Laws and principles governing fluid flow in porous media

Abstract.: Currently, it is impossible to imagine the petroleum industry without utilising numerical simulation methods for reservoir analysis and production. Investigating the petroleum reservoir performance calls for a comprehensive understanding of the physical processes that govern flow transport in porous media. Irrespective of the goals of the analysis whether pertaining to core investigations, reservoir simulation and planning of enhanced recovery methods, flow processes obey the same physical laws. In this paper, the basic laws and principles describing fluid flow and flow patterns manifesting in subsurface porous media are discussed. Appreciating the applicability and limitations of the physical laws allows us to develop and employ modelling methods for flow behaviour analysis and reservoir performance prediction which is the main goal of petroleum engineering. Concluding, we present the black-oil model, the compositional model and the complex models as applied to petroleum field applications. Graphical abstract: [Figure not available: see fulltext.].