Perpustakaan Digital ITB

Capillary Desaturation Curve (CDC) is a fundamental tool for evaluating the effectiveness of Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) techniques applied in reservoirs. However, conventional experimental methods act as a black box, unable to provide direct measurements or visualize the desaturation process occurring within the pores. To overcome this limitation, this thesis focuses on a comprehensive evaluation of CDC and residual oil saturation (Sor) with the help of microfluidic technology. This approach enables the direct visualization and measurement of oil ganglia size during the water flooding process in porous media. The pore-scale structure of the micromodel was captured in high resolution during the displacement process, and a custom-developed MATLAB image processing algorithm was employed to analyze the captured images, quantifying changes in the saturations of both the displacing and displaced fluids. This study investigates the relationship between injection rate, ganglion size distribution, and oil mobilization efficiency using micromodel experiments combined with advanced image processing in MATLAB. Ganglia were segmented and quantified to estimate their equivalent radii, enabling a detailed statistical analysis across a wide range of injection rates (0.1–160 ?L/min). Results reveal that higher injection rates promote the fragmentation of large oil ganglia into smaller and medium-sized clusters, driven by increased viscous and shear forces overcoming capillary trapping. Radius distribution analysis shows a marked reduction in large ganglia (>0.50 mm) and a concurrent rise in intermediate-sized ganglia, indicating partial rather than complete mobilization. Capillary Desaturation Curves (CDC) further confirm that higher capillary numbers reduce residual oil saturation (Sor), although pore-scale heterogeneity leads to persistent ganglia in certain size ranges. Comparative analysis between two micromodel designs highlights differences in mobilization thresholds and redistribution patterns, underscoring the influence of pore geometry on displacement dynamics. These findings provide new insights into the interplay of viscous forces, capillary forces, and pore structure in EOR, offering a quantitative framework to guide capillary number (Nca) strategies for improved oil recovery efficiency.