Experimental and Modelling Study of Authigenic Fines Migration with Detachment by Breakage: Formation Damage Aspects

Summary This work aims upscaling of the particle-pore microscale colloidal transport in porous media to Darcy's macroscale, and the experimental study of fines-migration corefloods under wide rate variation. The upscaling calculates the maximum retention fines concentration versus velocity from probabilistic distributions of particle-pore properties; the inverse calculations realize downscaling. This defines the maximum retention function (MRF) as Darcy's scale model for fines detachment. The lab tests reveal fines mobilisation against attaching electrostatic forces at low flow rates and by breakage at high flow rates. The lab data reveal MRF with plateau indicating double mechanism of fines detachment. Lab data exhibit high match with the coreflood data; tuning of macro- and microscale parameters reveals their common values. Analytical model for radial flow allows recalculating lab data into skin growth with time for injectors and producers under fines migration.