Flow of non-Newtonian fluid through porous media (Q1058416)

This article shows the solutions of the nonlinear equations describing the transient flow of power law fluids through a porous medium. These are obtained by means of a generalized Boltzmann transformation approach for several cases of practical interest in interpretation of well-flow tests of short duration, used currently in oil reservoir engineering for obtaining the reservoir properties. A formulation of a moving boundary problem for a short time, appearing during the production of fluids by elastic decompression, is used in deriving the exact solutions in closed form for certain cases. The presence of a decompression front is physically demonstrated and its location in the reservoir at a given time is determined. The limitations associated with the generalized Boltzmann transformation approach in solving the nonlinear equations of power law fluid flow in oil reservoirs are shown and discussed with regard to the interpretation of the well-flow test analysis.