Effect of power law on viscous fingering behavior of shear-thinning fluid in a lifted hele-shaw cell

Abstract

This study examines the viscous fingering phenomenon of immiscible displacement in Hele-Shaw cells using the volume of fluid approach (HSC). The displaced fluid has various power law indices and is shear-thinning. Both the distribution properties of pressure and velocity were examined during the development process as well as the morphological evolution characteristics of non-Newtonian fluid when the air was moved. The findings indicate that pressure decreases in the fingering direction throughout the whole non-Newtonian fluid region. The non-Newtonian fluid’s velocity close to the HSC pipe wall is virtually zero, and the highest velocity in the air phase is scattered throughout the finger’s center. Its relative width gets less as development progresses. Viscous fingering then exhibits a high degree of stability and practically constant relative breadth. The outstretched fingers are shorter and thicker under different power-law indices, and the displacement efficiency is higher. The lower the power-law index n, the better the shear thinning properties. According to the aforementioned features, high-quality and high-efficiency oil displacement can be achieved in petroleum engineering by using new power rate fluid. © 2023, The Korean Society of Mechanical Engineers and Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.