Real gas flow through heterogeneous porous media: Theoretical aspects of upscaling (Q1584573)

The author discusses the problem of upscaling transient real gas flow through heterogeneous bounded reservoirs. Instead of stochastic averaging of nonlinear flow equations, Kirchhoff transformation is used to linearize the governing equations. It is pointed out that the linearized stochastic differential equations are similar to those used for the description of groundwater flows in heterogeneous formations. Thus, an upscaled gas permeability has the same qualities as an upscaled hydraulic conductivity. The author also discusses an extension of the results obtained by means of small perturbation analysis to highly heterogeneous porous formations.