Displacement of heavy oil by carbon dioxide in a tube

After using primary and secondary oil recovery methods, about two third of the original oil in place is left behind in the reservoir. Enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods are being used to recover that oil. CO 2 flooding is one of the EOR methods that is used to recover the oil. The interest here lies in recovery of heavy oils. The dissolution of CO 2 in oil reduces oil viscosity and swells it, making it easier to displace the oil. FLUENT is used to solve the problem of CO2 displacing heavy oil in a tube. Different velocities/capillary numbers (Ca) and different tube radii are used as input into FLUENT to solve different cases. The oil film thickness that left behind (hinfinity ) is reported both without mass transfer and with mass transfer.;The oil film thickness that is left behind, hinfinity is decreased when capillary number is decreased. When there is no mass transfer, the non-dimensional film thickness left behind hinfinity/R plotted against capillary number Ca fit Bretherton line. Even under mass transfer of CO2 into oil, bubbles show Bretherton-type behavior. Convection in this case opposes the mass transfer and limits how much CO 2 can dissolve in oil.