Upscaling from pore to core : effects of strong capillary forces and wettability phenomena

In the upscaling process from pore to core different techniques are being used. In this presentation a novel application of Volume Averaging is described. The basic development follows the representative unit cell concept (RUC) developed by du Plessis (1988). This RUC concept is extended to multiphase flow. With the aid of a conceptual geometrical micro-model of a porous medium effective equations are derived which describe multiphase flow. Due to the strong nonlinearity of the flow proces non-local terras are introduced into the equations. These upscaled equations are analyzed in the presence of strong capillary forces and different wettability conditions inside the porous medium. The presente of capillary forces modifies the flow behaviour strongly and introduces non-local terras in the averaged equations.