in the amount of solute entering and leaving in the x-direction is:
F F
Fx Ax Fx x dx Ax x V (10.5)
x x
Assuming the dissolved substance is nonreactive, then the accumulation in the element is
given by,
C
V (10.6)
t
Combining Eqs. 10.4 through 10.6 results in a linear conservation of mass expression,
C C
Dx vxC (10.7)
x x x t
This equation represents the convection dispersion equation for solute transport in
saturated porous media. The solution will provide the solute concentration as a function
of space and time.
The physical picture of the convection dispersion equation is illustrated in
Figure 10.1. In the experiment (shown on the left), a non-reactive tracer of concentration
Co is continuously injected through a homogeneous porous media. For convenience,
define a relative concentration as C/Co, where C is the concentration in the column or at
the output. Thus in (b) the tracer input can be represented as a step function. The
concentration profile as a function of time is shown in (c). This figure represents outflow
concentration and thus reflects the breakthrough of tracer at the outflow face. Notice the

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Chapter 10 Simultaneous Laminar Flow of Miscible Fluids

effect of dispersion is to smear the front, subsequently tracer first appears in the outflow
at time denoted as t1, before the arrival of the water (t2) traveling at the average velocity.
If no dispersion or diffusion exists, then the front will be sharp and plug flow will occur
through the sample, as shown by the dashed line in (c). As the front moves through the
sample over time, the tracer will increase in spreading. This is illustrated in (d), where
the points (1) and (2) represent t1 and t2, respectively.

C/Co
b
inflow 0
t0 time
t2
1

C/Co Effect of c
dispersion
t1
0
time
1

outflow C/Co t2 d
t1
0
distance

Figure 10.1 Experimental tracer setup for uni-directional dispersion and the associated
tracer profiles.
The mathematical solution for Eq. (10.7) requires appropriate initial and boundary
conditions;
C ( x,0) 0
C (0, t ) Co (10.8)
C ( , t ) 0

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Chapter 10 Simultaneous Laminar Flow of Miscible Fluids

The solution to this problem (assuming steady state and homogeneous and constant
dispersion coefficient, D) is:

C 1 x vt
exp vx erfc x v t

erfc
(10.9)
Co 2 2 D t Dx 2 D t
x x
where erfc is the complementary error function.
The magnitude of the spread of the concentration profile is a function of both
mechanical dispersion and molecular diffusion. Figure 10.2 is a schematic for the
experimental conditions from Figure 10.1. The contribution of diffusion only is shown as
a dotted line in the figure.

v position

1
Dispersed
C/Co Tracer front of Tracer front
diffusion only
0
Distance x

Figure 10.2 Schematic of spread of the tracer front for step function input
At low velocity, diffusion dominates and therefore the dispersion coefficient is
given by Dx D * . As velocity increases the mechanical mixing becomes dominant in

the dispersion, in which case, Dx x v . To establish the range of influence of diffusion

and mechanical dispersion, we define the Peclet Number as,
vd
Pe (10.10)
D*
where d is the average particle diameter. Peclet number represents the ratio of dispersion
to diffusion. Figure 10.3 illustrates the general shape of Pe to the Dx/D* ratio. The exact
shape is a function of the porous media and the fluids used in the experiments.

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Chapter 10 Simultaneous Laminar Flow of Miscible Fluids

100

10
Dx/D* Diffusion Dispersion
dominate dominate
1
transition

0.1
Peclet Number
Figure 10.3 General relation between Pe and dispersion ratio
Consider a specific case where the average velocity is small such that mechanical
dispersion is negligible relative to molecular diffusion. The convection dispersion
equation reduces to Ficks second law of diffusion,
2C C
D (10.11)
x 2 t

Combining with the previously defined initial and boundary conditions results in the
following solution.
C x
erfc (10.12)
Co 2 D *t
10.3 Multi-dimensional problems
The previous one-dimensional expressions of the convection-dispersion equation
are useful for interpreting laboratory experiments, but are of limited use for field
problems. One of the reasons is the dispersive process occurs in both the transverse and
longitudinal flow directions. This is illustrated in Figure 10.4a. A nonreactive tracer is
introduced as a continuous, steady-state point source in a uniform flow field. An
elliptical shape of the tracer zone develops as the tracer is transported through the porous
media. This occurs because mechanical dispersion exhibits anisotropy; i.e., dispersion is
greater in the direction of flow (longitudinal) than normal to flow (transverse).
In a second case the tracer is introduced as an instantaneous point source (Fig.
10.4b) into a uniform flow field. The mass of contaminant is carried away from the
source by transport in a steady-state uniform flow field in a homogeneous isotropic

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Chapter 10 Simultaneous Laminar Flow of Miscible Fluids

media. The total mass of the tracer in the flow regime does not change, but the mass
occupies an increasing volume of the porous media. The concentration distribution of the
contaminant mass at time t can be written as;

M x2 y2 z 2
C ( x, y , z , t ) exp (10.13)
8t 4D t 4D t 4D t
3/ 2
Dx Dy Dz x y z

where M is the mass of contaminant introduced at the point source, Di is the coefficient of
dispersion in the ith direction, and x, y, and z are the distances in the respective directions
from the center of gravity of the contaminant mass. The position of the center of gravity
occurs along the x-direction flow path; i.e., yc = zc = 0 and xc = vt/.
The maximum concentration is located at the center of gravity of the contaminant
cloud, where x = y = z = 0. It follows from Eq. (10.13), that the peak concentration can
be written as:
CoVo
Cmax (0,0,0, t ) (10.14)
8t
3/ 2
Dx Dy Dz

where Co is the initial concentration and Vo is the initial volume.

Uniform flow

t1 t2 t3 t4

Continuous point
source

Figure 10.4a. Tracer spreading in a uniform flow field from a continuous point source.

Uniform flow
t2 t3
t1

Instantaneous
point source

Figure 10.4b. Tracer spreading in a uniform flow field from an instantaneous point
source.

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Chapter 10 Simultaneous Laminar Flow of Miscible Fluids

10.4 Transport in Fractured Media

The miscible processes (convection, dispersion, diffusion) previously discussed
also occur in fractured media. However, the effects on transport in fractured media can
be quite different. For example, recall the effective fracture porosity of fractured rocks is
normally very small; on the order of 1-0.001 % is not unreasonable. Although the
porosities are small, the average linear velocities can be large. The reason for this can be
deduced from v v / .
f f
For granular media the dispersivity is assumed to be isotropic; that is, longitudinal
dispersivity at a point in the medium has a single value regardless of the direction of the
velocity vector. Each of the transverse dispersivities has a single value relative to the
longitudinal dispersivity. The differences between longitudinal and transverse
dispersivities are related to the mechanism of dispersion rather than to directional
properties of the medium. However, fractured media are more likely to be anisotropic
with respect to the orientation and frequency of fractures.
Little is known about dispersion in fractured media. Conceptually, Figure 10.5
illustrates the effect of matrix diffusion on the concentration distribution of nonreactive
and reactive contaminants migrating through a fracture in a medium with a porous
matrix. For illustrative purposes it is assumed that dispersion within the fracture is
insignificant. Comparison of Figure 10.5(a) and (b) indicates that diffusion into the
matrix causes the concentration in the fracture to diminish gradually toward the front of
the advancing contaminant zone.

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Chapter 10 Simultaneous Laminar Flow of Miscible Fluids

Figure 10.5 Effect of diffusion in fractured, porous media (Freeze & Cherry, 1979)

The bulk mass of the advancing contaminant zone in the fracture appears to be
retarded because part of the contaminant mass is transferred to the matrix. The general
shape of the longitudinal profile is somewhat similar to that produced by longitudinal
dispersion in granular materials. If the contaminant undergoes adsorption, the effect of
diffusion is to cause adsorption to occur on a much larger surface area than would be the
case if the contaminant mass remained entirely within the fracture. A portion of the
contaminant is adsorbed on the surface of the fracture and as diffusion occurs a portion is
adsorbed in the matrix. The combined effect of adsorption on the fracture surface and
adsorption in the matrix is to cause the contaminant mass in the fracture to be retarded
relative to the advance that would occur in the absence of adsorption [Figure 10.5(c)].
As an example, consider the contaminant distribution in a porous, fractured
aquifer receiving waste from a surface source illustrated in Figure 10.6. As time goes on,
the zone of contamination will diffuse farther into the porous matrix. If the source of
contamination is discontinued, the contaminant mass in the porous matrix will eventually
diffuse back to the fracture openings as fresh water flushes through the fracture network.

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Chapter 10 Simultaneous Laminar Flow of Miscible Fluids

Figure 10.6 Contaminant migration through a fractured media (Freeze & Cherry, 1979)

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Chapter 10 Simultaneous Laminar Flow of Miscible Fluids

10.10