Application of the Maxwell-Stefan theory in modeling gas diffusion experiments into isolated oil droplets by water

We have used the Maxwell-Stefan diffusion theory to model the mass transfer between tertiary-injected gas and residual oil blocked by water, in order to predict the time required for the rupture of the water barrier due to oil swelling. We have also designed and conducted a set of visualization micromodel experiments on various pure and multicomponent oil-gas systems to measure the water rupture time in tertiary gas injection processes. The experimental results show that the initial pressure and dimensions of the system, the oil and gas composition, and the gas solubility in water control the oil swelling process. The experimentally measured rupture times are then employed to evaluate the reliability of the model and to compare its accuracy with that of a similar one using classical Fick's law. Our modeling results show that both models are able to estimate the water rupture time for pure systems with an acceptable precision. As for multicomponent mixtures, however, only the Maxwell-Stefan theory is capable of modeling the molecular diffusion process correctly and yields values close to reality, while the use of Fick's law would lead to erroneous results. Deficiency of the latter model becomes more acute when the diffusion direction in reality is contrary to what the model indicates, which leads to failure in calculating any value for rupture time at all for these cases. Published under an exclusive license by AIP Publishing.