Thermal Imaging To Visualize and Characterize Combustion Fronts in Porous Media

Abstract

We developed a novel technique based upon time-lapse infrared (IR) images to relate the effects of crude-oil oxidation kinetics on flow during one-dimensional homogeneous and heterogeneous laboratory-scale combustion tube experiments. We performed combustion tube experiments under variable conditions including different sands (i.e., grain-size distribution), air injection rate history (constant versus variable), degree of packing heterogeneity, and reaction heterogeneity. The latter is achieved by using reaction enhancing nanoparticles in controlled packing configurations. During every experiment, we obtain high-resolution IR images of the outer wall of the combustion tube that we calibrate using point-wise temperature measurements from a thermocouple. Here, a new experimental workflow that uses these images and combines knowledge obtained from kinetic cell experiments is used to isolate the spatial zones within the tube where so-called low-temperature and high-temperature oxidation (pseudoreaction regimes) occurs during combustion tube experiments for the first time. Additionally, the IR imaging technique is shown to provide new insight into the propagation of the combustion front in homogeneous and heterogeneous systems and, importantly, visualizes gravity drainage of hot oil.

Combined Experimental and Numerical Investigation into Combustion Characteristics of Crude Oil under Different Permeability Ranges: Thermal EOR Implication

“…The results showed that the emergence of FD and HTO areas generating carbon oxides is of vital significance for an excellent-performing ISC displacement. More recently, Koh Yoo et al applied high-resolution thermal imaging to decouple the flow fractions and kinetics during combustion in the CT experiments. It was observed that the oscillatory combustion was closely connected with the banking of hot oil, repeated detachment of oil from the bank because of gravity drainage, and extra fuel deposition due to higher oil saturation.…”